Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/674407
2016 YAMAHA YZ250 QUICKSPIN P92 two-stroke aficionados. Shifting the YZ's five-speed transmission is a snap, and the clutch is tough and has excel- lent feel. Pull is light, which is a good thing, because you do slip the clutch on the YZ, but that's nothing against the YZ, it's just how you ride a two- stroke. Even though the YZ uses "old-school" carburetion—in this case a Keihin PWK38S carburetor—throttle response is excellent. After all these years, Yamaha has the YZ's jetting down pat, running a 40:1 fuel/ oil mixture with Yamalube R synthetic two-stroke oil and 91 octane pump gas. We never saw signs of exhaust drool. Our bike was always ridden near sea level; heading to Mammoth MX? Bring jets. The YZ's suspension is just about as good as it gets, at least right out of the crate. The SSS forks are just plain su- perb and the back end tracks straight. It takes something pretty nasty to upset the back end. And when you do, it usu- ally doesn't take much correc- tion from the rider for it to get happy again. Both front and rear suspension are plush, but don't bottom easily. Getting the YZ in and out of the turns isn't a big deal. It turns quickly but doesn't really like to stay in the ruts. The YZ prefers soft and sweeping berms, but overall the YZ turns well. The YZ's brakes are okay; they just don't have that con- fidence inspiring power that some of the bigger and more sophisticated four-strokes do. Luckily, the YZ is a lot lighter, so you really don't need brakes that can stop a 747. Climb aboard the YZ and it actually feels a little on the small side, especially after hop- ping off a YZ250F four-stroke. One of our testers thought that the distance between the top of the footpeg and the top of the seat on the two-stroke was very short, making him feel "as though I was riding a mountain bike." Still, the YZ is comfortable in the saddle. The footpegs are wide, we like the shape of the seat and the neutral bend of the aluminum handlebars. It truly is amazing that after all these years the YZ250 is still such a fantastic motocross bike that can still compete against bikes far more sophis- ticated than itself in the same displacement class. Unfortu- nately, it can't compete against the rulebook that prevents this from happening, at least in the pro division. But if that's not a big deal to you and you just want to get out there and moto, then the YZ250 is still a very viable option when it comes to choosing your next motocross bike. Plus, you can work on it yourself with nothing much more than some wrenches, screwdrivers and a stereo. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 2016 YAMAHA YZ250 MSRP: .............................................. $7290 ENGINE TYPE: ......... Liquid-cooled, YPVS reed-inducted, 2-stroke DISPLACEMENT: ..............................249cc BORE X STROKE: .............66.4 x 72.0mm COMPRESSION RATIO: .............. 8.9-10.6:1 FUEL DELIVERY: ..............Keihin PWK38S IGNITION: ............................................. CDI TRANSMISSION: ............. Constant-mesh, 5-speed, close-ratio, multiplate wet clutch FINAL DRIVE: .....................................Chain FRAME: ......................................Aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION: .............48mm KYB Speed-Sensitive System, inverted fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: .... KYB monoshock, fully adjustable FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ..................11.8 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ................... 12.4 in. FRONT TIRE: ........80/100-21 MX52 Dunlop REAR TIRE: ....... 110/90-19 MX52 Dunlop FRONT BRAKE: ........ Single 250mm disc, 2-piston caliper REAR BRAKE: ...........Single 245mm disc, 1-piston caliper SEAT HEIGHT: ................................ 39.1 in. WHEELBASE: ................................. 58.3 in. RAKE: .................................................26.0° TRAIL: ...............................................4.3 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: ................... 14.4 in. FUEL CAPACITY: .............................2.1 gal. CLAIMED WEIGHT (WET): ............227 lbs.