switched from aluminum to steel.
The outer fork tube thickness
was increased, improving rigid-
ity and allowing Yamaha to de-
crease the fork spring rate from
4.7 Nm to 4.6 Nm. The shock
maintains the same spring rate
but new damping settings work
in conjunction with the chassis
changes.
LONG LIVE THE KING?
Our fears that Yamaha might've
messed with an already good
thing evaporated within a few
laps as the familiar low-end
torque pulled hard out of the
corners and the compliant
suspension kept us carving up
the corners and navigating the
straightaways with confidence.
Kudos to Yamaha for indeed
increasing the power through
the mid and top without taking
anything away from the off-idle
power the YZ250F is famous
for. Each gear can be held a
little longer before shifting. We
also found we didn't need to use
the clutch as much, just let the
torquey engine do the work. The
new rev limiter sequence works
nicely, giving the sensation that
the 2017 YZ revs farther than the
2016, even though they both top
out at 14,000 rpm. The YZ250F
has a broad, easy-to-use power-
band that suits beginners all the
way to pros.
With the chassis and engine
mount changes, the softer fork
spring rate doesn't result in a
soft-feeling front end. Through
testing, Yamaha found the stiffer
fork tubes created less stiction,
allowing them to go softer and
maintain the same feel, which
means the KYB SSS fork feels
much like it did in 2016. Plain
and simple, the KYB spring fork
is awesome. A benefit of the
spring fork is it works well for
a wide range of rider size and
speed, keeping our light pro rid-
ers smiling and handling heavier
vet-speed riders nicely. It also
doesn't need nearly as much
tinkering and clicker adjustment
as an air fork, which constantly
VOL. 53 ISSUE 28 JULY 19, 2016 P89
