Yamaha Ty250z

YAMAHA TY250Z

TRICKEST DIRTBIKE IN THE WORLD?

IF AN ALUMINUM FRAME APPEARED ON A DIRTBIKE IT would be big news, right? Well, here it is, and it's been around for a while. Trials bikes like Yamaha's TY250 have been at the forefront of off-road technology, yet they’ve managed to quietly putt-putt-putt right past our noses without getting much attention, mainly because they don’t clear 80-foot triple-jumps or move large quantities of real estate with a twist of the wrist.

The TY250Z is state-of-the-art in the trials game, a competitor to European brands that go by names like Gas-Gas, Fantic and Beta. In the U.S., the bike is not available directly from Yamaha. Shops specializing in trials import these bikes in small numbers for hardcore enthusiasts who pay up to $7000 for the privilege of owning a brand-new TY.

A trials mount is not like any other type of bike. It is not made to sit on, hence the absence of all but a small section of padding to give your posterior a perch after a tiring section. It has incredible ground clearance, and the shifter is way out of reach of your left foot. You usually select a gear and stay in that gear throughout a section.

The bike is built light and with plenty of thought put into protection for the inevitable crushing slide off a rock face. The radiator and gas tank are housed between the frame tubes. The engine is a stressed member of the frame and guarded by an incredibly thick and rigid skidplate. The footpegs, extremely susceptible to getting peeled off, are hinged on replaceable mounts.

Hoppmg around on the TY takes a little getting used to, but in a matter of minutes the staff of Cycle World was roaming around the office parking lot scouting urban sections and getting acquainted with the ever-popular nose wheelie. The bike is very quiet and a huge flywheel keeps the twostroke Single turning at exceedingly low revs. Combine this with a first gear so low as to be practically useless, and you could almost stand still with the motor running and the clutch out. Starting off was best in second or third gear and most of the time these were the right selections for even the tightest sections. Fourth and fifth were best for traveling between sections, or for extended wheelies, another highlight in a trials bike’s bag of tricks. Brakes offered great control despite their small size, but you don’t need much to slow down a 175pound bike.

In the 1970s, trials was billed as the fastest growing sport in motorcycling. It soon fizzled. Twenty years later, trials is making a small but significant comeback, and bikes as trick as the YZ250Z are part of the reason.

Jimmy Lewis