2009 Yamaha Yz250
2009 YAMAHA YZ250
ROUNDUP
QuickRide
IT’S NO SECRET THAT FOURstroke motocross sales have put two-strokes on life support. We’ve already seen Kawasaki and Suzuki remove big-boy models from their lineups, while Honda has stopped selling them altogether, leaving Yamaha the sole Japanese importer still flying the 250cc smoker flag. As a rider who grew up exclusively on the saddles of two-strokes, I can only hope that Yamaha continues to sell them, in particular this excellent 250.
No significant changes were announced at the press launch for the 2009 YZ250 ($6599); the short list of updates includes new tires, gold-colored chain and gripper seat cover. But minimal improvements are better than extinction, right? Brochure jargon was replaced by an economics lesson on supply and demand. “We want to continue to sell two-strokes as long as people are buying them,” said a Yamaha spokesman, sounding as if imminent doom is closer
To fire up the YZ250, the rider doesn’t need to go through a preflight checklist. You just kick it, usually one time. Once lit, the 249cc, liquid-cooled, reed-valveinducted YZ tingles like no four-stroke. Blue smoke puffs from the exhaust-very comforting for the oldschool among us. Turn the throttle and the bike revs quickly with a crisp exhaust note that barks out the sounds of simplistic power. No valves, cams or their chains and no non-powerproducing extra strokes. This is a two-stroke; once the
the nostrils, it is playtime.
Butter-smooth clutch pull followed by precise shift engagement puts the bike in motion. Power delivery is snappy and aggressive, yet remains very controllable at low rpm; its responsive nature can put a smile on anyone’s face. Accelerate until the power slowly fades, then upshift and do it all over again. Accurate selection of the five available gears is necessary to keep revs in the sweet spot but that rewards the rider with impressive performance.
There is more to the
Handling is awesome, too. Part of that is owed to the lightweight powerplant and the agile feeling that is due in no small part to the bike’s claimed 229-pound wet weight (9 pounds lighter than the 450F). Look, point and shoot; it instills confidence. The YZ’s engine has less rotating mass than a four-stroke’s, allowing the 250 to respond instantly to the rider’s steering inputs, and it is less prone to standing up or washing out in corners. It’s fitted with the same excellent KYB suspension components found on the YZ450F, including a 48mm inverted fork and a titanium-spring shock with provisions for highand low-speed compressiondamping adjustment.
Forget comparing the YZ250 to its “F” cousin straight-up, because they’re two completely different animals. Both have advantages, but one thing I can say for certain is that the day I spent on the YZ250 was by far my best day of riding all year.
Long live the two-stroke! □
Ryan Dudek
