YZ250X | Jock Mclauchlan
I love the 250X. It takes me back to my time
as a racer. It has a superb engine that’s grunty
and responsive in equal measure and just puts
the biggest smile on your face. It’s super light,
super agile, adores tight turns and is the least
stable at speed of the three bike we tested.
The suspension out of the box is also a
little softer than on the four-strokes here,
suiting a lighter rider than me… which is
most riders in fairness. It also feels the
smallest here with great ergonomics and
excellent brakes. Whatever… the YZ250X
sure as hell does not show its design age.
YZ250X | Paul Whibley
The 250X was coming my way for a few Hard
Enduros I’m planning to tackle. I had one
of these bikes last year as part of the PWR
Demo Program and had an absolute blast.
The same continues now. I feel the X is quite
underrated. It is viewed by those unfamiliar
as just a YZ250 with an 18-incher out back.
But it’s far from that. Yamaha has taken
the YZ250, which is an amazing platform,
and tuned it to be a fine XC weapon.
The torque and power delivery is super
44 KIWI RIDER
smooth, there’s no MX ‘hit’ here. The bike comes
stock with a 14 tooth front sprocket, which I find
makes the gearing too tall. I swap that for a 13
tooth and feel the bike pulls a little harder when
needed. The handling of the bike is in no doubt
and the X is super light too. This is a well proven
and refined package and I would suggest the
reliability is second to none. For those who
love that adrenaline rush that comes along
with riding a two-stroke, the YZ250X delivers.