With the benefit of living about a 40-minute drive from Dirt World , I got the call up to swing a leg over the 2025 Yamaha range on behalf of KR . It ’ s been a while since I have ridden a bLUcRU machine , with fond memories of the YZ250FX having been a highlight of the range since it was first released in 2015 . Unfortunately , the All-New 250FX and the WR250F bikes ( which I was all jazzed up about ) didn ’ t arrive in time for the intro day , so we will test those when they become available in the future . On hand to test were the WR450F , YZ450F , YZ450FX , YZ250F , YZ125 and YZ125X models – meaning my second favourite , the YZ250 , also didn ’ t make the demo cut . But having said that , a day out on brand new bikes is much better than a slap in the face with a cold fish … or so the saying goes . We shared the bikes with about 20 or so local dealers , so actual bike time was somewhat limited , but I did get a run on each bike and here are my first thoughts on the 2025 range that Yamaha Motor New Zealand had on offer .
THE BASICALLY UNCHANGED MODELS Let ’ s get the ‘ easy models ’ out of the way first . Both the YZ125 and YZ125X remain
unchanged , apart from the new graphics , a smaller more compact bar pad , and new toolfree compression adjustment at the top of each fork leg . The tool-less adjuster is probably the best improvement across everything Yamaha has done this year . That sounds extreme , I know , but if you , like me , run your handlebars in the forward holes , adjusting your compression clickers is impossible , and requires taking off your handlebars every time you want to make some track-side changes . This simple little update makes life infinitely easier and cannot be understated . KTM has known this for years … welcome to the party boys .
YZ125 / YZ125X Riding a 125 is the epitome of fun . It ’ s a bike that you know won ’ t ever try and ‘ kill you ’, and probably the only bike in the range that you could truly say that you could do with some more power . But , at the same time , you kind of don ’ t want any more power . At 95kg wet , it really feels more like 80kg and throwing it into corners makes you feel like Levi Townley . Looking back on the images from the day , both the 125 and 125X look tiny with me on them , but never did the bike feel too cramped and uncomfortable . The power delivery is very strong
42 KIWI RIDER