Second
OpInIon
TOM BUXTON
Following in the footsteps of its motocross
counterpart, for 2020 the YZ250FX has received
plenty of changes. Probably the most welcomed
of those being more compression and map
improvements, which result in more power. For
anyone who has ridden a 250, a bit more power
is something that will never get turned down.
The FX is largely the same as the YZ 250F with
the only differences really being a wide-ratio
gearbox and the addition of a side-stand.
A problem I had repeatedly heard with the
previous model was that the gaps between the
gears were too big. This is no longer a problem.
With the increased power, I felt it could easily
cope with the taller gears. Having also ridden
the ‘20 YZ250F which only has five gears much
closer together, I preferred the FX’s ratios. I
found it made it feel more torquey and could
rev out for longer before having to shift up a
gear. This suited the way I ride a lot more, not
being too much of a revver, which is usually
required for a small bore bike. Having said this
there was still plenty of snap there to power it
out of soft sandy corners.
As well as the smart phone tuning possibilities,
a map switch also comes in stock trim. With the
option being standard and slightly slower option,
but with the possibility to add new maps via the
app. Having only tested the bike in the sand,
the standard map was my pick for the day. With
Yamaha still insisting on running the cable clutch
which I can’t say I’m a huge fan of, I must admit
though, the clutch was light and had good feel.
But adjustments to the free-play were required
as the clutch got hot, which is pretty standard
on cable clutches.
40 KIWI RIDER