are a genuine win. Two piece, two tone, and running fewer bolts than before. From a servicing point of view it is brilliant, But the part I noticed on the bike was between my legs. There are simply fewer catch points back there. Anyone who has hooked a boot or a knee brace on a panel edge mid rut will know exactly what I mean.
ON THE TRACK Once I get a few laps in, the power was the first thing to really stand out. It has more punch than the model it replaces, and it is more aggressive with it. Not aggressive in a scary way, just that it responds harder and quicker when you ask. Yamaha says the motor is all new; still a liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valve, fuel-injected, rearwards leaning 250, but Yamaha has lifted power right across the range and pushed the rev ceiling 700rpm higher than before. That extra headroom is the bit you’ ll likely feel most. Where you might have short shifted the old one out of a corner, this thing keeps pulling and you can hold a gear longer through a rough section. The result is a motor that is always there. No hunting for the right gear, no waiting for it to come on the pipe. The clever part is that the extra power has not come with extra noise. A revised air cleaner and exhaust system have brought overall noise down to keep the bike inside FIM and AMA rules, which matters more every year, as tracks come under various environmental pressures.
58 KIWI RIDER