YZ250F - ENGINE The YZ250F ’ s engine is not the big story this year , but it has been given a more direct , more efficient intake path and revised ECU settings . There ’ s also a cam-chain upgrade to boost reliability . The power is pretty linear and it can rev well . There ’ s not a lot right off the bottom and to expect much there would probably mean you ’ re looking at the wrong capacity bike , but , still , I felt this is the weak area if there was one . In the mid-range and top-end , the 250 pulls like a real champ - as you might have come to expect from Yamaha ’ s 250 . I found the mapping options less useful on the 250 , because it ’ s a small capacity buzz-box , where you typically want all it ’ s got , everywhere , all of the time . That ’ s just how 250s are .
YZ250F - CHASSIS This is where the changes are for 2024 ’ s 250 . The chassis of this YZ250F is the same as that of the YZ450F , so jumping from one to the other was very similar for the best part , with an immediate familiarity . Consequently , the front sledging the odd time was also noticeable , but , again , to be fair to the 250F , the conditions weren ’ t the best ( as with the 450F mentioned above ). I found
that both capacity bikes could confidently slide into flat , slick turns nicely and , when on the gas , could whip around corners with a well-balanced feel . The smaller bike is a little bit more direct from corner to corner , mostly because 250s need a different riding style on account of the different engine power characteristics changing the way the bike needs and wants to be ridden . Oddly , the suspension seemed not quite as good on the 250 as the 450 ( which I had just stepped off and loved ). I found the YZ250F bottoming out , suggesting the bike ’ s stock setup is for someone lighter than me . The front end was also a little bit twitchier , so it ’ s very possible I need to eat less pies . I ’ m probably running slightly low in the stroke or just over the weight it ’ s set up for . It ’ s possible you could play with the clickers to improve that . To sum up the YZ250F , it has some significant and numerous chassis changes and I ’ m sure these will be well received over and above previous models . I ’ m not a rider who goes for 250s , but if those were all the cc ’ s I was allowed , I ’ d still have a great time on this bike - particularly after I took the time to sort the suspension to suit my weight .
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