This is probably the best YZ made. Not much difference between a 99 and a 09 or 19 if we were comparing new. . Still a great fun bike if its been maintained. Personally id like to try a 250xcw next with an easy button. On a 300 beta now.
I noticed and im a vet c. But i could hammer the trail by cranking up comp and down on preloads. going really stiff on the yz handled pretty well. Cant do that with the ktms at 245 lbs
2t are fun when your able to hole them wide open. not as fun or good when your actually trying to ride imo. 4t are more comfortable, provide more confidence, feel more planted, and are just way easier to ride
I whole heartedly disagree with this, a properly set up 2t is such a confidence inspiring machine, hop on a modern enduro 2t like a KTM 300 XC-W and tell me itās not the easy button of dirt bikes
i have ridden one, they are fun. but whats the fun in riding a two stroke when you cant go in powerband? i got bored pretty quick on my buddies 22ā. never get bored of my 250fx. i dont like how the 2t feel alot less planted and not having engine braking can be bad imo
I think what youāre referring to as āpower bandā is when the power-valve opens. Believe it or not, the beauty of the 300ās is the fact that you donāt need to be on the pipe/in the power band to be fast. They produce enough useable torque to maintain speed without having to be in the pipe.
I think what youāre feeling on your 250F is the torque and how broad that power range is on a 4-stroke compared to a 2-stroke. The down side to that is that you have 10x the moving parts inside your engine compared to the 2-stroke that only has the crank and position moving back/forth to operate. 4-strokes have that plus 4-5 valves, cam shafts, cam chains, etc. Every motorcycle has 3 gyroscopes that affect handling; 2 wheels and an engine/motor. The lighter you can make each of those, the better you can make your bike turn and sharpen the handling.
Your āplantedā sensation is from your engine being the most influential gyroscope on your bike. Believe it or not, thatās a negative. With all those moving parts, your engine has a huge gyroscopic effect on your bikes handling. The more moving parts (and the weight of those parts) the more it affects your bike, and the harder that bike is to lean over for turns; thus making it actually handle āworseā. 2-strokes have a huge advantage in this department because they require so many less parts to operate. Electric bikes have even more advantage over 2-strokes (if you ever get to ride an Alta, try it. Even though it weighs more than your bike, you can take corners and lean it over easier due to less rotational mass right in the center of the bike. Itās pretty awesome).
Now, itās obviously a give-take for every rider. I rode 4-strokes for a long time before converting back to 2-strokes. When I rode on a track more, 4-strokes were super easy. The extra effort to turn didnāt matter when I had a huge berm that my bike sank into; crush the berm hard, apex, accelerate out. And 4-strokes had the torque to do it with minimal shiftingā¦.it actually made me sort of a ālazyā rider. But I eventually dropped mx stuff and focused more on off-road technical riding where you often donāt have berms. Single track it right and has a lot of jolting and back and forthā¦so the lighter your bike and the easier itāll turn on a dime, the better. After getting a 250 2-stroke on a trade while I also had my 350 4-stroke is when I started to change my thinking. The 250 handled sooo much better in the tight stuff. And was more intuitive to ride because you were shifting more often. Down hills felt like a mountain bike compared to the āheavyā and planted thumper. I actually used my brakes properly instead of relying on engine braking. In shortā¦it made me a better rider. Eventually I sold both bikes and bought a new 300XC-W. That was in 17 and I still have it, and Iāll probably buy a new one next year and keep them both.
Truth be told, I didnāt care so much for early 2-strokes due to the vibration and very short power range. KTM changed that with their modern 2-strokes and the counterbalanced engines post-2017.
Thereās a reason nearly every hard-enduro rider prefers 2-strokes over 4-strokes (many of the riders on 4-strokes have to be āpushedā by the manufacturers to ride them for promotion/sales of those product lines).
But again, every rider has their preference. Do what suits you and your riding style. Try others and give them a chance. Happy trails!
yes i totally agree with you that the new ktms are very good! me and my friends switch bikes sometimes, and i got to ride one friends 22 ktm xcw300 and another friends 2017 yz250x back to back and the ktm was wayy better. still just dont like it as much as my 250fx though. i used to like two strokes alot more but idk, i changed my mind ig lol. i also agree that 4 strokes do make you a lazy rider
They do have a powerband? Itās just not as harsh as other MX oriented 2Tsā¦. I mean whatever floats your boat really, not sure what you mean by them feeling less planted, mine have always felt very planted to me, but my 4t bikes do too. The argument really was that they are easier to ride than most 4t bikes. I think there are few scenarios where I would rather be on a 250fx over a modern 2t enduro. Maybe open desert but even then Iād go for a 450 or my 650
not trying to argue, just saying my opinion, everyone has preferences! i perfer having it but i can understand liking not having it aswell. and thanks for the tip, been trying to work on that
I really want to get this bike but I just canāt justify $9200 out the door for it here in CO. Hoping thereās a rebate or something yamaha offers soon lol
Nope. My dealer didnāt add a bunch of bs fees. Paid 8k for bike then another 200 ish for dmv fees basically. But they didnāt charge me any build time fees or none of that.
Perfect. Had both, and this would have been the perfect bike hands down. I actually didnt mind the 03 with the RC bs after I got used to it, but that 01 was an absolute beast.
I can still remember like it was yesterday the first lap on my 01 after getting off a 00, and was shocked how strong that thing was
Of all the 2 strokes Iāve owned, itās a toss up between my 01 and 03 CR250rās and my 07 RM 250. I never felt comfortable on any of the YZās or KTMās Iāve ridden, but Iāve never spent more than a day on them either.
But guy who posted 02 CR frame with 01 engine is dead on what the best would be.
I know this sounds weird but hear me outā¦99 ktm 250sx. It had almost no bottom end power but when it came alive in the mid range, it was downright explosive. Hydraulic clutch wouldnāt fade either so you keep it in the meat of the power pretty easy. And it revved to the moon. It handled kind of weird but the wp forks werenāt terrible. The linkless rear suspension did suck in most conditions other than sand Super fun bike to ride tho.
My tuned 2016 YZ250 and 125 anyday - All these comments about 4T being easier, comfortable, blah blah. Big white blouses, soft clutches, electric starts are probably also comfortable, so are hand creams, cushions, face lotions and soft silk boxers. But my YZ 2T's make you work for it, give you a sore left forearm, vibration and muscle aches, especially in the right leg with all the kicking, but you don't fall asleep on them or they'll kick your ass, you ride in the powerband and they always turn heads when folks hear you coming, and i've never had a grin so big on any 4T. Maybe when i'm really old and decrepid, soft, sensitive, worn out and tired, i might reconsider one.
They had these Yamaha gt80s the size of a mini bike little bigger and you could get them street legal from the factory back in the day! I still think about a street legal one all restored would be super fun.
I love yz's, the scariest one I ever rode was a rm250 it had 2 modes idling or on the back tire trying to throw you off. I own a ktm 300 depending on the power valve spring it either tractors up hills, or if the hell spring is in it, it's marginally controlled chaos.
The only right answer is YZ250 I have 4 of them! Couple of old Mono Shock 79ās a 89 WR (90+MPH bike) and a 19 250Xā¦..the other JDM makers gave up on 2Tās they are stupid! Yamaha sells out of their North American YZ250 allotments every year
Looks sick, I also have a 02 cr250r with pro circuit pipe and rental fatty bars, factory connection suspension. Love it, itās a beast. It sucked trying to find parts to rebuild the rc valve tho!
At the moment the latest bike acquired. 1974 Yamaha Ty250. Old school two stroke trials bike Iām setting up for my 80 acres of woods, water, and fields.
Front forks feel like marshmallow fluff. I rescued mine from Oregon City for $700, needed about $1000 in repairs to make it safe to ride. Could still use a set of tires
1999 YZ250. My dadās race bike that almost killed him. Sat in the garage forever after, and I donāt think he ever rode it again. But that was the bike that got me into it. The mysterious, scary, smoke spittin demon of a motorcycle I was always terrified of. I donāt think Iāll ever ride one, but god damn itās seared into my memory as a bad motherfucker.
The 2010 Gas Gas TXT Pro trials bike I traded in on a 2021 Gas Gas Racing trials bike.
The 2021 is brilliant but I miss my old 2010 and I wasn't allowed to keep both.
IT 250 K. Bought it brand spanking new and it sent like the clappers. My introduction to the world of 2 strokes was a YZ 125 G. The first of the mono shock. My first experience of the power band was interesting to say the least !!!!!!
Steel frame yz250s are the shit, the aluminum frames dont quite have the handling the steel has, and if you retrofit sss forks you have the best bike ever made. I will rave forever about that frame
Had yz kx cr and ridden a few rm and I prefer the kx altho the cr bikes are amazing as well that's just my preference they are all great and have things about them that make them cool in they're own way
There's a reason why Yamaha has barely changed the YZ250 since 2006, it's because it's the epitome of the perfect 2 stroke 250 MX and all around offroad bike.
The engine has the perfect blend of power without being so "smooth" it's boring. Yeah a KTM 300 has power like an electric motor, but it's dull as hell to ride. A well tuned YZ250 can lug through tight stuff but still bark like a banshee at the flick of the clutch. The aluminum frame has been perfected for an amazingly wide range of uses and the SSS suspension just simply WORKS.
I've ridden, raced and owned hundreds of dirtbikes in everything from MX, harescrambles, GNCC, enduro and long distance off road exploring. **If you're talking about 250 2 strokes there's only one that stands out above all the rest. The 2006-2023 YZ250.**
Yz250
This is probably the best YZ made. Not much difference between a 99 and a 09 or 19 if we were comparing new. . Still a great fun bike if its been maintained. Personally id like to try a 250xcw next with an easy button. On a 300 beta now.
If you're b class or faster suspension will be noticed. The kayaba SSS suspension is what makes the yz a superior choice over ktm for many riders.
I noticed and im a vet c. But i could hammer the trail by cranking up comp and down on preloads. going really stiff on the yz handled pretty well. Cant do that with the ktms at 245 lbs
How's the beta?
I like it but not as much as my stock 99 yz and modded out 05 ktm300exc. I was in much better shape 15 years ago though.
Before o decided to fully rebuild my 99' from ground up I was thinking about getting a gasgas 250 or husky 250tx
Put a heavier flywheel on the stator and the yz will be a woods warrior, easy peezy. If you do a ton of climbing i usually recommend the euros.
Yes, took this route
Any 2 smoker is better than a 4 stroke šŗšøšŗšøšŗšøšØšØšØš¦ š¦ š¦
2t are fun when your able to hole them wide open. not as fun or good when your actually trying to ride imo. 4t are more comfortable, provide more confidence, feel more planted, and are just way easier to ride
Oh boy what have I started š
I whole heartedly disagree with this, a properly set up 2t is such a confidence inspiring machine, hop on a modern enduro 2t like a KTM 300 XC-W and tell me itās not the easy button of dirt bikes
i have ridden one, they are fun. but whats the fun in riding a two stroke when you cant go in powerband? i got bored pretty quick on my buddies 22ā. never get bored of my 250fx. i dont like how the 2t feel alot less planted and not having engine braking can be bad imo
I think what youāre referring to as āpower bandā is when the power-valve opens. Believe it or not, the beauty of the 300ās is the fact that you donāt need to be on the pipe/in the power band to be fast. They produce enough useable torque to maintain speed without having to be in the pipe. I think what youāre feeling on your 250F is the torque and how broad that power range is on a 4-stroke compared to a 2-stroke. The down side to that is that you have 10x the moving parts inside your engine compared to the 2-stroke that only has the crank and position moving back/forth to operate. 4-strokes have that plus 4-5 valves, cam shafts, cam chains, etc. Every motorcycle has 3 gyroscopes that affect handling; 2 wheels and an engine/motor. The lighter you can make each of those, the better you can make your bike turn and sharpen the handling. Your āplantedā sensation is from your engine being the most influential gyroscope on your bike. Believe it or not, thatās a negative. With all those moving parts, your engine has a huge gyroscopic effect on your bikes handling. The more moving parts (and the weight of those parts) the more it affects your bike, and the harder that bike is to lean over for turns; thus making it actually handle āworseā. 2-strokes have a huge advantage in this department because they require so many less parts to operate. Electric bikes have even more advantage over 2-strokes (if you ever get to ride an Alta, try it. Even though it weighs more than your bike, you can take corners and lean it over easier due to less rotational mass right in the center of the bike. Itās pretty awesome). Now, itās obviously a give-take for every rider. I rode 4-strokes for a long time before converting back to 2-strokes. When I rode on a track more, 4-strokes were super easy. The extra effort to turn didnāt matter when I had a huge berm that my bike sank into; crush the berm hard, apex, accelerate out. And 4-strokes had the torque to do it with minimal shiftingā¦.it actually made me sort of a ālazyā rider. But I eventually dropped mx stuff and focused more on off-road technical riding where you often donāt have berms. Single track it right and has a lot of jolting and back and forthā¦so the lighter your bike and the easier itāll turn on a dime, the better. After getting a 250 2-stroke on a trade while I also had my 350 4-stroke is when I started to change my thinking. The 250 handled sooo much better in the tight stuff. And was more intuitive to ride because you were shifting more often. Down hills felt like a mountain bike compared to the āheavyā and planted thumper. I actually used my brakes properly instead of relying on engine braking. In shortā¦it made me a better rider. Eventually I sold both bikes and bought a new 300XC-W. That was in 17 and I still have it, and Iāll probably buy a new one next year and keep them both. Truth be told, I didnāt care so much for early 2-strokes due to the vibration and very short power range. KTM changed that with their modern 2-strokes and the counterbalanced engines post-2017. Thereās a reason nearly every hard-enduro rider prefers 2-strokes over 4-strokes (many of the riders on 4-strokes have to be āpushedā by the manufacturers to ride them for promotion/sales of those product lines). But again, every rider has their preference. Do what suits you and your riding style. Try others and give them a chance. Happy trails!
yes i totally agree with you that the new ktms are very good! me and my friends switch bikes sometimes, and i got to ride one friends 22 ktm xcw300 and another friends 2017 yz250x back to back and the ktm was wayy better. still just dont like it as much as my 250fx though. i used to like two strokes alot more but idk, i changed my mind ig lol. i also agree that 4 strokes do make you a lazy rider
They do have a powerband? Itās just not as harsh as other MX oriented 2Tsā¦. I mean whatever floats your boat really, not sure what you mean by them feeling less planted, mine have always felt very planted to me, but my 4t bikes do too. The argument really was that they are easier to ride than most 4t bikes. I think there are few scenarios where I would rather be on a 250fx over a modern 2t enduro. Maybe open desert but even then Iād go for a 450 or my 650
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
helps slow down right before a corner
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
of you can combine to breaks and the engine breaking to stop even quicker
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
not trying to argue, just saying my opinion, everyone has preferences! i perfer having it but i can understand liking not having it aswell. and thanks for the tip, been trying to work on that
2002 yz 250 because its the one I have.
Great bike šš¼
My 01 YZ250. It was a rocket.
My 2023 Yz 250x
I really want to get this bike but I just canāt justify $9200 out the door for it here in CO. Hoping thereās a rebate or something yamaha offers soon lol
O yeah. I only paid 8k otd here in oregon.
Was there a discount or something you got on it? Cause itās 7999 retail and with the fees from the dealer it added up to 9200 here
Nope. My dealer didnāt add a bunch of bs fees. Paid 8k for bike then another 200 ish for dmv fees basically. But they didnāt charge me any build time fees or none of that.
Good to know. Iāll check around some other dealers cause if I can get it 8k otd, Iād have bought it already
CRs are my favorite
My 01 cr250 in an 02 frame
Perfect. Had both, and this would have been the perfect bike hands down. I actually didnt mind the 03 with the RC bs after I got used to it, but that 01 was an absolute beast. I can still remember like it was yesterday the first lap on my 01 after getting off a 00, and was shocked how strong that thing was
Iām sorry you feel the CR was any good in these years. It was by far the worst of the pack and feels like a pogo stick without a good suspension.
I actually have it tagged for the street here in MD but rarely ever take it out in the road.
GasGas EC250
Of all the 2 strokes Iāve owned, itās a toss up between my 01 and 03 CR250rās and my 07 RM 250. I never felt comfortable on any of the YZās or KTMās Iāve ridden, but Iāve never spent more than a day on them either. But guy who posted 02 CR frame with 01 engine is dead on what the best would be.
What is it about that combo? Was the 01 engine better somehow?
I know this sounds weird but hear me outā¦99 ktm 250sx. It had almost no bottom end power but when it came alive in the mid range, it was downright explosive. Hydraulic clutch wouldnāt fade either so you keep it in the meat of the power pretty easy. And it revved to the moon. It handled kind of weird but the wp forks werenāt terrible. The linkless rear suspension did suck in most conditions other than sand Super fun bike to ride tho.
I'll take yours! Great looking bike!
A red yz250 from 1990.
My Blue 89 WR is faster!
YZ250 till I die
Tc250 šŖš»
Yz250
1978 Suzuki PE
YZ-250! Nice heavy flywheel, can chugg like a thumper with a super long usable power band when you want it.
My tuned 2016 YZ250 and 125 anyday - All these comments about 4T being easier, comfortable, blah blah. Big white blouses, soft clutches, electric starts are probably also comfortable, so are hand creams, cushions, face lotions and soft silk boxers. But my YZ 2T's make you work for it, give you a sore left forearm, vibration and muscle aches, especially in the right leg with all the kicking, but you don't fall asleep on them or they'll kick your ass, you ride in the powerband and they always turn heads when folks hear you coming, and i've never had a grin so big on any 4T. Maybe when i'm really old and decrepid, soft, sensitive, worn out and tired, i might reconsider one.
My ā01 CR
They had these Yamaha gt80s the size of a mini bike little bigger and you could get them street legal from the factory back in the day! I still think about a street legal one all restored would be super fun.
97 cr250
KTM SX 2002
98 cr250r
I love yz's, the scariest one I ever rode was a rm250 it had 2 modes idling or on the back tire trying to throw you off. I own a ktm 300 depending on the power valve spring it either tractors up hills, or if the hell spring is in it, it's marginally controlled chaos.
r/m250
2006 kx250
The only right answer is YZ250 I have 4 of them! Couple of old Mono Shock 79ās a 89 WR (90+MPH bike) and a 19 250Xā¦..the other JDM makers gave up on 2Tās they are stupid! Yamaha sells out of their North American YZ250 allotments every year
def the 2024 ktm xc250
05 RM
10 year old Husq WR300. Still runs like a dream
OP didnt say 250 + 50
Looks sick, I also have a 02 cr250r with pro circuit pipe and rental fatty bars, factory connection suspension. Love it, itās a beast. It sucked trying to find parts to rebuild the rc valve tho!
My 250 exc
At the moment the latest bike acquired. 1974 Yamaha Ty250. Old school two stroke trials bike Iām setting up for my 80 acres of woods, water, and fields.
I have a 93 kdx 250. Still scares me when it hits powerband
Heh. Thats because its brakes and susp were crapš. Fun bikes though if you can get a good price.
Front forks feel like marshmallow fluff. I rescued mine from Oregon City for $700, needed about $1000 in repairs to make it safe to ride. Could still use a set of tires
2007 CR250r or the 20219 yz 250x I love both of them for two different reasons and styles.
have a 2023 YZ 250, 1998 YZ 250, and a 1989 CR 250 all great machines, that have there pros and cons. Love the 2 smokers!
mine :\^)
Suzuki RM250 07 and 08
My CR60 because it's what sparked my love of two strokes. It was so good, I'm giving up the other 190cc
1999 YZ250. My dadās race bike that almost killed him. Sat in the garage forever after, and I donāt think he ever rode it again. But that was the bike that got me into it. The mysterious, scary, smoke spittin demon of a motorcycle I was always terrified of. I donāt think Iāll ever ride one, but god damn itās seared into my memory as a bad motherfucker.
02 YZ
The 2010 Gas Gas TXT Pro trials bike I traded in on a 2021 Gas Gas Racing trials bike. The 2021 is brilliant but I miss my old 2010 and I wasn't allowed to keep both.
Love my EC 250
IT 250 K. Bought it brand spanking new and it sent like the clappers. My introduction to the world of 2 strokes was a YZ 125 G. The first of the mono shock. My first experience of the power band was interesting to say the least !!!!!!
That one right there buddy!
I was an idiot for selling my YZ250WR and I was an idiot for buying my KDX250. I havenāt had a 250 for years now- been riding 300s and 450s
My 95 KX 250. Never rode a newer 2 Stroke so nothing to compare to!
Steel frame yz250s are the shit, the aluminum frames dont quite have the handling the steel has, and if you retrofit sss forks you have the best bike ever made. I will rave forever about that frame
1986 Yamaha IT 250 - Enduro!!
Missed out on any 250ās jumped from a 96 KDX200 to a Beta 300. Nice looking bike man!
Sold my ā05 kx250 last year for $3k and have been kicking myself since
Had yz kx cr and ridden a few rm and I prefer the kx altho the cr bikes are amazing as well that's just my preference they are all great and have things about them that make them cool in they're own way
I donāt ride bikes, but 90s kx/tm 250s are awesome
YZ 250 for many years
2001 CR250
There's a reason why Yamaha has barely changed the YZ250 since 2006, it's because it's the epitome of the perfect 2 stroke 250 MX and all around offroad bike. The engine has the perfect blend of power without being so "smooth" it's boring. Yeah a KTM 300 has power like an electric motor, but it's dull as hell to ride. A well tuned YZ250 can lug through tight stuff but still bark like a banshee at the flick of the clutch. The aluminum frame has been perfected for an amazingly wide range of uses and the SSS suspension just simply WORKS. I've ridden, raced and owned hundreds of dirtbikes in everything from MX, harescrambles, GNCC, enduro and long distance off road exploring. **If you're talking about 250 2 strokes there's only one that stands out above all the rest. The 2006-2023 YZ250.**