ThumperFaq: MXA 2004 YZ250F

Yamaha finds itself between a rock and a hard place with the 2004 YZ250F. Over the last half decade, Yamaha has owned the fourstroke market-especially the 250cc niche. Suddenly, in 2004, there are four 250cc four-stroke motocross bikes on the showroom floors (five if you count Husgvarna). And all of these mid-size thumpers are crying out for attention.

"2004 Yamaha YZ250F: Yamaha has a four year head start on the competition and it shows. The 2004 YZ250F makes the most peak horsepower, revs the fastest and handles the best."

The Honda CRF250, Kawasaki KX250F and Suzuki RM-Z250 are all new. And that newness makes them seem glamorous. Unfortunately for Yamaha, they invented this class of machinery four years ago. Which means that the YZ250F can't fall back on "newness." It's not new. It is, however, fast, well suspended and offers superb handling-but all that is known. The CRF, KX-F and RM-Z have the mystique of the unknown. The newer bike's X-factor increases public interest and, logically, decreases interest in the known quantity-the YZ-F.

But don't count the 2004 Yamaha YZ250F out. It may be the old hand, but Yamaha has been the king of the mountain for the last four years-and it is up to the new kids to dethrone it. That won't be easy.

"Senior citizen: Yamaha has put the YZ25OF on a serious diet since its inception in 2001. It started at 227 pounds and now weighs 217. That is a half pound more than the green, red and yellow bikes."

Q: IS THE 2004 YZ250F JUST A REHASH OF '03?

A: No. It has 20 significant changes including, but not limited to, larger forks, new triple clamps, a gripper seat cover, titanium footpegs, a lighter frame and stronger motor mount bolts.

Q: WHAT DID YAMAHA DO TO THE '04 YZ25OF ENGINE?

A: For the most part they left it alone. Why would they change it? It has an awesome powerband, impressive horsepower and a 13,500 rpm rev limiter. But they did make three small changes: (1) The cylinder and center case cutaway ports have been increased in size. These innovative ports lessen pumping pressure when the piston is on the down stroke. A power improvement can be felt in the midrange (there isn't enough pumping pressure at low rpm to worry about). (2) Yamaha's engineers reconfigured the ignition mapping and altered the jetting to decrease "turbo lag" and improve throttle response. (3) All the external oil lines are now aluminum instead of steel. This saves almost a quarter of a pound.

Q: IS IT FASTER THAN LAST YEAR'S YZ250F?

A: No. But it is crisper.

Q: HOW DOES THE YZ250F REALLY RUN?

A: In straight talk, the CRF250, KX25OF and RM-Z250 have not eclipsed the YZ25OF in the power department. Yamaha has had four years to develop the optimum fourstroke powerband for 125 racing. It pulls smoothly off the bottom and builds power into the midrange, but don't think that the low-to-mid transition is eye watering. It's strong, but not overly impressive. The bottom end power is just stage dressing for an upper-end hook. From the upper midrange on, the YZ25OF really shines. This is traditional 125 class territory, and the Yamaha's awesome pull, magnificent revvability and quick turnover make it especially effective for pilots who want to leave it on long (and go in deep).

Q: WHAT GEARING DID WE RUN?

A: We left it stock. Although there are track configurations that might prefer slightly lower gearing, the YZ250f's impressive mid-and-up powerband works best when the gear ratios are long enough to take advantage of the momentum.

Q: WHAT DOES IT WEIGHT?

A: We have to admit that the 2004 YZ25OF surprised us. Shocked us is more accurate. The original 2001 YZ25OF weighed 227 pounds. Over the ensuing three years it has shed ten pounds. Ten big ones! Our 2004 Yamaha YZ25OF hit the MXA scales at 217 pounds. That is light, and it feels light. For comparison, the KX25OF, CRF250 and RM-Z250 all weigh 216-1/2. If you are buying by the pound, there isn't much to choose from between these four machines.

Q: HOW IS THE 2004 YZ250F SUSPENSION?

A: Historically, the YZ25OF has had the best out-of-the-crate suspension of any bike ever made. All you had to do was plunk down your money and head for the race track. Why has the YZ25OF been so good? Nobody really knows. Even though the suspension components are shared between the YZ125, YZ2SO and YZ450, the YZ25OF is just better. I! we had to hazard a guess, we believe that the decent Kayaba parts are gyroscopically balanced by the harmonic vibes of the. high-revving four-stroke engine. The engine seems to serve as a counterbalancer for front and rear suspension movement. It's nice.

Forks: Leave them alone. We didn't move the new 48 mm Kayaba forks off of their box-stock settings (which is 12 and 12).

Shock: Step one---set the sag to 97 mm. Step two--forget about it. The standard high- and low-speed compression settings are spot-on. Adjust the rebound to compensate for your weight (heavier riders will need slower rebound because they will have more preload on the shock spring).

Q: HOW DOES IT HANDLE?

A: Tltere is something memorable about quirky characteristics: Don Knotts' twitch as Barney Fife, Jim Carrey's mugging in "Dumb and Dumber" or Homer Simpson's reutorseful "Dolt." lit this quirky company, the 2004 Yamaha YZ250 is Pat Boone, Carson Daly and Regis Philbin rolled into one. If bland can be used as a positive. adjective- that's exactly how the Yamaha YZ250 handles. It doesn't quiver, oscillate, oversteer, tuck or shake. We can't find a flaw in the YZ250F package. It doesn't suffer from head shake. It's as accurate as a calculator. It can carve inside lines. It can rail the outside. It can start on the outside and knife across to the inside. It can do whatever you ask it to do. It isn't memorable. It gets the job done without fanfare.

Q: WHAT DID WE HATE?

A: The hate list:

The bars: The bend is fine, but now that Honda and KTM cone stock with aluminum bars, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki are off the back.
Front brake routing: We always assumed that as soon as Honda's brake routing patent ran out, Yamaha would straighten out their circuitous brake hose routing. Next year?
Triple clamps: We'd like to have adjustable bar mounts.

"Predator: Yamaha's handling is very straightforward. The front end tracks straight without hunting or pecking, and the rear stays in line. Compared to the KX-F, CRF and RM-Z, the Yamaha has the best manners."

Q: WHAT DID WE LIKE?

A: The like list:

Clutch: Yamaha's on-the-fly clutch adjuster is sweet
Side panels: The Yamaha is the only bike with number plates big enough to accept numbers.
Saddle: We love gripper seats (especially ones that have gripper material on the sides and a semi-smooth finish on top).
Footpegs: They are titanium. They would cost over $200 on the aftermarket.

Q: WHAT DO WE REALLY THINK?

A: Yamaha's sales force is worried that American motocrossers will be so enamored by newness that they will forget the four-year-old YZ250. Not so. Those four years haven't been wasted. The YZ250F has aged like fine wine. Cheers.