'02 YZ250 - okay for woods?

[ChR1s]

Been thinking of going for a lighter bike than my WR426F for woods/trail riding. The 426 gets to be a bit of work in the tight trails. The WR426 power is a lot of fun, but the bike just gets to feeling heavy, and a bit ponderous in the slower sections. Having ridden a WR250F (de-restricted), the lack of snap kinda put me off. It's a great handler in the woods, and much lighter, but the suspension feels much better on the trails than in the whoops- very nervous compared to my WR426. I'd like to be able to hit some fast section on occasion, with confidence.

Then I started thinking about the YZ250. Local guys ride them in the woods w/o even adding a flywheel weight, saying the motor hooks up well enough. They also report no problems in the nasty stuff (tight, rocky, slippery) with the MX tranny. They do however mention getting the suspension worked on.

Now, I don't know how much clutch abuse is going on, but I do know the last YZ250 I rode ('88) had midrange hit that kicked ass on the track, but kicked my ass in the trails. I'm looking for a bike I can improve my riding on, while still providing a nice hit for fast sections and some practice track time. Will the YZ250 be too much trouble too keep a handle on in the woods? Will it be able to lug the taller low gears in the slow stuff, without a constant diet of plugs? I'm not looking to do any mods other than add some guards and bars. And, I also realize that I'd probably ride a WR250F faster than the others, but I want some snap for fun.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Chris

 

[CanadianRidr]

Hmmm there are some questions you must ask yourself,
Do you like the 4-stroke power?
Can you get use to controlling a 2-stroke?
Are you ready for a bit more matinence with the YZ?

Now how was your friends wr de-restricted? I have a friend who has his wr250f jetted perfect with a big-gun exhaust and the bike flat out hauls. Of course it won't be a torque moster like your 426, but I don't think the differences are that drastic. It all depends on how you set up the bike, my friend rides MX and H.S so it all depends really. You could always go with the 250f and get a big bore kit from Eric Gorr,(apparently if the squish band is optimized by a knowlegeble tuner the bike hauls, but that's different than a bore)

Now if you want the YZ250 you have to realize there are some things you will need to change, like if you travel far you will need a big tank because the stocker won't take you that far. And if you do find it intimidating you may want to slap on a flywheel weight. The YZ can be made into deadly trail bikes it just takes more time and tweaking to get it to work for you. If the bike is jetted correct you should not eat through plugs but when I bike is lugged you might want to occasionaly. The only other problem you might face is really tight techincal trails where the YZ might stall, where as the WR will continue to chug along.

In the end I think you might have to ride a new YZ to tell, you say you want to hit fast whoops type stuff, and I think that is capable on the WR (it is the same susp as the YZ250f) but it is set up different, so no matter what bike you get you will have to tweak that, and maybe a little motor work each way.
Now I think if you want to ride more trails and woods, go with the WR and tweak it to your liking, but if you see yourself more on the track you might want to look at the YZ, it's a tough one I know.:ugg:
I say get a good pipe and snap away on the WR:)

 

[matt ruiz]

pumpkin

Have you ever thought of riding a KTM. I currently ride a 95 WR250 2 stroke. I'm ready to purchase a new bike. I mainley trail ride, and I keep hearing good things about KTM's, for trail riding

 

[dirt bike dave]

With a little dialing in, most 250 mxers can be outstanding in the woods. Explosive hits can usually be tamed with jetting, flywheel weights and gearing.

I think a new YZ250 is an excellent starting point. Lighter than your 426 and more power than the 250F.

There's a lot of personal preference involved, but for me I have the most fun and go the fastest on 200 - 300cc 2 strokes. The KTMs and GGs are very nice, but a well set up YZ250 would also be sweet.

 

[dix]

I am the only one that likes the hit of a 2-stroke for trail riding? I ride a KX250 in the woods and love it. I like the idea that I can head to the trackk via trails and not feel out of place at either one. I don't think that you will be dissappointed with the YZ250. Like the others have said, it's all how you set it up. In my opinion, forget the flywheel weight, as you will get used to working the clutch and blipping the throttle when necessary. Just my $.02

 

[bud]

I think the yz 2 strokes are fantastic compared to yz/wr 4 strokes on tight trails, even completely stock. They have good ergos, corner well at lower speeds, are flickable, have good power off the bottom, and a fairly smooth transistion into the meaty part of the powerband. The suspension works well compared to other mxers I have ridden.

 

[Wraith]

If you like to lug the motor around in the woods. Be prepared to open it up to clean it out. And then hear about it later from the guy behing you who gets blasted by roost:p . But if you ride aggressive. Then I don't think it would be a problem. When set up for your riding style (like suspension). The YZ is a good trailbike IMO

 

[yamadawg]

I think the yz is a fine woods bike. I have a 01 and no complaints here. No fly wheel weight, no jetting, only mods ive made is michelin s 12 tires in wet and m 12 when dryer, 3.0 gal ims tank, scotts steering damper and tripple tree with the protaper bars and bark busters.

 

[Saratoga]

I agree with Yamadawg but you say the only as if its not much. You have about $700 to 800 in mods there. I also have a 01 YZ250 that I race MX with. I can go faster in the woods than lessor riders even though my bike is set up for MX. The question is this: do you want a bike that you can ride fast for 5 hours in a real Enduro? If you do then you are better off buying a Enduro bike not a rippen MX bike. If you stop every few miles or when you get tired then it doesnt matter.

 

[crkid]

the only thing i've done to my 250 is get TAG T2 bars, michelin tires, little things like new filter, and a fatty pipe. by the way i hear some of these people here talking about flywheel weights and such, some might not like it, but i've gotten used to the big hit on the bottom so i can handle it good. within reason i think any 250 would be good for the woods, even stock, if that's what you get used to.

 

[GWO]

I ride a new '02 yz 250 in the woods and I like it better than my previous two KTM's. I've now ridden a harescramble and one enduro. Here's my comments:

Suspension: I had Factory Connection do my suspension. They did an excellent job. This expense (for me) was not specific to my YZ since I would have had them do my KTM anyway.

Motor: The motor is awesome, period. However, I added an e-line kit for the enduros. The 10oz flywheel weight really enhanced the power for offroad. That engine is so smooth and revs so quick that you don't realize how much low end you have. The flywheel weight enhances the power so that you can be more selective with the power curve.

Handling: Tracks straight in the whoops and turns on a dime.

I'm waiting on an IMS tank and then I'll be done.

Hope this helps,

 

[Asrith]

Will be the smae CR250?

I have been trail riding and am interested in trying a CR250 a 1998. The reason is I have a friend has one for sale very cheap and was curious, seems that it may be from the opinions here. I have not ridden it yet but I plan on it.
I am under the opinion here that MX bike will be fine for the most part. The bike is so cheap that I would be dumb not to buy it. There does not seem a lot here to say that it would not be, but what about a 98 CR250? Thanks.

 

[parkerCR]

I own a '01 CR250 and I only ride off-road and trails no racing. I was hesitant
at first but am very happy with the decision. CR's are bulletproof reliable
and great for any riding. It may only take a few mods to make it work better
for you, but if you understand the basics of riding it can be an awesome trail
bike stone stock.

 

[ChR1s]

Thanks all for the feedback..

Picked up my new '02 YZ250 today! I'd like to say it was a very thoughtful decision, but impulse had a lot to do with it.:)

 

[crkid]

congratulations on the ride and have fun!