Redrider

Member
Nov 2, 1999
81
0
Hi Guys,
I was wandering if anyone buys 2 strokes these days. I was thinking of updating my equipment. (I currently have a 99 cr 250 fixed up (suspension, pipe, stabilizer) for woods riding. I was thinking of buying a 04 yz 250. I was wandering if these bikes are all the mags say they are(best engine etc). I would appreciate feedback from anyone with yz 250 experience, especially the 04 yz 250. With so many in the GNCC series, I am beginning to think they must be a good starting point for a woods machine.
Red(or maybe blue)rider
 

hug747

Member
May 14, 2001
46
0
I haven't ridden a 04 YZ250, but I'm also interested if anybody would have any comments on them. All the mags really sound as if yamaha has the 250 2-stroke motor to have. True?

The 03 I rode at a used bike dealership seem to run crisp at low speed. Keep in mind I only rode in the dealerships parking lot. Not much of a ride report.

I'm having a tuff time deciding between the YZ250 and the 250 4 strokes of yamaha and honda. I really believe the YZ250 2-stroke has too much power for me. After having ridden a 98 YZ 250 (not mine) and cracking the throttle in second gear, just above idle, the front wheel raised and pointed towards the sky immediately. No hesitation, instant response.

The 03 and 04 motors should be comparable, no big changes were made between the two. I've seen new 03's at a couple dealerships.
 

Jarda

Member
Apr 22, 2002
60
0
I made an 'upgrade' from YZ250 '00 to '04. Main changes as I see: '04 has a much more torque from low PRM's. Bike is higher and a seat is a little bit flat. In corners with berm is better handling with '04's. In tighten corners is better handling with '00. This is my opinion, but I'm only 'hobby' MX rider (2 years only riding MX).

Jarda YZ250
 

04-yz-250

Member
Aug 19, 2003
33
0
The power with this bike is instant and the roll-on power is awesome.I'm 5-10-190lbs and the bike scares me. I would say suspension Honda and Suzuki feel a little lighter on jump's. In the end my only other choice would have been a Honda CRF450 which I think is an awesome bike from top to bottom.
 

danielst

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 20, 2002
114
0
I race an '04 in Enduro/Harescrambles and also have an '02. The motor is magic. It has tremendous roll on and can be lugged along at low rpms with no problem. I added an 11oz flywheel weight to tame the mid-range hit and to make it lug even better for traction in really muddy/slick conditions. I really like the new fork for '04, I can run it softer than my '02 without the fear of bottoming it all the time. The new gripper seat cover for '04 is a nice addition as well. The YZ's are awesome in the woods, they do everything well. From goat trail single track to wide open GNCC type stuff. Also, the build quality is excellent except for the fact that Yamaha plastic looks like its been through a war after just a few races. Even the blue aftermarket plastic looks that way after a few races though, so it must have something to do with the color. Keep in mind that you will need to replace the stock tires (at least for Ohio woods they are no good), add a skid plate, bark busters and replace the stock handlebars to make it woods ready.

FWIW, the trend when the four stroke revolution hit was for a lot of guys to switch to four strokes. But that trend is reversing for the woods, many who switched are switching back to 2 strokes. They just seem to make better woods weapons. Even a few of the dirtbike mags have picked up on this trend. Four strokes are the MX weapon of choice, but I know a lot of guys that I race enduro with will not give up their 2 strokes until they are forced to.
 

KDXfile

~SPONSOR~
Dec 6, 1999
366
0
Travis,
How is the power on your yz250 compared to a ktm 250? My ktm 200 doesn't have enough mid-range and I'm thinking about switching rides soon. I rode some KTM's and GasGas 250's last weekend and the power was nice. Is the yz just too much for woods riding? I keep reading that the yamaha has the best 2-stroke motor out there and since they pay contingency money, it looks like a good bike.
Thanks,
 

Mainjet

Member
Jul 20, 2002
42
0
I recently bought a new 2003 YZ 250. In the past 3 years I have had an '02 KTM 400 and an '03 450 EXC. Also during the same period, I had a couple of WR 250F's, and an '02 KTM 300 EXC. As you can see, I was looking for the right bike for me! I ride with a group that includes several new YZ & CR 250's. Everytime I would "loan" one of my bikes to a buddy, and ride his YZ, I would ask myself why I didn't own one...they are that good. Light, steers bitchin', stable, great suspension, amazing range of torque and power, and weighs 220lbs........so I bought one. I have ridden it the last six weekends and I am having more fun than I have had in years, it also gets better fuel milage than my KTM 4-strokes, on the same ground. The suspension stock is better than any KTM I have ever ridden. The WRF's were really fun to ride, and very fast with the YZF mods, but they feel top heavy in comparison, abd just don't have the power I need on some of our long steep climbs, and can be a bitch to start periodically. The YZ starts 1st kick everytime. In addition to my YZ, I will probably buy another 4-stroke, with a button, for some of the slower, more technical rides that we go on. I think the YZ 250 is a keeper!!
 

danielst

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 20, 2002
114
0
Mark,

I haven't rode one of the new '04 KTM's so I can't comment on their new motor but have been told that the '03 250SX motor was too hard hitting. As for the YZ250, the motor is awesome. It has the ability to be anything you want. First off, as everyone says, the roll on power is the best of any two stroke I've ever ridden. It will run right off the bottom and lug around with no problem. It runs awesome in the mid-range and with a flywheel weight is perfect for woods riding. It will scream across the open stuff as well. I'm told it doesn't have quite the top end run out of say an RM250 but that is of no consequence for most woods riding conditions. At most of the enduro's I run, the vast majority of guys are on either KTM's or Yamaha's if that counts for anything. I personally dislike the way that KTM's handle, they have a love it/hate it type of feel and I just can't ride them comfortably.

Hope that helps...
 

Redrider

Member
Nov 2, 1999
81
0
Hey guys I really appreciate all the replys to the post. Im also one of the few loyal two stroke owners who refuse to buy into the four stroke is better idea. For wide open moto...sure it probably is but for woods riding, ive yet to find a better bike than my good ol cr 250 with woods mods. Im very curious to the feel of that yz 250 engine. Ive been told that the Yz 25o is an ever better base for building a woods weapon. The top ten on just about any GNCC race is littered with two stroke powered machines.

Again thanks for the replies.
Red (or maybe blue) rider. Heck ill take them both.
 
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