thinking of pickin up a yz 250f

[polarishardcorerid]

Im thinking bout pickin up a 2002 yz 250f here,

I want to know the pros and cons of this bike.

and wat to look out for

Thanks

All help is very appreciated

 

[santidreamer]

My riding buddy has an 04 YZ250f and we both think it is great.

Suspension, brakes and just the feel it it very very good.

He has put a larger rear sprocket and it is very quick, loads of power at all revs, he pulls power wheelies all the way down the road in all 5 gears. I have personal seen him flip it twice and he has had dirt bikes all his life.

We live in Thailand racing here is a 250 (2 or 4 stroke) class, I saw this bike 1st into the 1st corner the only time he raced it. He wiped out later and came last.

His last bike was a CR250, more power, almost too much at times.

The 04 was a good year, 03 models suffered from valve and valve seat wear. I am not sure about 02 best do a google search.

You need to check the the head for cam chain wear, tappets and valve seat wear, all the usual stuff.

Fork seals are prone to leak and he at least has had problems permanently curing this (oil on the front brake disc)

 

[danielson603]

i never rode a dirt bike until i just bought my new 07 yz250f and now im sitting here with a badly sprained ankle sprained knee and road rash all over my knees elbows and shoulder so in other words the bike has loads of power in every gear and is retardedly light and can do backflips onto the handle bars then bounce all over the place and still be in great condition minus the pipe. but i believe the older ones have a steel frame and are much heavier mine is only about 220lbs with oil and gas

 

[sick 96 250]

I dont know much about these 250f's yet but plan to, I have been riding 2 stroke 250's and 300's and recently just purchased an 04 yz250f. I actually really like the power plant of the 250, not as harsh as my 2 strokes yet plenty of pull. Main thing I read about is if you get an 02 go with a newer cam that has the auto decompression already built in.

 

[slodad]

If they're maintained well and haven't spent their lives bouncing off the rev limiter, they're very reliable. Try to find one with one owner so that you can get the history of the bike. If the valves have been adjusted, that means the hardface on them has started to disappear and they will wear more rapidly, which will lead to a $500 valve job in the not too terribly distant future. Religiously cleaning the air filter mostly prevents the wear, so be sure to ask about the maintenance it received. Also, the came chain stretches, and can lead to wear on the crankshaft, so ask if has been replaced. It's simple to do and only costs about $20 for the chain. Finally, if you do get a pre-2003 model, consider installing a newer exhaust cam with the auto-decompress feature. It makes starting much easier and is well worth the $150 price of the cam.

 

[NuMtrHd]

I never rode dirtbikes until I bought a 2001 YZ250F last spring to trail ride with my kids (hey, the price was right!). I thought being in my early 40s and feeling a few more aches than I used to might slow me down a little, but I got on the bike and have been having a riot ever since! I've got some road riding experience, which probably helped, but riding in the dirt is a whole new animal. I don't know what you are looking to use the YZ250F for, but it is not ideal for trail riding. It sits high, has no reserve tank, and is very snappy on the throttle. That being said, it's fast as hell, easy to pull wheelies on to cross obstacles, and gets great air even on the little trail humps and bumps. I'm not sorry in the least bit that I bought it, although in a few years I may trade it in for a dual-purpose bike (when I'm ready to slow down). For the little riding that I do, it has not needed much maintenance. I did my first valve clearance check a few weeks ago, and it was pretty simple. Oil change, air filter change, and regular chain maintenance have been about it so far. Front and rear suspension is adjustable, but with my kind of riding I haven't seen any reason to mess with it. Starting the bike properly took a little bit of practice, but I got it down after a few rides. Theonly other issue I've noted is that the bike runs hot if it isn't ridden at a good clip regularly. Past forums have noted this and suggested checking the valve clearances (which were fine) and adding Waterwetter to the antifreeze. I've only been out once so far this spring since doing this and haven't noticed if there has been an improvement. Later models may not have this problem. Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[Cabot]

These four stroke racing bikes are high maintanance/high wear. Especially being so old (6 years) it probably needs a complete engine rebuild if it hasn't had one recently (in the last year or so) Crank, piston, valves, all that good stuff. Ask about maintanance, any new engine parts, etc.

I owned an 03 YZ250F and personally hated how it felt and handled, but I've also heard people loving the feel of the yamaha 250fs.

Like others stated though, the cam does not have auto-decompression, which will make this bike alot harder to start. I'm almost positive you can put an 03 YZ250F exhaust cam in it to fix this, but not completely sure.

Otherwise just check the regulars, break pads, leaks anywhere, chain/sprockets, fork seals, etc.

And if you do decide to buy it, I would advise to check the engine out, at least check the valves, and look at the shim sizes. See how much the shims are down from the stock size, this could be a clue that your valves are about to explode.

 

[Psellers22]

I just bought a 2002 yz250f for 300 dollars im having to rebuild it but its fairly simple with the book..i needed help splitting the case cuz u dont wanna mess that up...

 

[sick 96 250]

I never rode dirtbikes until I bought a 2001 YZ250F last spring to trail ride with my kids (hey, the price was right!). I thought being in my early 40s and feeling a few more aches than I used to might slow me down a little, but I got on the bike and have been having a riot ever since! I've got some road riding experience, which probably helped, but riding in the dirt is a whole new animal. I don't know what you are looking to use the YZ250F for, but it is not ideal for trail riding. It sits high, has no reserve tank, and is very snappy on the throttle. That being said, it's fast as hell, easy to pull wheelies on to cross obstacles, and gets great air even on the little trail humps and bumps. I'm not sorry in the least bit that I bought it, although in a few years I may trade it in for a dual-purpose bike (when I'm ready to slow down). For the little riding that I do, it has not needed much maintenance. I did my first valve clearance check a few weeks ago, and it was pretty simple. Oil change, air filter change, and regular chain maintenance have been about it so far. Front and rear suspension is adjustable, but with my kind of riding I haven't seen any reason to mess with it. Starting the bike properly took a little bit of practice, but I got it down after a few rides. Theonly other issue I've noted is that the bike runs hot if it isn't ridden at a good clip regularly. Past forums have noted this and suggested checking the valve clearances (which were fine) and adding Waterwetter to the antifreeze. I've only been out once so far this spring since doing this and haven't noticed if there has been an improvement. Later models may not have this problem. Good luck whatever you decide!

Good advise but I feel the 250f is perfect for tight trails and woods riding now that I finally took mine out for its first ride. The bike was great with all the rutted, rocky hill climbs, tight corners with more rocks and even really loose wash sand we hit occasionally. As for the reserve for fuel I believe you can just put a WR250's petcock on there and it fits right in where you just solved that issue. Other thing that could tame it down a little for the tight stuff is a flywheel weight but my KTM300exc just got trumped by my 250f for trail riding. :cool: