what year yzf250??

[steve.emma]

hi all, looking at buying a used yzf250 (cant quite manage a new one yet!) looking at 04' onwards. is their a year that was better than the others? or a year to stay away from? looking at pics it seems they changed to an alloy frame in 05' so did the suspenders get any better then as well? what about engine changes over the years? any advice would be appreciated. cheers.
steve.

 

[Matt90GT]

03-05 were the last steel frame models.

03 had the 46mm forks, 04 had the 48mm, then 05 has the AOSS forks.

06 is the first year of the aluminum frame and the new SSS forks. 07 is a bit better since they moved the steering head 3mm. So 07+ would be the best.

 

[steve.emma]

cheers Matt, any idea what intervals yamaha spec for piston/ring,valve replacement etc?
looking at this for a trail bike not a race weapon.

 

[YZ__rider]

For trail riding, you may be better off buying a WR250, rather than the YZ.

 

[Matt90GT]

i wouldnt buy a WR for trails. sorry, but heavy, bulky and if jetted properly who needs the Estart

100 hours for sure is what I would suggest at least. but you need to change your oil about every ride. My buddy has my old 05 that I raced hard for a year, then we put a new wiseco piston in it when I sold it to him. he ran that for 2 years before we replaced the valves (so they had 3 years on them and about 300 hours) and reringed the piston. bike is still running strong. he like me changed the oil and air filter after every ride.