2015 Yamaha YZ250 FX Update

Taking the Bike from the Floor to the Races

After nearly 50 hours, lots of test riders, lots of miles working King of the Motos, an Enduro, a Desert Scramble and a few more hours marking courses we’ve got an update on what I think of this machine.

Time: 45 hours

Miles: 700ish

Maintenance:

-4-Oil changes (by the book we should have been doing more, but the oil has looked good.)

-Air filter cleaned as needed

-Serviced suspension fluids (shock and fork), New seals by 707 Suspension

http://www.707suspension.com/

After the right fork seal had torn from a nick in the fork tube we had them change it out. They also took 5cc’s out of the forks to make them a little more plush for my weight along with setting the rear sag to 101mm to help with the head shake, I never checked it and it was closer to 90mm from the heavier testers.

-Updated Mapping for more “Race” oriented settings with the GYTR Power Tuner and to match the fuel to the FMF exhaust ststem.

– FMF Q4 Silencer for Race compliance

– Fasst Co Flex Bars – Enduro Cut 14-degree Bend

– Enduro Engineering Wrap Around Hand Guards

– After 3 flats in a row, I now have heavy duty tube in the front and  an testing a”Tube Saddle” in the rear.

– Slashed rear tire on one of the flats, found old Geomax MX 51 to replace out at the races.

– Still no skid plate. A Unibiker one is on the way.

With very minimal, normal maintenance – Oil, filters, and chain – the Yamaha has stayed crisp so far but only has two races under it’s belt. I added the bars for personal preference and comfort. The addition of the FMF Q4 silencer definitely was a good move as the bike seemed pretty loud stock and the FMF actually made the bike a little more ride-able and the power a little more manageable. The same can be tuned via the ECU as well. Wew leaned out the fuel and addded some ignition advance in the upper RPMs and bigger throttle openings.It really brought the entire package together. Where it had lagged a little on the bottom it was now 100% punch as soon as you hit it. Currently it stalls a little easier, though but with some fine tuning we’re sure it can be made perfect.

Lining up on the YZFX

I took the 250FX to two different formats of events to see how it would stack up to the competition. The first was a Qualifier Enduro in Rower flats. Transfer, Test, Transfer, Test. Total. That’s it. The bike handled very well in the tight terrain and relatively slower speeds. It took me the first few miles to really learn how to ride a 250cc four-stroke again. I needed to find  where it’s sweet spot in the power band was but once I found it I felt much more comfortable. It has power in both the top and bottom end but you have to know when to rev the motor and when lugging will work. Climbing it needs to stay high. Weaving through the rocks it’ll chug no problem.

The second race was a Desert Scramble in Red Mountain. Start by Class – Vet A – Pin it for two 35-mile laps to the checkered flag. That’s it. Off the start it fired quick but I got a little too much traction and wheelied–I had to let off so I didn’t start out front but even in the open stuff I was able to catch and pass my competition on 250 two-strokes along with passing many of the Open class riders. The bike would go as fast as I wanted it to go–even without a steering damper. It definitely met all my needs as far as going as fast as I needed to go in the desert. Once I came into the pits the gas situation because an issue immediately. I really wasn’t in a hurry but it was still a bit frustrating to take that long to just get to the cap.

The first thing The YZ250FX needs, worse than the spark arrestor, is a Skid Plate! It comes with the mounts, the WR250F comes with one, but this thing has nothing. Just open cases ready for the first rock in the trail. Along with that I would add all the other protection – Billet Shark Fin, Radiator Guards… all the good stuff, but all bikes need this for off-road racing.

A Steering damper would not hurt the bike one bit and I really think it would help it a lot. While I only got headshake in the fastest roughest sections of the course, and it was largely because I never checked the ride height (or sag), not having to worry about this would be huge. Once I realized that it only happened when I chopped the throttle at super high speeds I was able to slow my pace a tick and stay on the throttle the entire time and keep it straight.

The bike will need a new O-Ring Chain and  sprockets soon. The stock chain is nearing it’s last leg and the rear sprocket it getting there too.

The only other continual issue I’ve had is that the rear disc bends REALLY easy. I thought, while laying King of the Motos Course, that I just hit it that hard but cruising around lately I bent it again while tapping a rock. Then  I bent it back frighteningly easy with a crescent wrench.

Figuring out a way to cover the giant opening behind the shock is also on the list. When taking the bike up north in the mud that void space was the first thing every person pointed out. “So that’s just open?” In the desert it’s not such a big deal but anywhere you might pack up mud you will definitely need to fill in that hole.

If I keep racing the bike I will look  into a bigger tank with a dry break filling system. All my bikes have a dry break that way I can race at the drop of the hat. And it will eliminate the frustrating, hard to remove, cap on the stock tank that resides under the seat.

I’ve come to like the YZ250FX more than I thought I would and now it is down to making it personal.