Is It Still Good?
Story and Photos by Trevor Hunter
Yamaha invited the moto media out to Perris Raceway today to spend some time on the newly updated 2024 YZ250F. The bike features the same new chassis that constructs the YZ450F, along with the new bodywork and some suspension setting refinements to fit it. Engine wise, it is very similar to the previous model year with just the timing chain and everything around it modified for durability reasons. If you want to read more specifics on the changes, click HERE.
Starting with the engine, this is where Yamaha has had a stranglehold on the 250F class for quite some time. A good majority of riders have really enjoyed the backwards engine design on the YZ250F for its abundance of torque and bottom-mid range power in a 250cc four-stroke platform. For the new year, the bLU cRU made some changes to put more emphasis on a higher revving engine that produces more of its power on the mid-top end and it’s apparent when you hit the track. It now has that more traditional 250F feel where it likes to be revved and is needed to get your way around the track – all with stock mapping of course. When not ridden aggressively or in the right gear, the engine is slow to rev and get going at a low RPM, making shifting and corner speed more critical than before on this bike. Once the RPMs start building, it becomes very impressive and the overrev is the best it has been on the engine design, it just takes some more work to get there.
While this was fun to ride at times, it was more difficult to ride than we’d like so we started playing with the newly updated GYTR Power Tuner App (free of charge) in search of some much needed bottom end and torque. The first map we tried is the “Stevie” map and that cleaned the power up all the way around and was something both of our “Off-Road Pro” level testers liked. While it was better, we were still looking for more off the bottom, so we plugged in the “Responsive” map and instantly the engine character felt very similar to the old bike. We could now let the RPMs drop further, didn’t have to rev the bike out as high, and even use third gear through some corners making for an overall calmer and easier to ride bike.
One area we feel we could keep messing with is in the gearing department. At times, we felt we were in between second and third gear. Either going up or down (likely down) one tooth on the rear would help lengthen second gear and be a little easier to manage in corners.
Yamaha’s KYB suspension is typically one of the better systems in terms of comfort and plushness. The ‘24 YZ250F suspension felt much the same and offered a lot of compliance and comfort all day long. One of our testers felt the fork was a little soft, so stiffening up compression three clicks using the toolless hand adjusters was a simple and effective change. It helped balance the bike out and kept the front end from diving on corner entrance, helping with some stability and even improving our cornering.
The handling of the bike has changed from years past but not in a bad way. As a 250F, we liked how nimble and easy the bike was to throw around and to corner, especially on a day like today where Perris was ripped deep and long ruts in the tight corners formed. It’s easier to lean into and stay in ruts than before, and overall just feels lighter, much in part because it’s over 2 lbs lighter than the previous model. We didn’t feel any lack of stability issues today, but Perris isn’t necessarily the best track for that kind of testing.
Something that really stood out in a negative way today was just how loud this bike is when revved out. It sounded louder than before and we felt ear plugs would become a staple in our helmet bag if we owned one of these bikes.
The updated ergonomics are welcomed by our riders for a more roomy, comforting layout that allows us to move around on the bike easier and feel less cramped than before.
Overall, we’re leaving the track happy with the 2024 YZ250F. Early on, both of our riders struggled with the power more than anything as we have become accustomed to atypical amounts of torque and bottom end power in a 250F engine. It’s still right there with the best of them, if not still class leading in terms of torque, but it’s not quite as abundant as before without some mapping changes.
