To be honest, I was not a huge fan of the 2014 YZ450F—it wasn’t that it was bad, I was just not a huge fan right out the box. For some reason, the new rear facing YZ250f engine, which is not in pretty much the same chassis at the 450, is so much better—I loved it from the get-go. Being that my chassis is floating around the 210lb mark, I am not what you’d call a 250F rider, yet the power output of the smaller bore YZ valve pusher is impressive and the chassis felt planted and tracked better than the 450, in my opinion. I was able to negotiate every jump and obstacle Milestone MX had on the 250 that I was jumping on my 450 (and while using less energy). Probably the only reason I would not own a 250F as one of my go-to weekly riders would be long-term cost. 450s are a tad more affordable, especially if you run several seasons on a single bike and rack up 100+ hours on a sled before passing it off to another. Being a 200lb+ rider, the only real changes I’d suggest are increasing the spring rates front and rear (yes, this bike still has springs front and rear). Overall, I felt it was an impressive motorcycle, and it does not matter if you normally fancy a 250F or 450F, or you are a veteran or young buck.