This is EXACTLY what has needed to happen for a looooooong time! Take the production 250f – which is already a solid platform winning lots of awards and praise from the motocross world – add an e-start, kick stand and extra gear and BOOM! You’ve got a winner!
At first glance the bike looks really clean. Besides leaning over on the stand you wouldn’t really be able to tell the difference. Good ergo’s and standard set up. The shrouds always looked strange to me but with increased air flow they serve a very important purpose. The E-start and EFI work together really well tunring the engine over quick and strong even when the bike is still cold.
Having never ridden one of the new reverse slant engines from Yamaha I was very pleased with how balanced it really felt. The power delivery was clean and pulled from bottom to top when kept in the rpm’s. Like the WR the clutch feel was really smooth and shifting was easy. I never hit neutral and was able to lug it in 2nd up the gnarlier stuff and always keep forward momentum. With the motocross maneuverability it made railing at high speeds and off the ground very comfortable. The suspension had good stock settings never throwing curve balls or bottoming unexpectedly.
The gas tank is in the same strange place as the normal motocross bike – under the seat kind of – but it ends up not being an issue at all. After you spend a minute figuring it out the first time you will have no problem doing it from then on. With the airbox just above the tank you can hear the air sucking in, much like the WR, but it’s not nearly as noticeable.
The only thing missing is the skid plate that comes on the WR. The mounts are there but the skid plate itself is no where to be found. 99% of riders picking up this bike will be taking it straight to the desert/woods/rocks where they will need one. Otherwise I think this is going to give the European Off-Road manufacturers a serious run for their money with such a strong showing in Yamaha’s first attempt to dominate off-road in quite some time.