Link mentioned to my maintenance record: docs.google.co... Please consider supporting this content creation on Patreon it helps me to create content for you guys and you'll get access to my camera settings and tricks - / thmx
Yeah, no need to do a top end on your YZ. The 250 smokers are generally good for about 100-200 hours on the top ends if you're doing mostly woods riding. If I were you, I'd have the front and rear suspensions serviced over the winter. 50 hours is about when it's recommended. Other than that, repack the silencer, change the clutch plates/gasket/springs, and true the wheels. A wheel truing stand is a good investment if you don't already have one. Do those things and the bike will be ready to rip in the spring.
I ride mine on logging trails mostly 70+ mph and occasionally on a mx track, i had to replace the top end already two times in 80 hours. But way better than a 125, i blow those up in two weekends with my riding style.
@@quirinm. I bought my YZ with only about 3 hours on it, and the piston was trash (but i got 10 hours out of it and it did not come apart), because the previous owner did not warm the water up well, (and I think he over heated it in a mud ride, but that is another issue). The material above the ring on the exhaust side was bent up, and the lower material was bent down and pinched the lower ring in the groove. The upper ring was hammering the groove wider, (at least .5mm wider at the exhaust now), and did not break (really tough rings now-a-days). The ring edges were rounded at the ex. port, so I know the piston was pushing them into the port too. The bike runs so rich stock, it takes a long time to warm the water up well. I bought it from a impatient kid who knows everything because his dad owns a bike shop, but it is that easy to mess that piston up. I replaced it with Wiesco.
Good review and I completely agree with your thoughts and comments. I spent 20 years on orange and jumped to the 22 Yamaha 250X at the end of 2021. Best move I could have made. The only thing I miss is a 6 speed transmission. Great bikes and amazing engines. I race cross country and enduro events around southern Indiana. Single track, hills, open terrain this dog hunts! I did upgrade my springs and set sag, best stock suspension you will find. I’ve got 54 hours with no problems. BLU Cru !!!
I was not satisfied with their explanation and claims. I see what they did. They are opening the sub exhaust ports later, (or earlier?). I build 2-stroke engines for a living, and there are is no shortage of vague claims that don't work out the way they claim. But, I would like to try them to see. I can make my own to. :)
The YZ250 has low compression too since I think 2010, but i don't know of the X is lower still. I know taking .0085" off the gasket surface on my 2019 will bring it to 2010 spec. I bought both heads and measured them. :)
Yep. I have 160 hrs on my 23 250x and ive never had it hot in the woods either. I live in Louisiana and have ridden it HARD almost every weekend. No moto, woods only
Yamaha 2 strokes are notoriously reliable. I love the mechanical simplicity of this bike and as you've said, when you're doing all your maintenance it just makes everything easier. I went with a 2022 GasGas MC 250 instead however simply because it was about 10 pounds lighter stock. I mostly ride woods and I love light weight bikes for a starting point. After you add a little protection, bigger tank, and a light. My MC 250 is probably in the same weight range as the YZ, but with the added goodies for Enduro riding. Great video, just wanted to share my thoughts.
Yes I weigh 200 lbs had mine revalved (stiffer) and much stiffer springs still a little soft for mx but great for woods but now it's dooable on a main track not just a vet track..
I do MX tracks, it seems a little harder and I have to really nail it on a pro track. If I get a rear spring for my weight, do I need to do something to the forks?
Terrible suspension? noway man. Those SSS fork are the best production forks ever made, and the shock is no slouch either. You can set that suspension up to be perfect for you. Get "the suspension bible" from "race tech" and learn about it, how to tune it. I doubt you will need a re-valve. You are going to pass on the best suspension made, because you don't know how to set it up. I promise you, it is all in the set up.
I got 300 hrs on mine and it feels fine , i have always used extra premix like the old days and when i look into the piston from exhaust port ... looks brand new ...
Yea, I take it easy on her , mostly woods and constant oil changes. I recently did the piston with the China brand and it didn't last even 140hrs had to change at 132 hrs cause was looking bad ... Didn't want any ring material in the crank ... Also noticed my crank getting loose.... Not sure if from shit piston but will def get a new crank next time. I guess OEM is the best .@@josephshaw2747
I just changed mine at 150 hours. Should have left it tbh. Looked perfect..Yamaha really knows how to make us happy and I am grateful for it. (Riding dirtbikes) Our hobbies is basically the only escape from life for most of us. The less we spend on maintenance and more we rode, the better
Corner to corner the yz is faster which u need in mx.. I drag race yzs all the time on my x and to the first turn the x is not slower I usually win....3rd is shorter on the x and easier to pull off the start.. and 4th is alot taller on the x whoever gets to 4th first usually wins.it hooks up better.. in my experience .anywhere off road the x motor is far superior the mx yz .up here in the tight trail pnw the x allows u to pin it in short distances.(shorter 3rd is the key) and it lugs much better than the mx version...having said that for anything but mx exclusively the x is the better choice
Not surprising. The MX version is a high rpm power engine, in a futile attempt to keep up with the 450s on the fast 450MX tracks of today. Not gonna happen. So the bike is not really great for anything, and the X is almost the same thing. But if you know what you are doing, you can make the bike great at anything but MX. :)
That is about what they would cost if the EPA had not forced the 4-stroke on the industry, (Yamaha is actually charging more, and putting a grand or so to 4-stoke or electric, a edge they have economically over the other Japs that nixed their full sized 2-strokes. A new 250cc 2-stroke dirt bike, (and it would be a 2- stroke with out the EPA interference in what was our free enterprise.), would be between 4-5 grand,--and the sport would be a lot healthier. It does not matter what industry it is, this kind of communistic government intervention hurts every industry that free people created, (all of them). That is why the world is going broke and laws are being tuned up-side down. We are falling into a global communism with china (not russia as advertised) as the model. There are no more "deals".
How many people buy a new bike and revalve or re spring the suspension? Literally everyone that races. Do air forks suck? Yeah, probably, I really wouldn't know because my 2017 250xc got the spring kit when it was new, by its previous owner. That bike is a dream in the woods. I always was a big yamaha guy, but a yz250x seems like dated tech
@@nickpalazzi2121 most people buy the KTM for the electric start and somehow think that is premier technology and makes it a better bike, when in fact it adds weight, complexity, and is only used maybe 10 -20 seconds per tank of gas... 2s Hard Enduro , sure estart can be an asset, but most people don't ride hard Enduro, and are paying for estart convenience while thinking their getting a high quality bike with high quality components... If KTM came OEM with KYB, everyone knows that would be an upgraded improved bike....that tells you right there where they stand in suspension technology against others in regard to one of the most important components of a dirt bike...
@jonsainsbury8726 the electric start is a plus, but that's not just it. I love the smoothness of the counterbalanced engine, that makes a huge difference at the end of the day for fatigue. Also the wide adjustability of the power valve tunes the power the way you want it. Also I have a hydraulic clutch and another gear in my transmission. All of it just makes a yz feel dated. What Fantic did was make the yamaha competive. I just wish yamaha would do that
@@nickpalazzi2121 How many people buy a new bike and revalve or re spring the suspension? Literally everyone that races. Wanna bet money? The generation racing today can hardly clean a filter, adjust the chain, and turn a clicker,--what direction does not matter. Even MXA lost a ton of knowledge in the generation change. I could "red pen" anything they write about a 2-stroke for sure.
I do disagree with this guy on 1 thing, it absolutely DOES like to lug around going slow. But I live in Louisiana so I’m not encountering the same terrain as him I’m sure. But for me it’s a dream.
I just wish these bikes were more modern…. Electric start at least!!! Idk I ride single track a lot and I need electric start…. That is the only thing keeping me from owning this bike
I bought a 2021 model of this bike. Tried to turn it into a race bike for WORCs. I wanted the wide ratio transmission and the 18" rear wheel and the kick stand. Stock the bike was great, but when i started adding the performance parts like an exhaust system and vforce reeds (those were the only mods i did the the engine) the bike ran terribly. I was destroying cylinders and trashing pistons. I has less than 20 hours on the bike total and had gone through three full top end rebuilds needing to replace the cylinder each time. I put it back to stock and sold it out of frustration. I now know that the engine differences between the yz250 and x model are what caused that. The head, CDI box, and power valve are different between the two bikes. Had i have changed those as well the bike wouldve been so sick. I really did love the feel of that bike but because of the issues i had at my own fault i sold it. I'd like to get another one and do it right this time because it really was a comfortably bike and it suited me almost perfectly. Thanks for the video.
@@EarthSurferUSA Go back to your surfing and leave the riding to men. You obviously do not do hard enduro. The YZ 250 X is an enduro bike, not a Motocross bike. When you are stuck on the side of a mountain on one leg....you cant kick start a bike. How many of the top riders ride a Yamaha? Have a look at hard enduro.....doos.
My set up for low end bark, just finished, riding in the spring, YZ250: 1) FMF Gnarley pipe, is tuned for lower rpm than the stock pipe. #1 bolt on thing to change performance. 2) V-force 3 reeds. Should also help low end power (but this part not hurt top). Stock reed stop- plate blocks off 50% of the rear transfer port tunnel and won't fill the cylinder as well as a open port tunnel. I am not using the stock aluminum spacer for tighter crank case volume, (That can be reversed if it hits too hard down low for some, but I will love it for my fast whooped out sandy single track.) 3) Now, for the biggest low end, mid range punch: Lower the cylinder .024" (not using the gasket, but sealing the cylinder to the cases). This will lower the exhaust port to better match the lower rpm pipe, (where the real 2-stroke magic happens), add more compression, (will need 100 octane fuel), and get the squish to a pretty good .048-.050" clearance. 4) Wiesco piston kit, (because the stock piston should be replaced pretty quickly, cheese). 5) cleaned up the casting goobers in the cylinder, and opened up that rear port tunnel 1mm, cleaned up the champhers (especially the exhaust), but i did not change port window dimensions, (lowering the cylinder does that here.) 6) And of course jet it well in the spring. I can reverse them if it hits too hard, or add a flywheel. But I promise you, I will be making more low end power (and probably lose at least 500 top rpm) than anything we have seen on YT. I do port little 2-stroke engines for a living, 20 years now. Started with 2-stroke dirt bikes as a kid. Doug in Michigan
@@THMXCO The best way to set up your top end change intervals is to go by wear of the piston and rings. The specs are in the owners manual, (Yamaha actually has a lot of good info in their manual). If you use the same oil, mix and type of riding, just keep track of the hours it takes to reach max wear spec, and you can pretty much follow those hours for the rest of your rebuilds. You are real low rpm riding, but you may find the rings and piston out of spec. If it is right there by luck, you are golden now with the rebuild interval knowledge. :)
Yep, makes all the difference in the world. He set the sag at about 100-105mm, but the forks are sagging more then they should. The bad thing about that is the front end will be low, and he loses some of the front wheel "trail", (frame/chassis geometry). So when he goes in and, and on faces of bumps, his wheel will lose more of that "self centering", and the bars can get out of control.
You can get a quart of oil-based air filter oil for $10. Good for about 20 filters. I use no-toil oil, a little bit more expensive but I don't have to use gas to clean the filters.
@@Jake-rp9cv If it is not a "tacky" filter oil, gravity can pull it the oil to the bottom of the filter leaving the top dry that dirt can pass through. You can probably tell by looking at the inside of your filter, any dirt? you also want to stay out of deep water with a oiled foam filter like we use, because dirt o the filter can also pass right though with the water.
So, are you saying the yz250 has bad suspension? Wouldn't they be the same? A: The YZ250X offers the same industry-leading Kayaba SSS components as the YZ250, including the same spring rates front (4.3 N/mm) and rear (48 N/mm). The only thing that’s changed is that the internal shim stacks have been valved softer for better trail compliance.
Jetting helps with the luggs… 2 sizes down on both jets and raise the clip 1, then ya got a lugging machine. Of course elevation is gonna play a huge factor.
More than likely, you will have a hole in the piston. If you did that (went that lean across the range) and did not seize,---you were lucky. But---all 2-strokes sold with a carb are jetted rich, and you will get better performance and better gas mileage if you jet the carb well. They all have to be jetted on a individual basis for your air conditions for best performance. And any changes to engine performance usually requires different jetting too, for best performance. I have dynoed 2-stroke engines with pipes, got them running perfectly tuned. Then switch the pipe. I made the main jet richer, but it was not enough. Just the pipe change seized the engine with out the jetting being done on a individual basis.
So how hard is the power hit when it comes on anyway? I hear it's a milder hit than the yz250 motocross bike, but I have nothing to compare it to. I'm looking into my first 2 stroke bike this upcoming year and I'm having a hard time deciding between the 125X and the 250X. I'm concerned that the 125X may not quite have the power than I'm looking for, but I'm concerned the 250X may have too much power, like a 450 4T.
I was making the same decision when I bought my 21 yz250x and I had never owned a 2 stroke before. I would highly recommend the 250x over the 125x it's just easier to ride especially through the woods, and the power down low is very impressive. Going up hills and slow technical stuff is so easy and when you need the power it's always there.
Honestly… as an old dude getting back into the game, the 250 is perfect for my fatass.. the x has softer suspension, so I prefer the mx style.. it fits the way I ride. I haven’t done anything but add a acerbis skid plate and change jetting to my style… if you get the 2024 x it has 6 gears instead of 5. So ya might wanna wait for that, if it’s not available yet.
Depends on where/what you're riding. In New England, get the 125X. If riding more open terrain, 250X. I have the 125X and love it, I weigh 190 as well. It's like a cheat code for the woods
The porting is probably the same as the YZ250. The pipe is a lower rpm pipe than the YZ250. Raise the exhaust by several millimeters, and it won't run well at all if it starts. Raising the exhaust also tends to give higher rpm power, not lower, usually at the cost of low rpm power If you want a good boost in the mid-range, (I did this to my YZ250 MX version), seal the cases to the cylinder instead of using a cylinder base gasket for your rebuild. That is lowering the cylinder so the lower ex. port will match that lower tuned rpm pipe better. you will need to run 100 octane fuel. If you like it, I would have the base of the cylinder machined, off with .024", and put a stock gasket back on. Just stick with what you know son. :)
They definitely didn't raise the exhaust port on this bike compared to the yz250, and definitely not a few mm. That would make the bike DRASTICALLY different. It should be pointed out also that peak power is virtually the same between the two. The reason the regular yz has a 2 ft-lb advantage is because it ramps up much sooner off the bottom and pulls much harder from idle to 6500. This is achieved by a combination of lower compression, different expansion chamber and different power valve tuning.
The wr is the same way it’s always wanting to jump of your hands the WR is a wicked bike in the bush I don’t ride track at all or race but that’s not to say I don’t like to ride fast however I like to ride hard induro I’m a 175 with all my gear. It’s like that with all bikes maintenance is a must and if you know that your just a casual writer you can go 100 125 hours before you do a top end and a two-stroke 125 is probably pushing it but long as you’re not racing keeping it in the power band like you do when you’re racing . They are a good bike for the money any Yamaha well maybe not the ttr’s lol but all Yamaha bikes are solid bike built to last if you take care of them.
I’m breaking mine in now and i got 24.4 miles on a tank before it started sputtering. 1.8 gal tank .8 gal reserve. Maybe a safe 4 mile range on reserve?
I would say fuel ratio is more important then anything. IV had a 01 cr250 with over 1000 hours on it over the last 13 years and I still run the same plug and filter.
I had a few yz 250's some for many years. The problems I had are broken power valves, seat mounts (I'm tall), front pipe mount (often!!), fork seals, stem bearings (the seals suck), wheel bearings, shock pivots, linkage pivots
You ever hear of maintenance? I made sure my bike was perfect every winter, (about $300.00 worth of parts on the average), for a summer time of racing and riding with out a mechanical DNF for 2 decades. Most were Yamaha's. As Lance Armstrong and David Bailey have said; "Its not the bike". lol
@@EarthSurferUSA I absolutely know what maintenance is, that's why I replaced those parts and a LOT more not listed. The $300 you spent is a drop in the bucket compared to what I spent (pipes, cranks, pistons, fork legs, broken fork springs, cylinders). I raced a lot on my bikes (off-road and moto) and I'm meticulous about my bikes. I'm sure you riding at beginner/novice level your bikes are not getting the abuse mine get.
They are jetted very rich from the factory also. Setting it up with crisp jetting makes a world of difference for performance, and no exhaust drool mess. There is an easy 2 more hp with good jetting on a 250 carbed MX bike.
I got a yz 250 2000 yr I’ve rebuilt it done engine the lot even made road legal got a stheely fly weight on it and so far a decent bike for plodding round on
First thing you do with new dirt bike is calibrate the suspension to you pody kg with driving gear on..first thing...or you never know how the bike behave correctly...
I did more work to my YZ250 to make it a good bike than any 250cc MX bike (2-stroke) I ever had. But now my changes, engine, suspension, silencer and plastic,--it is now the best bike I ever had. We miss out on a lot of fun and opportunity, by not setting up our bikes the way we want. Of course, we have to have experience to know what we want. I hate the modern batman plastic so much, I am even using a 175 gram Frisbee for a front number plate. Machined my own mounts, and is quick release with no tools. Trick! :)
Best mod so far was going with the 22.5mm offset trees I do the work myself and have done 2 sets for other riders and they say the same thing it turns so much faster and it's still rock solid at speed
On your service intervals when you say air filter, do you mean clean and oil or replace? If clean and oil, how long do you run the filter before replacing?
@@easternyellowjacket276 60 now, but I used to be fast in Michigan whooped out sandy single track. The stock tank (just over 2 gal) will get over 40 miles with that riding on any 250cc MX bike. It also helps to jet the carb for the best performance and gas mileage, but nobody knows how to do that anymore, (so the dummies get a smart carb.---lol). I don't ride on a lot of different stuff, but I would bet the kind of riding you are doing can make a big difference in gas consumption.
Looking to sell my side x side and get back into dirtbikes since my youngest boy is interested in riding Of course I’ll go back to a 2 stroke, last one I had was an 06 yz250
If your hands are getting sensitive to vibration (riding a 2-stroke aluminum frame YZ250 is a great test), you will want to get a steel frame, and rebuild the bike. All that time and money for pretty much nothing, if your hands go numb. 60 here.
You don't do the top end based on power loss or thinking it "needs it". You do the top end to prolong the life of the jug and combustion chamber. It's actually part of the maintenance.
You do a new top end kit when the parts involved are worn (or damaged) past spec. (needs it). If you don't break parts to hurt the cylinder or head, you will not shorten the life of the cylinder or head if you replace the top end every week.
@@EarthSurferUSA by the time you know that you have wrist pin play, it's already too late, you've already scored the cylinder wall or worn the bore unevenly. If you wait for compression loss to replace the piston and rings and inspect your rod bearing play in a two stroke, it's going to cost more than if you just tear it down and replace what the OEM considers, wear items in a 2 stroke engine. That's why the owners manual outlines a time frame for performing these tasks. I'm not saying that the time frame can't be extended. I'm just saying that if you wait for the top end to be clapped on a 2 stroke, it's too late, the damage is already done. Let your wrist pin go too long and that is what starts wearing the crank by putting lateral forces against the bearings. It's the difference between buying a new jug and pulling the engine and splitting the case, and never having to do it at all. It's the difference between having a used bike with value and one that's for sale for less because it won't run.
@@THMXCO Lowering links are not a good idea. It does not reduce the travel, but shifts up up into your fender. The bike is too tall for a guy 5'8". It is the damn tallest bike made, and for no reason. I lowed mine 1" in the seat, and .75" in the suspension---and i will out corner you any day. it is just a matter of physics. Back in the 80's and 90's, MXA would have torn this bike up for being too tall, as they did the KTM and other Euro models,--that were shorter than this bike. But I guess people got used to it. Yea,---we can get used to prison too.
I could not stand the bike for 50 hours stock. 15 hours in, and I have lowered the seat and suspension (to match what a 250MX bike should be), and did my motor mods for more low end power. I had to go Ronnie Mac on the silly batman plastic too, and put an older front fender on it. Now, it is a bike worth riding. You better look into a top end rebuild. 50 hrs is stretching it.
@@kellybrown6988 Heck, take me back to "The roaring 20's" at 20 years old with my engineering degrees, and I know I would be doing a lot better since the 70's. We all would be. Our schools now call the destruction of the USA,---"Progress", and the kids don't know the difference. I am old now, but I feel so sorry for them.
