2024 will once again be a year of novelties for the YZ range, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. After the 450 cc, it’s the turn of the YZ 250F to get all the attention, with a new, slimmer platform identical to that of its bigger ‘sister’.
The 50 years since the first YZ were marked by a decoration alluding not to 1974, but to the white and pink of the ’90s YZs, colors we’ve seen on the bikes of the brand’s top teams in the most important championships and which are on the plastics of the 2024 bikes (in addition to the traditional blue version). However, the Yamaha men have prepared more than an anniversary decoration, focusing on updating their MX2 bike and further improving the GYTR kit for their YZ 125.
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE 450
Source:Yamaha
It’s something Yamaha has done in previous years, and they’ve done it again, taking the 2023 evolution of the YZ 450F to bring out the new 250F. We start with the narrower, slimmer silhouette, especially in the knee area, thanks to a narrower fuel tank, lower air filter box and narrower radiator caps. The seat is flatter and higher and, together with the lower footpegs, has resulted in an improved riding position with the legs stretched out more. The aluminum frame is completely new, also narrower and with improved rigidity and torsion points for better handling. The off-set has been reduced to increase agility in exchange for some stability at speed, something that Yamaha had a lot more of than its rivals. Still in the field of cycling, the KYB suspensions have been given settings more suited to the new frame and to improve cornering, as well as manual compression adjusters (at the top of each ‘sheath’) that make it very easy to ‘click’ without the use of a tool. As at the front, the KYB shock absorber has been revised based on the new chassis and suspension links.
ENGINE AND ELECTRONICS
Source:Yamaha
The engine has kept the same base but with a number of changes, especially to the distribution set, the ECU maps and the new air filter box that allows for a more efficient intake to benefit the mid-range and high revs.
The new ECU brings more new features than just new maps. It now always has two loaded maps available, which you can switch between on the move using the map button on the handlebar. The maps can still be customized with the Yamaha Power Tuner App, which has been improved and is now easier to use, offering guides and tips on how to tune the bike for each occasion, both in terms of maps and cycling. In addition to the maps, it has a Launch Control mode with a rev limiter, which can be adjusted in 500 rpm increments from 6,000 rpm to 11,000 rpm. For 2024 it also has traction control with a choice of three levels: High, very active; Low, not very active; Off, switched off. The system communicates to the ECU when the rear wheel slips, and the ECU adjusts the power delivery to give the best possible traction. Both these systems are controlled by the Yamaha Power Tuner App, and activated/deactivated on the handlebar switch.
Braking hasn’t changed at all, keeping the 270 mm diameter disc at the front and the 240 mm at the rear, both from Braking, with Nissin manning the pumps and calipers.
RIDING THE PROTOUR
Source:Yamaha
It was on one of the days of the Yamaha ProTour (see box) held at the motocross track in Carvoeira, Torres Vedras, that we were able to test the new machines for 2024. The track has a regional layout and obstacles, ideal for an event like this and for testing the new blue machines, but with the rain the night before, the surface was quite heavy and there was some deep mud. It was the morning riders who suffered the most, but by lunchtime (our time) it was much drier and more rolling, with only a few heavier and slipperier areas.
From the first moment we got on the YZ 250F, we really felt it was more compact, narrower and with a less ‘big-headed’ front end than the previous version. We sit on a flatter seat and the handlebars are lower in relation to the seat, and we also notice the bike’s smaller width, especially in the knee area. We also noticed a firmer suspension/frame set-up on the first few laps, but without it being ‘dry’ in terms of sensations.
In fact, it’s a comfortable firmness, combined with greater handling precision. It’s also easier to pick out tighter lines than with the previous bike’s geometry, but it remains stable in the faster, more open areas.
The engine is stronger at the most used speeds, medium and high, but you couldn’t tell right away and, like me, some of the ProTour participants felt the same way: when exiting some corners, especially in second or third gear and at lower speeds, the YZ seemed to have some difficulty gaining speed, especially in areas of deeper, muddier earth. I heard some complaints and felt the same way, but the truth is that all the bikes had traction control active, so it was only doing its job: cutting power when the rear wheel slips, but in deep mud it’s not the best option. Apart from those areas, where the ground was firmer, the YZ 250F is fast and powerful, and although it loses out slightly in the low gears (in exchange for more mid-range and top gears), it still has a strong engine in those gears. The gearbox is well-shifted and the clutch has the same intuitive and solid feel as always. The engine maps and Launch Control are easily changed on the handlebar button, but honestly this time there wasn’t much time to ‘play’ with them or with the Yamaha Power Tuner App, but we’ve seen them before and they’re better than ever!
TWO OPTIONS
All the motocross bikes in the range (except the 65 cc and 85 cc) will be available in two different liveries: the traditional blue, and the beautiful white and pink alluding to the 50th anniversary of the YZ, with a small difference in the price of both, and some models are already available from the brand’s dealers.
YZ 125 AND THE GYTR KIT
Source:Yamaha
Another novelty for 2024 is the GYTR kit for 125cc, a class that Yamaha never neglects and where it maintains very strong support with teams in the European championship, support for riders at local level, and with bLU cRU, which takes the best Yamaha riders from the beginner classes in each country to race alongside the Motocross of Nations and where they can gain even more support for the following season.
As for the kit, it consists of a different cylinder, head, piston, blade box, exhaust and silencer, CDI unit, a carburetion kit and different exhaust valves. For 2024 it has improvements to the exhaust, CDI map, exhaust valves (they weren’t there in 2023) and carburetion kit, improving performance at all engine speeds. On the track it’s an airplane and, honestly, stronger and more available than I imagined. Very strong at low revs (for a 125cc), it’s at medium and high revs that it shines even brighter, with plenty of power available at the request of the right hand grip, even with the road as heavy as it was, and the sound is something special!
YAMAHA PROTOUR
The Yamaha ProTour takes place every year in various countries around the world, with the Yamaha men bringing the following year’s innovations to the general public who can actually try out the vehicles. We say vehicles because, as this year, it features the brand’s off-road range, both two-wheeled and four-wheeled, which has more novelties. This year it was held at the Carvoeira track in Torres Vedras, where on Saturday and Sunday dozens of people were able to get up close and personal with the Yamaha machines. Keep an eye out next year and sign up in good time!
AFONSO GOMES
Source:Yamaha
A Team Yamaha/Alves Bandeira/Moto Fundador rider, Afonso became the SX2 National Champion this year and was Portugal’s representative in the MX2 class in France at the Motocross of Nations, always at the controls of the 2023 YZ 250F, so he’s the right rider to tell us the differences between the two:
“The YZ 250F was already very competitive, but this new version is even more so with the improvements made. I can see the bike is very good, more agile, easier to corner and easier to jump. The engine is even stronger, so we’re going to have a very competitive bike, even as standard, for next season. I was also able to try out the 450 cc, which I’d never done before, and I really liked it too. It’s easier than I imagined and the cycling is excellent, so we have a very strong range for next season.”
VASCO SALGADO
Source:Yamaha
A Yamaha/Motoni/Wallup/Motor7 rider, it was Vasco’s first season in the senior ranks, closing the motocross championship in fourth place in the 125 Junior class and being the only Portuguese representative in the 125 cc class at the bLU cRU in France on a YZ125 with the 2023 GYTR kit:
“I found the 125 cc with the new kit more complete than my 2023. It has a lot more power in the lower revs and always goes stronger until later. I can downshift early and it still goes strong, or let it stretch late if I need to. I really notice a big difference, more than I expected. As for the YZ 250F, which is completely new… I really liked the bike’s handling, very stable and stuck to the ground. I also liked the engine, it’s easy to use and has plenty of power. I also rode the 450 cc and I think it made my arms feel longer. I loved the experience and it’s easy to use, but it’s too hard for me and the engine is indescribable!”
