YAMAHA
YZ250FX
2015 TEST RIDE
Q: IS THE 2015 YAMAHA YZ250FX BETTER
THAN THE 2014 YZ250FX?
A: Of course it is, because there has never been
a YZ250FX before. The “FX” is Yamaha’s attempt to
compete against offroad juggernaut KTM for the offroad
market. As the Japanese manufacturers lost interest in
two-strokes and enduro bikes, KTM cleaned house, ran
the table and swabbed the decks with their amazing
lineup of offroad machinery. It was no contest against
the typical Japanese version of an offroad bike, which
was normally a porcine beast that wasn’t ready for
serious offroad racing. The 2015 Yamaha YZ250FX
is fluff-free.
Q: WHY IS MXA TESTING AN OFFROAD
BIKE?
A: Two reasons: (1) We wanted to. ( 2) We really
wanted to. Yamaha’s FX, much like KTM’s XC, should
appeal to every hardcore motorcycle racer. It is a bike
that can be ridden in the desert, woods, enduros and
on trails. And, as the MXA wrecking crew hoped to
prove, it could be raced in motocross as well (with
minimal modifications).
Q: ISN’T THIS JUST ANOTHER
OVERWEIGHT JAPANESE ENDURO BIKE?
A: No. It is true that in the past the “Big Four” have
overloaded their enduro bikes with more tonnage than
a freight train. If you remember the IT, WR, XT, DT,
RS, RMX, DR, PE, KDX, KLX, XR, MR, XL and CRF-X
machines, you can easily pick out a small handful of
winners (led by the Kawasaki KDX200 and the Honda
XR400) in a slew of losers. Where the Big Four flopped,
KTM succeeded. Why? Because KTM didn’t reinvent the
wheel. KTM took its motocross bikes and added just
enough offroad paraphernalia to make them lean and
mean. Yamaha followed KTM’s lead with the YZ250FX.
The FX is essentially a YZ250F motocross bike with
softer suspension, a six-speed gearbox, kickstand and
electric start. No fluff, just real stuff.
Q: HOW DOES THE 2015 YAMAHA YZ250FX
DIFFER FROM ITS WR250F BROTHER?
A: First, this is closed-course race bike. The
previous and current WR250F enduro bikes have been
