It’s a big year for Yamaha as the company celebrates its 65th year. And that celebration is focused on the YZ250F which has had every component redesigned. It’s designed to have more power from the mid-range to the top end through the use of a new exhaust camshaft with a revised profile, new fuel injection settings, a new longer silencer, updated ECU and improved water pump impeller. And the intake system is completely new. A redesigned airbox, means goodbye to the old school inlet funnel. The airbox has also been shortened by 20mm to allow a smoother and more direct route for the incoming air. 

A new air filter housing cover on the front of the seat has new channels for improved flow and increases the volume of the intake air for even better performance at high revs. The clutch holder has thicker walls that are stronger, third, fourth and fifth gears on both the ingoing and the outgoing shaft are re-designed some of the gears are glass bead blasted to improve efficiency.The chassis is just like the 450. It’s a new frame that might look like the old one but has frame walls tweaked to change the feel of the bike. The bars are further  forward, there is a new triple clamp, bar mounts and front axle. The fantastic Kayaba SSS forks and rear shock have been revalved, there is a bigger front caliper and bigger discs all round. But how good is it to ride?

MotoHead’s Dave Willet is one of the first riders on the planet to get to sample the new bike, at the old-school Bielstien circuit in Germany.