2019 Yamaha YZ250F review

The excitement was palpable when news broke the 2019 Yamaha YZ250F would share many of the major upgrades featured on the 2018 YZ450F, including electric start, a redesigned frame and a wireless smartphone-based engine tuner. Last year the 2018 YZ250F scored little more than makeup, but for 2019 the quarter-litre Yamaha has been hit with a major makeover!

From the dirt up, this bike has been given the royal blue treatment. Even the wheels have been tweaked. Yep, the blue Excel rims are lighter than last year’s to offset the weight gain of electric start. The weight savings extend to the plastics, rear shock, smaller capacity fuel tank, handlebars, drive chain and swingarm.

Throughout the pre-ride presentation, features such as more top-end power, stiffer frame and heavier fork and shock springs got me thinking that this bike had been developed purely for the pro-level racer.

I was expecting an aggressive engine and an unforgiving handling package – but all would be revealed the following day at the Willowbank MX public riding facility when we got to ride the 2019 Yamaha YZ250F.

In the days leading up to the launch, Yamaha’s Marketing Manager Sean Goldhawk requested that all attending journos download the Yamaha Power Tuner App to our smartphones as we’d be tuning our own bikes.

Initially, I thought the smartphone app was a clever gimmick by Yamaha to grab some attention and further confirm itself as one of the coolest motorcycle brands. It turns out the free App is much more than a publicity stunt. To start with, owners of the 2019 YZ250F save themselves over $400 by not having to buy the plug-in power tuner that was previously sold separately. Everything the power tuner could do can now be done with the App that connects from your smartphone to the bike’s ECU via WiFi.

Yamaha technicians were in abundance at the launch to show us through the initial setup of the App. It’s a system that’s as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. The App starts with three pre-set engine maps to suit hard pack, loamy or slippery tracks. Many riders will find the variation between those maps enough to suit the way they ride or the tracks they ride on. However, the App also enables riders to delve so much deeper into engine tuning to create the perfect feel or their fastest lap time.

From the factory, the 2019 Yamaha YZ250F has a standard engine map so it’s not as though you have to set your bike up with your phone to go riding. Simply push the cold start button on the new 44mm Mikuni throttle body, thumb the electric starter and you’re away. That’s right, you don’t even have to touch the cold start again. As soon as you close the throttle the cold start system is deactivated. How cool is that?

While Yamaha’s YZ250F has long been praised for its strong bottom-end power, the current generation of motocross riders prefer to tickle the rev limiter of modern 250cc four-strokes, so Yamaha went chasing more mid to top-end power for 2019.

The new engine features a higher compression piston, smoother intake port shape and a higher flow rate, new valve train, a lighter crank, a switch from a Keihin to Mikuni throttle body and revised ECU settings. The new Yammie also features a beefier clutch to handle the extra power.

While Yamaha doesn’t like to quote horsepower figures, a bit of sniffing around at the launch confirmed power output is well into the 40 horses with a solid 2hp gain over the 2018 YZ250F. On track, the new engine pulls hard all the way to its 14,000rpm rev ceiling and gets there in a hurry due the freer-revving powerplant.

The power of this little engine is impressive and it feels like a lot more than just 250cc between your legs. What’s also remarkable is the enhanced top-end hasn’t compromised the Yamaha’s grunt off the bottom. I was surprised to run third gear through the softest corners and have the 250F pull wheelies on the way out. From there the engine builds revs at a rapid rate to launch itself into its juicy mid-range.

On the longer straightaways, of which there are a few at Willowbank, the new YZ-F was able to gallop into a high-revving top-end where it’s happy to stretch its legs without the need for rapid gear changes. It certainly has a longer, stronger powerplant than the previous YZ250F.

With the initial laps of the Willowbank track out of the way it was time to get tuning with the App. With mobile phone in hand – and helmet still on head – I installed the hard hitting map to suit to the ripped soil on the lower sections of the track and the deep sand of the upper sections. Having added a map to the ECU, I now had the option of switching between the original Yamaha map and the hard hitting map via the handlebar-mounted switch next to the clutch perch.

I started the next series of laps on the original Yamaha map before hitting the button to activate the hard hitting map and boy, what a difference! The power came on a lot stronger and a lot earlier in the rev range, helping the bike pull harder out of turns and build revs even quicker than before.

On the standard map I could feel the engine working hard through a series of uphill sand rollers. On the hard hitting map the engine was well into its rev range much earlier and making use of the mid-range and top-end to blast through the soft sand. The punchier power delivery surprisingly made the bike easier to ride in those conditions.

I felt more than satisfied with the map change, but with factory Yamaha technicians on hand it made sense to keep on tweaking. Brad McAlpine, from the factory race team, has extensive knowledge of the Power Tuner App so I asked him to whip me up a setting that might suit me and the conditions even better.

Within a few minutes on his phone he’d made the fuel settings richer from idle to 3000rpm, leaned off the fuel mixture from there on, advanced the ignition at low revs and retarded it from 11,000rpm through to redline. This time out, the throttle felt a lot more responsive and the bike built revs noticeably faster than before. Again, I was amazed at how much different – and better – the bike felt. It was the sort of difference you’d expect after spending $1000 or more on an aftermarket exhaust system.

With the bike inspiring the journos and Yamaha factory riders to rack up lap after lap, the clay sections of the track began to rut up and pack down, which gave me a better indication of the bike’s handling and suspension. For 2019, a lot of work has gone into a new aluminium frame featuring increased rigidity, the goal being a more connected and predictable handling machine.

During the previous night’s presentation, former world motocross runner-up Josh Coppins, who now plays a large role in Yamaha’s off-road development program, explained how the changes to the YZ-F’s chassis and suspension should translate to the track.

It turns out, not only can the New Zealander ride a motorcycle but he also knows what he’s talking about when it comes to developing one. Coppins described how the new frame, updated suspension components, slimmer ergos and lower, flatter seat all combine to give the rider more feel, particularly in the front end. He said we’d notice a more connected feel on the entry to turns and more traction when leaning the bike over through mid-corner. He was spot on!

In the soft, loamy corners where I’ve had many a front-end fold and bury my head in the dirt, the Yamaha remained on track without a lot of effort on my behalf. As the ruts grew deeper and more hard-packed throughout the day so did my confidence in the bike, to the point where I was looking for the ruts and loving the bike’s planted feel.

A couple of the heavier, faster riders commented on the bike feeling too stiff and somewhat harsh, but at my speed and for my weight the Yamaha’s handling felt exceptional. The lighter Yamaha factory riders – Wilson Todd and Jay Wilson – certainly looked comfortable on the stock 2019 YZ250F. Those boys rode the Willowbank track like they were on rails!

Yamaha must be commended for its latest YZ250F. Everything feels so easy, with its electric start, lower seat height, slimmer ergos and smartphone engine tuning.

There’s no doubt Yamaha knows how to make a great product, but it also knows how to bond with its customers. Ride days and connecting through social media keeps Yamaha in touch with its clientele and keeps the feedback flowing.

I think the introduction of the Power Tuner App will further strengthen that connection. I can see young YZ250F riders enjoying the experimentation process of tuning their engines via a smartphone and sharing that experience with their mates through social media. That’s a smart move.

The new Yamaha YZ250F has everything going for it. The engine is strong, fast and easily adjustable. The handling of the bike is sharp and precise. The overall feel of the bike is light and responsive. It’s a bike that makes you want to ride harder for longer.

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, four-valve, DOHC, single-cylinder, four-stroke
Capacity: 250cc
Bore x stroke: 77mm x 53.6mm
Compression ratio: 13.8:1
Fuel system: 44mm Mikuni fuel injection

TRANSMISSION
Type: Five speed
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Aluminium bilateral beam
Front suspension: Kayaba fork, 309.8mm travel
Rear suspension: Kayaba shock, 314.96mm travel
Front brake: 270mm single disc, hydraulic
Rear brake: 245mm single disc, hydraulic
Front tyre: Bridgestone Battlecross X20F, 80/100-21
Rear tyre: Bridgestone Battlecross X20R, 100/90-19

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 106kg
Seat height: 970mm
Wheelbase: 1475mm
Overall length: 2175mm
Minimum ground clearance: 335mm
Fuel capacity: 6.2 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $11,399
Colours: Blue or Competition White
Bike supplied by: Yamaha Motor Australia