Yamaha YZ250WRN

Everyone talks about the evolution four-strokes have gone through over the past 10 years, and fair enough, but no-one seems interested in what happened to the two-stroke trail bike during the same period. There's a presumption that four-strokes were given all the technological advances and two-strokes none of it, and that's farther from the truth than the nightly news.

Tell me, does the name Yamaha DT200R ring a bell with anyone? Or Suzuki RMX250? Or Kawasaki KDX200? The names should strike a chord somewhere because these bikes were notable in their day, and, for the most part, much faster and more competitive than four-strokes of the same capacity in the same era.

None of them survived though, which is probably a good thing. Well, maybe with the exception of the Suzuki RMX250. But if you could compare a DT200R with a modern two-stroke, you'd appreciate how much the two-stroke trail bike has improved. The little DT200R had an electric powervalve and auto premix, a big deal back then, but today the Yamaha would choke in the dust of a KTM or Gas Gas 200 in any sort of comparison. The accent now is on ultimate performance, not whether or not your trail bike will fit between the Commodore and the wife's hatchback.

Dusting the opposition is a 250cc two-stroke specialty. In the normal run of events, nothing accelerates like a 250cc motocross bike and nothing feels more physical; not a Porsche, not a Ferrari and not a 'V8 Trarna,' even with a bonnet scoop. These bikes are vicious bitches, carnivores of the dirt world, brutal nerve rakers built with one purpose in mind: to get quickly from one corner to the next and to hell with the consequences. To hell with comfort too. They have rock hard seats and tough suspension. Fuel consumption? What's that? And who gives a rat's about electric-start? Among the hard men who buy these bikes, no-one.

And some people love 'em. This screamer owes much if not everything to the YZ250 race bike, so adding a headlight and 'WR' to the name has done nothing to civilise it. This thing has a five star X-Factor. It isn't a trail bike it's a race bike with a numberplate, and even Yamaha admits as much in its description: "The new Australia-only model YZ250WR is in essence a street legal YZ250 designed for enduro or trail events where a rego plate is necessary." So there you go.

GET ON IT AND DO IT

But what's this thing like to ride? The 'YZ' part tells you everything. It's a bloody missile. A strong bottom-end, a nuclear midrange, a very close-ratio five-speed gearbox and 14-50 gearing get you from one turn to the next in what some riders will swear was a cosmic experience. The engine, paradoxically, has a broad spread of power, and even plenty of torque, but 14-50 is way too short for trail riding. This encourages you to short-shift, mainly in an effort to avoid the engine's more brutal nature, revealed all too clearly in first and second gear.

The gearbox is slick, with short throws between ratios, and there's no need for the clutch once the thing is moving. If you're thinking of buying a YZWR, we suggest you try 15-50 gearing. That'll do three things: it'll make the bike less unpleasant to ride on the road - with 14-50 sprockets and race jetting, at 70km/h the YZWR feels like a one-speed kitchen whizz at 20,000 rpm and vibrates like a, well, like a vibrator. Up-gearing will give you more top end. It will also take the snap out of the power delivery and give you time to think about what you're doing before you've actually done it, thereby avoiding that well known sensation, 'I'm still here but where's the bike?'

If you want to dance with this chick, don't step on her feet. Remove yourself from the lower ratios quickly, get into third, fourth of fifth as soon as possible and use torque rather rpm to persuade her to go in the desired direction. Over-revving this particular bitch will destabilise her and then she becomes hard to handle. You won't like that.

Since this machine is based more than loosely on the YZ - "it comes with all the original YZ hardware,' says Yamaha, " and only the minimum components necessary to gain ADR approval," - the suspension is what we'd call firm but it's definitely not harsh. It's not perfect though. We backed off the front and rear compression and rebound clickers three stops in an effort to soften the ricochet effect but even then the front-end felt twitchy and tended to push in flat turns. Because of the race suspension, and because lightweight two-strokes get belted around more than heavier four-strokes on rough terrain, if you're not used to it, riding the YZWR is actually more tiring than spending a day in a kitchen whizz. If you're old, this bike will make you feel older. "Damn it, Martha, I'm not riding this thing, any more! What time's Wheel Of Fortune?"

Old or young, one thing you have to accept with a 250cc two-stroke motocross bike with an eight litre fuel tank is limited range. Our test bike returned exactly the same consumption as the Gas Gas EC300, 12km/l, but it didn't get the theoretical 108 kilometres from a tank of fuel, it got 80 at best. You ride it hard because it feels good but that chews the juice. And there's no reserve. Repeat: no reserve! At one point we ran out of fuel after 78 kays. Yamaha has an optional 12 litre fuel tank for $500 and if you plan to ride any distance on this bike you'd better get one. Or follow a bloke who did.

Once I got the hang of this rude and prickly bike I actually liked it. If I owned one I'd ride it every two months, just to remind myself what wild and violent horsepower feels like, then I'd park it. I've been chasing Dr Dan through the scrub for nearly 20 years and I've never been able to catch the bastard. I caught him on this thing though, and he didn't like it. That doesn't mean I'm quicker than I used to be but it does mean I can make mistakes, screw-ups, bloopers and oh-shits! on the YZ and the thing's incredible speed across the ground will make up for it.

As a blunt instrument that can make you feel like Superman, this Yamaha is hard to beat. Ride one now. Before you're too old, or Wheel Of Fortune's the best thing in your life.

WHAT BAZZ LIKED

NOT SO MUCH

ENGINE:
Type: single cylinder two-stroke
Displacement: 249cc
Carburetor: PWK38S

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Rear suspension: Kyaba shock, Monocross swingarm
Front suspension: 48mm USD Kyaba fork
Front brake: twin-piston Nissin caliper, 250mm rotor
Rear brake: single-piston Nissin caliper, 245mm rotor

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 103.5kg
Seat height: 989mm
Fuel capacity: 8 litres (optional 12 litres)
Tested Fuel consumption: 12km/l

OTHER STUFF:
Price: $10,500.
Colours: Blue.
Best feature: pure speed
Worst feature: limited range.

By Barry Ashenhurst, Dirt Bike Trader, November 2004