Yamaha tests

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2011 YZ450F BETTER THAN THE 2010 YZ450F? A: Nope. Oh, don?t get us wrong, we love that the new clutch actuation arm has a slightly heavier pull with less free play whether hot or cold. But in the grand scheme…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2011 YAMAHA YZ250 BETTER THAN THE 2010 YZ250? A: No. Although the 2011 YZ250 did get a few changes over the previous year, most of those changes were made to make it possible for Yamaha to sell the same bike in…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2011 YAMAHA YZ125 BETTER THAN THE 2010 YZ125? A: No. Q: HOW OLD IS THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE 2011 YZ125, AND IS IT OUTDATED? A: It's old, but the amazing technology is far from outdated. Yamaha was the first…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2011 YZ250F BETTER FOR MOTOCROSS THAN THE 2010 YZ250F? A: No. Q: HOW MANY CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE 2011 YAMAHA YZ250F? A: The 2011 Yamaha YZ250F gets a goose egg in terms of the number of quality updates…
Read More...

Here's a hypothetical situation. Pretend you?re an offroad racing champion (perhaps you?re the WORCS champion, Endurocross title holder and have won ISDE medals). You?ve been so successful that you are paid a handsome salary, are feted in…
Read More...

The last National moto of the year officially marks the end of the season and the beginning of a game of musical chairs. This past off-season will forever be remembered for Roger DeCoster going to the RedBull/KTM team and Chad Reed building…
Read More...

Yamaha used to have a race team to develop hop-up products for their race bikes. The only problem was that when Team Yamaha did the R&D, they kept the results secret. In fact, they hid the data like it was the formula for Coca-Cola. Now…
Read More...

The YZ310F wasn?t built for a chassis test. MXA left the suspension stock. The motor, on the other hand, was a three-grand endeavor, not including the Hinson clutch and titanium FMF exhaust. A quick look at the specifications of Thumper…
Read More...

This is the 2010 Yamaha YZ450F the way the MXA test crew raced it. As a rule, we don?t go for exotic or expensive mods, but if push comes to shove, we will seek competent help (no matter how much it costs). Use MXA 's mods as a guide. Front…
Read More...

Home sweet home. The MXA wrecking crew dug it out of the trash heap, lavished it with beaucoup bucks and ended up with a new 2006 YZ250F. This is a bike test unlike any other test that we have done in recent memory. The MXA gang is not test…
Read More...

WHAT IS IT? A complete carbon fiber skid plate and case guard system in one piece. It is the exact same glide plate that James Stewart runs on his 2010 Yamaha YZ450F. For some reason, the stock skid plate and case guards on the 2010 Yamaha…
Read More...

Read More...

WHAT IS IT? A completely redesigned airbox and air filter for the 2010 and 2011 YZ450F. WHAT'S IT COST? $249.95. CONTACT? www.twinair.com or (800) 749-2890. WHAT STANDS OUT? Here's a list of things that stand out with the Twin Air YZ450F…
Read More...

WHAT IS IT? An aftermarket shock linkage for the 2010-2011 Yamaha YZ450F that alters the rising rate, kicks out the head angle, lowers the seat height and helps balance the chassis. WHAT'S IT COST? $224.95. CONTACT? www.procircuit.com or…
Read More...

2011 KTM 1250SX. Both the KTM 150SX and Yamaha YZ125 originated from the classic two-stroke gene pool, but thanks to gene splicing, borrowed technology and constant revisions, both machines have evolved into the fulfillment of the…
Read More...

1. Shock spring. Yamaha reverted to a steel shock spring in order to reduce the price tag on the 2009 Yamaha YZ250F. This was a good move for the consumer's pocketbook, but it added 1-1/2 pounds to the bike. If you have a 2006 through 2008…
Read More...

We live in a world of constant judgment. Critical eyes and biased opinions are everywhere. Everyone has an opinion on everything?even stuff they know nothing about. Sadly, one man's opinion is another man's resource for a fact. Ignorance…
Read More...

The two-stroke versus four-stroke question comes up at regular intervals'so, we are rerunning our shootout to add clarity to the arguments. Let's cut through the effluvia! Rules changes made the four-stroke what it is…
Read More...

When Americans talk about Yamaha bikes, we think of motorcycles. Not so in many parts of the world. In fact, Yamaha electric bicycles are gaining in popularity. How popular? Yamaha sold more than 130,000 electric bicycles last year in…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE NEWEST YZ125 BETTER THAN THE PREVIOUS YZ125? A: No. It is the product of Xerox engineering. Q: WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CHANGES THAT YAMAHA MADE TO THE LATEST YZ125? A: There are none. The graphics on the gas tank…
Read More...

You are forgiven if you are a Honda CRF450, Kawasaki KX450F or KTM 450SXF owner and you don?t give a twit about hopped-up Yamaha YZ450Fs. You may be thinking, ?Yamaha? I don?t own a Yamaha and don?t want to read about them.? But, you know…
Read More...

You are forgiven if you are a Honda CRF450, Kawasaki KX450F or KTM 450SXF owner and you don?t give a twit about hopped-up Yamaha YZ450Fs. You may be thinking, ?Yamaha? I don?t own a Yamaha and don?t want to read about them.? But, you know…
Read More...

You are forgiven if you are a Honda CRF450, Kawasaki KX450F or KTM 450SXF owner and you don?t give a twit about hopped-up Yamaha YZ450Fs. You may be thinking, ?Yamaha? I don?t own a Yamaha and don?t want to read about them.? But, you know…
Read More...

You are forgiven if you are a Honda CRF450, Kawasaki KX450F or KTM 450SXF owner and you don?t give a twit about hopped-up Yamaha YZ450Fs. You may be thinking, ?Yamaha? I don?t own a Yamaha and don?t want to read about them.? But, you know…
Read More...

WHAT IS IT? A brand-new generation of Pro Taper triple clamps for the 2010 Yamaha YZ450F. WHAT'S IT COST? $439.95 (top and bottom clamps with stem), $99.95 (bar mounts). CONTACT? www.protaper.com or (951) 736-5369. WHAT STANDS OUT? Here's a…
Read More...

WHAT IS IT? A first-class fix for the front and rear Kayaba SSS suspension components on 2010 YZ450Fs. WHAT'S IT COST? Forks $195.00 (plus oil), shock $245.00 (plus oil), $109.00 (fork springs), $145.00 (adjustable compression adjusters).…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2010 YAMAHA YZ250 BETTER THAN THE 2009 YZ250? A: No. It is identical to last year's model. Well, not identical, because there were two changes from 2009 to 2010: (1) The right-side gas tank…
Read More...

Most people take for granted the ability to go down to their local Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki or Yamaha dealer and buy a motocross bike. It wasn?t always this way. In the good old days, if you wanted to race flat track, scrambles, Hare and…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2010 YZ450F BETTER THAN THE 2009 YZ450F? A: Yes. Let's be honest, even if the 2010 YZ450F's performance was identical to that of the 2009, the 2010 YZ450F gets a lot of brownie points for kicking out the…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2010 YZ250F BETTER THAN THE 2009 YZ250F? A: No. The scales of justice teeter back and forth because some aspects of the 2010 are much better than the 2009, but others aren?t. In the final analysis, we think the…
Read More...