2014 yz250f

[lixno]

Thanks for the detailed info mmcdan! Great review of the bike!

[Live To Ride Mike]

Thanks a lot MMCDan! Your description of how the suzuki handles compared to a yamaha is so spot on to what i felt (turns great but rear end is not planted and bike is unstable compared to Yamaha) that i have a lot of faith in your report of the 2014 yamaha. I had all the 250 fs at one time or another and each bike has its pluses and minuses (not trying to dis the other brand owners). Sounds like the yamaha has some more ups for what i want out of a bike and will be looking to get one now. Then changing everything to make it work in the woods, lol...

[CB283]

Spoke to my local dealer today. We were told beginning of November here in the UK, now being told to ring back at the end of this month and it's looking like early December, was then told by a friend he was told late December.

 

Absolute killer!! Been out with injury since June and finally given the all clear this month now have no bike to bloody ride!

 

Needed somewhere to moan, sorry guys lol.

[moleson10]

Spoke to my local dealer today. We were told beginning of November here in the UK, now being told to ring back at the end of this month and it's looking like early December, was then told by a friend he was told late December.

 

Absolute killer!! Been out with injury since June and finally given the all clear this month now have no bike to bloody ride!

 

Needed somewhere to moan, sorry guys lol.

 

It will be all the sweeter when you get it. Except for the fact that its WINTER! But your winter is similar to ours in the Pac northwest. Lousy but ridable.

[CB283]

It will be all the sweeter when you get it. Except for the fact that its WINTER! But your winter is similar to ours in the Pac northwest. Lousy but ridable.

Luckily got a pretty good all weather track on my doorstep!

 

Would be nice if it was dry though.

[funkinalive]

Thanks for the details MMCDan, have been interested in hearing real world experiences about the 2014 YZF.

not trying to disrespect yamaha (especially while in the YZ forum) but have ridden a few of the older 250s and really couldnt get comfortable with them (i know that it takes more saddle time than a few laps). back in 11 i tried a couple different bikes and felt that suzuki was absolutely the best overall stock package so i purchased it and have been very satisfied with it thus far (I am not biased to ANY brand and have owned bike that i felt comfortable with). However if its true what you say about the comparable handling coupled with good stability I would definitely consider it. Would sure like to get my leg over one and see for myself but we have even longer waits for new bikes here in Europe. enjoy the new bike 

[krony506]

I picked mine up today, this is a sweet bike. I will post pictures tomorrow.

[mmcdan]

I just tore down the 2014 YZ450F (applicable here since the 250 and 450 are basically the same) to have the suspension re-valved and replace the plastic.  I have to say that, whatever negatives these bikes may have, it is worth purchasing one just for the ease of maintenance!  To remove the shock all I had to do was pull the seat (two bolts) and the tank (three bolts and that weird fuel hose clip thing that all FI bikes have) and the shock pulled right out the top.  No sub frame or pipe removal, no air box boot to re-connect to the throttle body. 

 

I had the shock out in 5 minutes (3.5 of which were spent on the weird fuel hose clamp thing...).  So easy I may even grease the linkage and swingarm bearing a bit more often now.

 

 

[TheRooster822]

I will be getting a new 250F in the spring, just debating as to which one to get. It's either between the 14 YZ250F or the 14 250SXF. I don't have a chance to ride either but by the sounds of it, the Yamaha is quite the bike. I'm anxious to see if there are any first generation bugs that need to be worked out (which hopefully will be stated by Spring time). Has anybody here had any over heating issues with the pipe being so close to the motor? I ride in a lot of sand where the bikes run hot as is, and to have a scorching hot pipe that close to the motor, I'm afraid that it may push the bike over the limit.

[krony506]

I just tore down the 2014 YZ450F (applicable here since the 250 and 450 are basically the same) to have the suspension re-valved and replace the plastic.  I have to say that, whatever negatives these bikes may have, it is worth purchasing one just for the ease of maintenance!  To remove the shock all I had to do was pull the seat (two bolts) and the tank (three bolts and that weird fuel hose clip thing that all FI bikes have) and the shock pulled right out the top.  No sub frame or pipe removal, no air box boot to re-connect to the throttle body. 

 

I had the shock out in 5 minutes (3.5 of which were spent on the weird fuel hose clamp thing...).  So easy I may even grease the linkage and swingarm bearing a bit more often now.

I will be tearing mine down to the frame and I am anxious to get started.  

[krony506]

Finally!

 

Edited November 8, 2013 by krony506

[grunkthump]

Congrats Krony!! Looks fabulous!!

[krony506]

Congrats Krony!! Looks fabulous!!

This bike is a thing of beauty! 

[zeuszuki]

Finally!

 

Very nice, i will have to order the 250 side panel stickers for my 450 ;-)

[zeuszuki]

Sorry for not responding for a few days; it's budget season so I have been paying more attention to spreadsheets than ThumperTalk!

 

I will compare the 2014 backwards engine 250 and 450 (as they handle very close to each other) to my 2012 RMZ450.  I feel that the biggest difference between a "traditional" bike and the new-gen backwards engine bikes is how the bike is weighted entering corners.

 

The Suzuki has a very front-heavy feel in corners, and very sensitive to steering input (bike goes where the front end is pointed).  The back end feels very light and the bike does not have a stable feel.  It turns great but is twitchy and just doesn't feel planted.

 

The new-gen Yamahas feel very stable and the weight feels low and centered vs. most/all on the front end but at the same time the bike steers well like the Suzuki.  I really think this low and centered vs. more front end biased feeling is what turns some people off when they first ride the bike.  It took me about a month to get used to it on my 2012 and about 2 weeks to get used to it again when I started riding the new Yamaha this year.

 

The new bike is a great mix of the original backwards engine Yamahas (2010 - 2013) that were very stable but wouldn't turn and the Suzuki which is unstable but has razor-sharp turning.  Plus the new Yamahas feel very light, especially the 250!

 

Hope this helps.

Agree with your assessments 100% , the thing I am finding amusing is that i have to get dialed in all over again, even after jumping straight off an '11. This bike is a keeper :-)

[mmcdan]

I will be tearing mine down to the frame and I am anxious to get started.  

 

Put one of these on it while you have it torn apart.

 

[krony506]

Put one of these on it while you have it torn apart.

 

 

 

Who makes that?

[mmcdan]

Who makes that?

Twin Air and you have to order it off the Twin Air USA site.  It costs about $230.  Comes with the frame for the filter, the base and a pre-oiled Twin Air filter.  Really easy to install and gets rid of the back-fire screen.

[THUMPERRIDER1]

A dealer here in VA has a 14 on the floor if anyone is close an interested. Jarman's Cycles.

[ah665]

I like the white version a lot. Looks cool.