Yz250 trade for a yz250fx?

[Cameron Vincent]

I have a super done up 2006 yz250 that I’ve been enjoying for the last year in it’s entirety, but recently I’ve seen some things about the yzfx’s and some luxuries on the bike would be really nice for ease of use especially for when I ride with my gf. 

I’m in a gamble on whether or not to trade my 06’ yz250 for a 16’ yz250fx. My bike has a ton of off-road/enduro goodies that are quite priceless and I obviously fell in love with the way it rides (pics at bottom). The entire bike only has 88 hours with a brand new top end, ktm wheels, tusk hubs, ims tank & pegs, restyle, kickstand, linkage skid, tuned suspension, and so much more. The bike I’m looking at is a 16’ with a rekluse, anniversary plastics, excel a60s, HD spokes, radiator braces and guards, and other goodies as well, it’s beautifully maintained and has moderately low hours. 

I’m torn because I would love to have a wide ratio, electric start, FI (because I go from the desert to the mountains and all over), and a battery for a light or a fan, and not have to splooge everywhere and have 2 different gas cans when I take my gf out with me. But I would miss the power, the ease of maintenance and just the general 2 stroke community the most.  Also I ride pretty often with my gf and she has trouble matching the bat out of hell riding I tend to exhibit on the smoker. I do feel as if I won’t have enough power with the 250 4 stroke vs the 250 2 stroke. I ride everywhere but I need a bike that can do single track and enduro most of the time cause I have a friend that likes to do that. What would you do? My bike is 16 years old, got it for 3k (+like 1500 in parts on me), vs 5 years old going for 5500.  I have no electrical luxuries, but it’s just that amazing feeling of hitting the power band that keeps me thinking....

 

 

[Slackkinhard]

I'd keep the smoker

[Doc_d]

 

N + 1.  That's the answer to "How many bikes should I own" where N is the current number of bikes you own.

Keep the YZ and buy the FX.  I have a 2-stroke and 4-stroke in the garage.  I'd have a hard time parting with either of them and really enjoy choosing one for whatever ride or race I'm doing.  I honestly think it's very hard for a 2-stroke guy to jump on a 4-stroke for 20 minutes and really understand them or vice versa.   I think it takes spending hours on them really figuring where they work best and how to ride them differently to get the most out of them.   Lastly, I love having 2 bikes from the standpoint it gives me some flexibility to work on the bikes during the riding season without worrying about missing a ride or race.  Or if I break something on a bike and have to wait a few days to get a part it won't ruin my weekend.

I will say in my case that I also tried to make sure the bikes filled different roles.  My 2-stroke is a pure enduro bike (XC-W) while my 4-stroke is a cross country bike (XC-F).  That also helps me to decide on one bike over the other depending on what I'm doing.  

Doc

Edited November 27, 2020 by Doc_d

[Oregon lightweight moto]

Yes if you haven’t been informed the secret to life and happiness is n+1 as previously stated. 
 

the real question you should be asking is options for your 3rd bike. 

[Cameron Vincent]

1 hour ago, Doc_d said:

 

N + 1.  That's the answer to "How many bikes should I own" where N is the current number of bikes you own.

Keep the YZ and buy the FX.  I have a 2-stroke and 4-stroke in the garage.  I'd have a hard time parting with either of them and really enjoy choosing one for whatever ride or race I'm doing.  I honestly think it's very hard for a 2-stroke guy to jump on a 4-stroke for 20 minutes and really understand them or vice versa.   I think it takes spending hours on them really figuring where they work best and how to ride them differently to get the most out of them.   Lastly, I love having 2 bikes from the standpoint it gives me some flexibility to work on the bikes during the riding season without worrying about missing a ride or race.  Or if I break something on a bike and have to wait a few days to get a part it won't ruin my weekend.

I will say in my case that I also tried to make sure the bikes filled different roles.  My 2-stroke is a pure enduro bike (XC-W) while my 4-stroke is a cross country bike (XC-F).  That also helps me to decide on one bike over the other depending on what I'm doing.  

Doc

 

13 minutes ago, Bigfatredpig said:

Yes if you haven’t been informed the secret to life and happiness is n+1 as previously stated. 
 

the real question you should be asking is options for your 3rd bike. 

I totally agree with you guys on this it’s just that I have no where near the money to do so right now lol. I’m thinking I could grab this fx  and in a year or two once I land a fire department I could pick up a newer yzx cause they’ll be cheaper anyways by then and I would love to have an fx as my four stroke bike for the desert and such. The 2006 is great but those close gears always limit me places, I’ll be max’d out going 55 next to my gf... I think the gearbox is the biggest thing to me tbh. I’m also currently running pretty tall at 14/48 on the bike already.

[shrubitup]

9 minutes ago, Cameron Vincent said:

 

I totally agree with you guys on this it’s just that I have no where near the money to do so right now lol. I’m thinking I could grab this fx  and in a year or two once I land a fire department I could pick up a newer yzx cause they’ll be cheaper anyways by then and I would love to have an fx as my four stroke bike for the desert and such. The 2006 is great but those close gears always limit me places, I’ll be max’d out going 55 next to my gf... I think the gearbox is the biggest thing to me tbh. I’m also currently running pretty tall at 14/48 on the bike already.

Put the wr426 gears in the motor then.

[Cameron Vincent]

2 minutes ago, shrubitup said:

Put the wr426 gears in the motor then.

Yeah thats what I was thinking of doing but it’s gonna be a long time till I’ll need to split the cases... 

[shrubitup]

Do you have a fx seller that wants to trade ? 

[Cameron Vincent]

Just now, shrubitup said:

Do you have a fx seller that wants to trade ? 

Yeah the one I mentioned wants to directly trade

[shrubitup]

20 minutes ago, Cameron Vincent said:

Yeah the one I mentioned wants to directly trade

The fx has more value. Yz still being made so you can switch back later. Variety is the spice of life, trade. Find an older yz smoker to buy later. 

[Cameron Vincent]

1 hour ago, shrubitup said:

The fx has more value. Yz still being made so you can switch back later. Variety is the spice of life, trade. Find an older yz smoker to buy later. 

That’s what I was thinking lol it’s always good to try something new!

[dirtfreek]

I had this same dilemma. Sold my 99 YZ250 for a 17 fx which I love. I couldn’t stand to sell it so I bought a CR250 to go with it.

[firffighter]

I've predominately ridden 2-strokes for 20 years here in the NW. 

Came off of an '18 Beta 300rr onto a YZ250FX of same generation you're looking at.

Take a look on YouTube as to the YZ250FX capabilities in the woods.  It's a very capable woods bike. If you have not ridden one, it is absolutely shocking how great the motor is. It has unbelievable low end pull and extremely difficult to stall even at walking pace. 

The beauty of the YZ250FX is that you have the ability to tune the power delivery characteristics to whatever works for you.  Head on over to the Yamaha forum and you'l find a dozen + maps that will make the power very easy and docile to race oriented.  It takes less than a minute to change maps and you can have 9 different maps downloaded to the tuner at your disposal. 

The bike feels very "2-stroke" like in light weight feel in the woods and goos snap to the motor.  

It will feel significantly more modern than your current YZ and with e-start, and suspension fully equipped for woods riding,  along with the tuning options,  and all of the off road equipment stock. 

They are extremely reliable,  no valve movement,  and easy to maintain. 

Good luck with your decision,  but a straight trade would be a no brainier as you're getting a much better overall package.  

 

 

[Cameron Vincent]

26 minutes ago, firffighter said:

I've predominately ridden 2-strokes for 20 years here in the NW. 

Came off of an '18 Beta 300rr onto a YZ250FX of same generation you're looking at.

Take a look on YouTube as to the YZ250FX capabilities in the woods.  It's a very capable woods bike. If you have not ridden one, it is absolutely shocking how great the motor is. It has unbelievable low end pull and extremely difficult to stall even at walking pace. 

The beauty of the YZ250FX is that you have the ability to tune the power delivery characteristics to whatever works for you.  Head on over to the Yamaha forum and you'l find a dozen + maps that will make the power very easy and docile to race oriented.  It takes less than a minute to change maps and you can have 9 different maps downloaded to the tuner at your disposal. 

The bike feels very "2-stroke" like in light weight feel in the woods and goos snap to the motor.  

It will feel significantly more modern than your current YZ and with e-start, and suspension fully equipped for woods riding,  along with the tuning options,  and all of the off road equipment stock. 

They are extremely reliable,  no valve movement,  and easy to maintain. 

Good luck with your decision,  but a straight trade would be a no brainier as you're getting a much better overall package.  

 

 

Hell yeah appreciate the input, I’ve heard amazing things and I think I’ve pretty much made up my decision!

[firffighter]

6 minutes ago, Cameron Vincent said:

Hell yeah appreciate the input, I’ve heard amazing things and I think I’ve pretty much made up my decision!

Some of my setup specifics

Last year's Thanksgiving ride

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by firffighter

[basmn]

Fx is a great bike with tons of power, I owned a 2017...be prepared for high maintenance , but then again its a race bike

[Drop-Bear]

5 hours ago, Cameron Vincent said:

Yeah the one I mentioned wants to directly trade

You know why he wants to trade, right?

The YZ is a better bike.

[Drop-Bear]

2 hours ago, firffighter said:

Some of my setup specifics

Last year's Thanksgiving ride

 

I sit down a lot these days, because I have chicken legs, and my fitness sucks. You're a fire fighter. In which case. What's your excuse 

5 minutes ago, basmn said:

..be prepared for high maintenance ....

 

3 hours ago, firffighter said:

and easy to maintain. 

 

 

So, which is it fella's. Easy to maintain, or hard 

[firffighter]

1 minute ago, Drop-Bear said:

I sit down a lot these days, because I have chicken legs, and my fitness sucks. You're a fire fighter. In which case. What's your excuse 

 

So, which is it fella's. Easy to maintain, or hard 

You obviously didn't listen to the video where I said I stand 90% of my riding,  thus the Acerbis frame grips .

As far as reliability and maintenance,  I did nothing but ensure a clean airfilter each ride, and basic oil/filter changes on Yamaha's indicated schedule. 

But, if you are in doubt,  go to the Yamaha section and read for yourself the YZ250FX'S with tons of hours without anything but oil and airfilter maintenance.  Most do a piston kit around 150 hours of regular woods riding.  

Are you thinking about purchasing a YZ250FX? 

[Davey817]

No question,, smoker all the way,!!!