2009 Yamaha YZ250 & YZ125 First Ride Photo Gallery

2009 Yamaha YZ250 & YZ125 First Ride

2009 Yamaha YZ250 and YZ125

The high-pitched scream of a 2-stroke climbing a fourth-gear-pinned hill will raise the hair on your arms unlike anything else.

In the pre-ride technical briefing, Yamaha made it well known that they want to keep making 2-strokes for as long as possible.

They still feature the same top-of-the-line components as their 4-stroke counterparts: KYB suspension, aluminum frames, titanium shock springs, titanium footpegs, adjustable Pro Taper handlebars, wave-type brake rotors, quick-adjust clutch, etc.

A 250F is a big bike and it's a lot easier for a kid to go from an 85 to a 125 than to go straight to a 250F.

Snappy power and proportionate grins characterize the YZ250. Our testers were giddy to smell pre-mix again.

Langston hasn't won any AMA Nationals or Supercross events on the YZ250, but he can still cut a pretty quick lap on one.

The 2009 Yamaha 2-stroke motocrossers aren't all-new, but at least they're here! The YZ250 and YZ125 are the last of the Japanese 2-strokes.

Amateur rules now reflect the changing times and 250s can run with the 250F machines.

Because the cost of making a whole new model for something that has seen declining sales is far too high, for '09 the YZ 2-strokes only received a host of small changes.

The front tire on both is now the Dunlop D742FA, which is also used on their YZ450F

Aimed primarily at saving weight and sharing a parts bin with the YZ-F line, nothing mechanical has been changed on the '09 YZ models.

They are just so easy to use - easy to start, easy to work on - everything about them is a lot less complicated than a 4-stroke.

Grant Langston was on hand to enjoy the amount of fun 2-strokes still offer.

There's nothing quite as enjoyable to flick around as a true tiddler. The YZ125 takes a certain kind of rider to appreciate its nauances in this world of 250F machines.