The meat of the YZF's power is in the midrange, where Yamaha made several changes to find gains.

The refreshing chassis design works as well as it looks, as we found out when we ventured out to Honey Lake Motocross Park near Reno, Nevada.

Luxury in the motocross world is a comfortable, roomy cockpit. Lots of mobility in the saddle is a plus for all type of terrain. The Yamaha has plenty.

As with the brakes, the rear tire seems to work better than the front. It’s tough to go wrong with Dunlop’s 756 out back, but Yamaha should have completed the swap instead of leaving the 739 on the front.

Revised styling gives the YZF clean lines in'06. Starting with a new front fender and angular front number plate, plastic bodywork across the machine is changed to fit the new chassis as well as for aesthetic appeal.

Oil, once stored inside the previous steel frame, is now carried in a tank at the bottom of the engine between the lower spars of the frame.

Rider controls are top-notch this year with titanium footpegs and a light and airy feel in the cockpit thanks to a set of oversized ProTaper bars.

Out in front and just begging for a big rock, Yamaha added an aluminum skidplate to protect the blue beast's soft underbelly.

Luxury in the motocross world is a comfortable, roomy cockpit. The Yamaha will be a crowd-pleaser in this department.

Scrubbin’ this hard is usually reserved for dirty dishes. Whether or not the YZF cleans house in the Lites division remains to be seen.

MCUSA test rider JC Hilderbrand crests the plateau three quarters of the way up Honey Lake’s steepest uphill. Just when you get to this point, and you can’t feel your arms, you’ve got to hold it wide open for another five seconds before reaching the actual hilltop.

Retro yellow and black look smokin’ on the ‘06s. Just imagine what Bob Hannah could have done on one of these.

Lots of mobility in the saddle is a plus for all type of terrain. The Yamaha has plenty.

2006 YZ250F - Wallpaper

Overall, the tone of the bike seems fairly reasonable, though only time will tell how offensive outsiders find the 2006 crop of 250Fs.

Thank God. Yamaha finally gave the 250F a decent looking silencer.

The rear shock is completely new for '06, highlighted by a titanium spring that Yamaha claims is nearly 30% lighter.

The Yamaha is high on fun-factor and, best of all, I could ride it all day without feeling like I introduced myself to a Freightliner's front grill.

The new aluminum frame is light and responsive to rider input.

Hilde does his best bubba-scrub impression. Weak.

It’ll be a throw-down when MCUSA gets all the 250 4-strokes together for a shootout.

Thanks to a nimble chassis, changing lines on this chopped-out straight wasn’t a problem for the 250F.

Honey Lake’s beautiful dirt was just what the doctor ordered for Yamaha’s press intro.

Thanks to a nimble chassis, changing lines on this chopped-out straight wasn't a problem for the 250F.

On the track, the shock works flawlessly and the rear end tracked well everywhere.

Stable yet quick handling. This thing loves to corner.

Railing berms is a blast on the little blue thumper.

The new speed-sensitive Kayaba fork works wonders on the track. With the exception of one gnarly whoop section, the front end never danced or skipped, soaking up everything in its path.

Despite being over 4100 feet above sea level, the 250F pulled hard, especially through the midrange.

JC floats the front end around an uphill corner.

The California/Nevada desert makes for a scenic backdrop at the Honey Lake facility.

The new titanium Kayaba shock spring and aluminum chassis combine for excellent rear-wheel traction. This thing hooks up!

The bike is light and thin, so it begs for you to get aggressive. Suspension and chassis components can handle anything you dish out.