Steely build Review

YZ125H1 wrote:

Do you have rubber mounted bar clamps? I've been riding my RM250 for quite a while and the vibration is barely noticeable only when the bike...

Do you have rubber mounted bar clamps? I've been riding my RM250 for quite a while and the vibration is barely noticeable only when the bike is not moving.

outbackmytrack wrote:

I did an 2003 also. Bike was 1100.00, total build was 4k. I built this YZ to ride every weekend, on weekend 10 straight. Scored awesome...

I did an 2003 also.
Bike was 1100.00, total build was 4k.
I built this YZ to ride every weekend, on weekend 10 straight.
Scored awesome Sunline Rubber Mounted clamps and went with 2007 YZ450F suspenders re-sprung for 160lbs
What made this YZ so much better IMO is the better suspension, the triple clamps and the Ti YZ 125 pegs.

keeptwostrokesalive wrote:

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with...

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with the choice I have made. For those that don't know, I have a 2003 yz250 with 2007 yz250f forks and a few other mods but I'm not going to go in to any more details then that in this thread. So I have ridden two different tracks so far, Hilliard mx and alma mx park. It was my first time going to hilliard and I was very disappointed. The track was super dry, crappy jump faces, and the owner looked to be high on who knows what. He also completely left the track to go to his "Girls House" for more then an hour while there was still 12 or more riders there. Even with these negatives I still managed to have fun. This track is a clay based track with some sandy sections. Being it was my first time on the bike in a year it was hard to get a feel for the bike due to my lack of fitness. I did ride a 2015 crf450 that day though, and while the power was better then my bike I liked the suspension and overall feel of my bike MUCH better. Next up we went to Alma mx park. This track is a fairly small track that I kind of consider a mix between sx/mx. It is more hard pack, tight, technical, and has quite a few bowl turns. This track ride will be what I will use to give you guys my honest review of the bike. Here goes nothing. DISCLAIMER: I am not a pro test rider, and this is my first bike review,

Handling: In my opinion this bike is much better then my 2006 yz250 was. Going in to turns and ruts I had so much more confidence then I did on my 06, it actually wants to flow with the turns rather then standing up on me. The front end tracked perfectly, and even handled really well under extreme dry conditions at times. Where I pointed the bike, the bike would go without any hesitation. The rear end also felt really good, when exiting a turn I never had any fear that the bike would wash out from behind me. Handling overall just felt SO much more planted and precise compared to my aluminum framed bike and it gave me much more confidence throughout the day as I got more comfortable. I have never been very good at bowl style turns, but on this bike I was having a blast on them. Being that this track was more hardpack, I think it really played to the strengths of the steel frame. I usually struggle on this track when I start to charge, but this bike just got better and better the faster I went.

Jumping: Honestly jumping wise I cant say there is much difference between the aluminum frame and steel frame. If I had to give an answer I would say the steel frame is slightly better, and I never felt like the bike weighed more then the aluminum frame. In fact I would go to say that this bike felt lighter in the air to me. Overall though this bike handled great over all the jumps I faced, but keep in mind the jumps weren't very big.

Vibration: Unfortunately this is my only gripe with the bike so far, the vibration really doesn't feel any better. I'm still working on finding ways to improve on this as the vibration from these 250 two smokers are really killing my hand strength when riding. I would say it is exactly the same as the aluminum frame bike, which really came as a surprise to me. Any inputs on how to improve this other then flexx bars would be great.

Overall I think if you are struggling with your aluminum framed yz250 like I was, I think this is definitely worth the risk and effort. I couldn't be any happier with how this bike turned out, and how well it has performed so far. If you have any other questions regarding my build or review feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer.

keeptwostrokesalive wrote:

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with...

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with the choice I have made. For those that don't know, I have a 2003 yz250 with 2007 yz250f forks and a few other mods but I'm not going to go in to any more details then that in this thread. So I have ridden two different tracks so far, Hilliard mx and alma mx park. It was my first time going to hilliard and I was very disappointed. The track was super dry, crappy jump faces, and the owner looked to be high on who knows what. He also completely left the track to go to his "Girls House" for more then an hour while there was still 12 or more riders there. Even with these negatives I still managed to have fun. This track is a clay based track with some sandy sections. Being it was my first time on the bike in a year it was hard to get a feel for the bike due to my lack of fitness. I did ride a 2015 crf450 that day though, and while the power was better then my bike I liked the suspension and overall feel of my bike MUCH better. Next up we went to Alma mx park. This track is a fairly small track that I kind of consider a mix between sx/mx. It is more hard pack, tight, technical, and has quite a few bowl turns. This track ride will be what I will use to give you guys my honest review of the bike. Here goes nothing. DISCLAIMER: I am not a pro test rider, and this is my first bike review,

Handling: In my opinion this bike is much better then my 2006 yz250 was. Going in to turns and ruts I had so much more confidence then I did on my 06, it actually wants to flow with the turns rather then standing up on me. The front end tracked perfectly, and even handled really well under extreme dry conditions at times. Where I pointed the bike, the bike would go without any hesitation. The rear end also felt really good, when exiting a turn I never had any fear that the bike would wash out from behind me. Handling overall just felt SO much more planted and precise compared to my aluminum framed bike and it gave me much more confidence throughout the day as I got more comfortable. I have never been very good at bowl style turns, but on this bike I was having a blast on them. Being that this track was more hardpack, I think it really played to the strengths of the steel frame. I usually struggle on this track when I start to charge, but this bike just got better and better the faster I went.

Jumping: Honestly jumping wise I cant say there is much difference between the aluminum frame and steel frame. If I had to give an answer I would say the steel frame is slightly better, and I never felt like the bike weighed more then the aluminum frame. In fact I would go to say that this bike felt lighter in the air to me. Overall though this bike handled great over all the jumps I faced, but keep in mind the jumps weren't very big.

Vibration: Unfortunately this is my only gripe with the bike so far, the vibration really doesn't feel any better. I'm still working on finding ways to improve on this as the vibration from these 250 two smokers are really killing my hand strength when riding. I would say it is exactly the same as the aluminum frame bike, which really came as a surprise to me. Any inputs on how to improve this other then flexx bars would be great.

Overall I think if you are struggling with your aluminum framed yz250 like I was, I think this is definitely worth the risk and effort. I couldn't be any happier with how this bike turned out, and how well it has performed so far. If you have any other questions regarding my build or review feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer.

dedi684 wrote:

I have some rubber mounted upper clamps off my 02 yz 250 if anyone's interested. Not sure exactly which years they fit but i still have...

I have some rubber mounted upper clamps off my 02 yz 250 if anyone's interested. Not sure exactly which years they fit but i still have the box they came in. I regret selling my rg3 clamp i used on my 06 and 09.

keeptwostrokesalive wrote:

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with...

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with the choice I have made. For those that don't know, I have a 2003 yz250 with 2007 yz250f forks and a few other mods but I'm not going to go in to any more details then that in this thread. So I have ridden two different tracks so far, Hilliard mx and alma mx park. It was my first time going to hilliard and I was very disappointed. The track was super dry, crappy jump faces, and the owner looked to be high on who knows what. He also completely left the track to go to his "Girls House" for more then an hour while there was still 12 or more riders there. Even with these negatives I still managed to have fun. This track is a clay based track with some sandy sections. Being it was my first time on the bike in a year it was hard to get a feel for the bike due to my lack of fitness. I did ride a 2015 crf450 that day though, and while the power was better then my bike I liked the suspension and overall feel of my bike MUCH better. Next up we went to Alma mx park. This track is a fairly small track that I kind of consider a mix between sx/mx. It is more hard pack, tight, technical, and has quite a few bowl turns. This track ride will be what I will use to give you guys my honest review of the bike. Here goes nothing. DISCLAIMER: I am not a pro test rider, and this is my first bike review,

Handling: In my opinion this bike is much better then my 2006 yz250 was. Going in to turns and ruts I had so much more confidence then I did on my 06, it actually wants to flow with the turns rather then standing up on me. The front end tracked perfectly, and even handled really well under extreme dry conditions at times. Where I pointed the bike, the bike would go without any hesitation. The rear end also felt really good, when exiting a turn I never had any fear that the bike would wash out from behind me. Handling overall just felt SO much more planted and precise compared to my aluminum framed bike and it gave me much more confidence throughout the day as I got more comfortable. I have never been very good at bowl style turns, but on this bike I was having a blast on them. Being that this track was more hardpack, I think it really played to the strengths of the steel frame. I usually struggle on this track when I start to charge, but this bike just got better and better the faster I went.

Jumping: Honestly jumping wise I cant say there is much difference between the aluminum frame and steel frame. If I had to give an answer I would say the steel frame is slightly better, and I never felt like the bike weighed more then the aluminum frame. In fact I would go to say that this bike felt lighter in the air to me. Overall though this bike handled great over all the jumps I faced, but keep in mind the jumps weren't very big.

Vibration: Unfortunately this is my only gripe with the bike so far, the vibration really doesn't feel any better. I'm still working on finding ways to improve on this as the vibration from these 250 two smokers are really killing my hand strength when riding. I would say it is exactly the same as the aluminum frame bike, which really came as a surprise to me. Any inputs on how to improve this other then flexx bars would be great.

Overall I think if you are struggling with your aluminum framed yz250 like I was, I think this is definitely worth the risk and effort. I couldn't be any happier with how this bike turned out, and how well it has performed so far. If you have any other questions regarding my build or review feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer.

keeptwostrokesalive wrote:

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with...

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with the choice I have made. For those that don't know, I have a 2003 yz250 with 2007 yz250f forks and a few other mods but I'm not going to go in to any more details then that in this thread. So I have ridden two different tracks so far, Hilliard mx and alma mx park. It was my first time going to hilliard and I was very disappointed. The track was super dry, crappy jump faces, and the owner looked to be high on who knows what. He also completely left the track to go to his "Girls House" for more then an hour while there was still 12 or more riders there. Even with these negatives I still managed to have fun. This track is a clay based track with some sandy sections. Being it was my first time on the bike in a year it was hard to get a feel for the bike due to my lack of fitness. I did ride a 2015 crf450 that day though, and while the power was better then my bike I liked the suspension and overall feel of my bike MUCH better. Next up we went to Alma mx park. This track is a fairly small track that I kind of consider a mix between sx/mx. It is more hard pack, tight, technical, and has quite a few bowl turns. This track ride will be what I will use to give you guys my honest review of the bike. Here goes nothing. DISCLAIMER: I am not a pro test rider, and this is my first bike review,

Handling: In my opinion this bike is much better then my 2006 yz250 was. Going in to turns and ruts I had so much more confidence then I did on my 06, it actually wants to flow with the turns rather then standing up on me. The front end tracked perfectly, and even handled really well under extreme dry conditions at times. Where I pointed the bike, the bike would go without any hesitation. The rear end also felt really good, when exiting a turn I never had any fear that the bike would wash out from behind me. Handling overall just felt SO much more planted and precise compared to my aluminum framed bike and it gave me much more confidence throughout the day as I got more comfortable. I have never been very good at bowl style turns, but on this bike I was having a blast on them. Being that this track was more hardpack, I think it really played to the strengths of the steel frame. I usually struggle on this track when I start to charge, but this bike just got better and better the faster I went.

Jumping: Honestly jumping wise I cant say there is much difference between the aluminum frame and steel frame. If I had to give an answer I would say the steel frame is slightly better, and I never felt like the bike weighed more then the aluminum frame. In fact I would go to say that this bike felt lighter in the air to me. Overall though this bike handled great over all the jumps I faced, but keep in mind the jumps weren't very big.

Vibration: Unfortunately this is my only gripe with the bike so far, the vibration really doesn't feel any better. I'm still working on finding ways to improve on this as the vibration from these 250 two smokers are really killing my hand strength when riding. I would say it is exactly the same as the aluminum frame bike, which really came as a surprise to me. Any inputs on how to improve this other then flexx bars would be great.

Overall I think if you are struggling with your aluminum framed yz250 like I was, I think this is definitely worth the risk and effort. I couldn't be any happier with how this bike turned out, and how well it has performed so far. If you have any other questions regarding my build or review feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer.

keeptwostrokesalive wrote:

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with...

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with the choice I have made. For those that don't know, I have a 2003 yz250 with 2007 yz250f forks and a few other mods but I'm not going to go in to any more details then that in this thread. So I have ridden two different tracks so far, Hilliard mx and alma mx park. It was my first time going to hilliard and I was very disappointed. The track was super dry, crappy jump faces, and the owner looked to be high on who knows what. He also completely left the track to go to his "Girls House" for more then an hour while there was still 12 or more riders there. Even with these negatives I still managed to have fun. This track is a clay based track with some sandy sections. Being it was my first time on the bike in a year it was hard to get a feel for the bike due to my lack of fitness. I did ride a 2015 crf450 that day though, and while the power was better then my bike I liked the suspension and overall feel of my bike MUCH better. Next up we went to Alma mx park. This track is a fairly small track that I kind of consider a mix between sx/mx. It is more hard pack, tight, technical, and has quite a few bowl turns. This track ride will be what I will use to give you guys my honest review of the bike. Here goes nothing. DISCLAIMER: I am not a pro test rider, and this is my first bike review,

Handling: In my opinion this bike is much better then my 2006 yz250 was. Going in to turns and ruts I had so much more confidence then I did on my 06, it actually wants to flow with the turns rather then standing up on me. The front end tracked perfectly, and even handled really well under extreme dry conditions at times. Where I pointed the bike, the bike would go without any hesitation. The rear end also felt really good, when exiting a turn I never had any fear that the bike would wash out from behind me. Handling overall just felt SO much more planted and precise compared to my aluminum framed bike and it gave me much more confidence throughout the day as I got more comfortable. I have never been very good at bowl style turns, but on this bike I was having a blast on them. Being that this track was more hardpack, I think it really played to the strengths of the steel frame. I usually struggle on this track when I start to charge, but this bike just got better and better the faster I went.

Jumping: Honestly jumping wise I cant say there is much difference between the aluminum frame and steel frame. If I had to give an answer I would say the steel frame is slightly better, and I never felt like the bike weighed more then the aluminum frame. In fact I would go to say that this bike felt lighter in the air to me. Overall though this bike handled great over all the jumps I faced, but keep in mind the jumps weren't very big.

Vibration: Unfortunately this is my only gripe with the bike so far, the vibration really doesn't feel any better. I'm still working on finding ways to improve on this as the vibration from these 250 two smokers are really killing my hand strength when riding. I would say it is exactly the same as the aluminum frame bike, which really came as a surprise to me. Any inputs on how to improve this other then flexx bars would be great.

Overall I think if you are struggling with your aluminum framed yz250 like I was, I think this is definitely worth the risk and effort. I couldn't be any happier with how this bike turned out, and how well it has performed so far. If you have any other questions regarding my build or review feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer.

keeptwostrokesalive wrote:

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with...

So I have had the opportunity to get out and ride my new to me 2003 yz250 project build twice now and am very pleased with the choice I have made. For those that don't know, I have a 2003 yz250 with 2007 yz250f forks and a few other mods but I'm not going to go in to any more details then that in this thread. So I have ridden two different tracks so far, Hilliard mx and alma mx park. It was my first time going to hilliard and I was very disappointed. The track was super dry, crappy jump faces, and the owner looked to be high on who knows what. He also completely left the track to go to his "Girls House" for more then an hour while there was still 12 or more riders there. Even with these negatives I still managed to have fun. This track is a clay based track with some sandy sections. Being it was my first time on the bike in a year it was hard to get a feel for the bike due to my lack of fitness. I did ride a 2015 crf450 that day though, and while the power was better then my bike I liked the suspension and overall feel of my bike MUCH better. Next up we went to Alma mx park. This track is a fairly small track that I kind of consider a mix between sx/mx. It is more hard pack, tight, technical, and has quite a few bowl turns. This track ride will be what I will use to give you guys my honest review of the bike. Here goes nothing. DISCLAIMER: I am not a pro test rider, and this is my first bike review,

Handling: In my opinion this bike is much better then my 2006 yz250 was. Going in to turns and ruts I had so much more confidence then I did on my 06, it actually wants to flow with the turns rather then standing up on me. The front end tracked perfectly, and even handled really well under extreme dry conditions at times. Where I pointed the bike, the bike would go without any hesitation. The rear end also felt really good, when exiting a turn I never had any fear that the bike would wash out from behind me. Handling overall just felt SO much more planted and precise compared to my aluminum framed bike and it gave me much more confidence throughout the day as I got more comfortable. I have never been very good at bowl style turns, but on this bike I was having a blast on them. Being that this track was more hardpack, I think it really played to the strengths of the steel frame. I usually struggle on this track when I start to charge, but this bike just got better and better the faster I went.

Jumping: Honestly jumping wise I cant say there is much difference between the aluminum frame and steel frame. If I had to give an answer I would say the steel frame is slightly better, and I never felt like the bike weighed more then the aluminum frame. In fact I would go to say that this bike felt lighter in the air to me. Overall though this bike handled great over all the jumps I faced, but keep in mind the jumps weren't very big.

Vibration: Unfortunately this is my only gripe with the bike so far, the vibration really doesn't feel any better. I'm still working on finding ways to improve on this as the vibration from these 250 two smokers are really killing my hand strength when riding. I would say it is exactly the same as the aluminum frame bike, which really came as a surprise to me. Any inputs on how to improve this other then flexx bars would be great.

Overall I think if you are struggling with your aluminum framed yz250 like I was, I think this is definitely worth the risk and effort. I couldn't be any happier with how this bike turned out, and how well it has performed so far. If you have any other questions regarding my build or review feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer.

mb wrote:

Should make a big difference, going to be hard to fit , and source quality rubber to use. Would need to be inspected regularly.