250f for vet racing?

I did

I love riding the 250, but I’m only 160 pounds, and I rarely race. I just like being able to do long motos and not have multiple near death moments. 

100% my situation. I had a 19 KX450 but it was just too much. I weigh 155. 

Like you I mainly ride practice days and race once in a while.

I switched to a 21 KX250 when they came out. I always have FC do my suspension because it's always too stiff for me. Glad I made the change and haven't looked back.

I went 250f to 450f and then back to 250f. I'm 185 pound vet rider. The modern 250s are so good that I don't miss the 450 at all. 

I feel like this was recently discussed but I went 450>250F (for a few bikes)>350>250F (currently.) It's where I am most comfortable. I would consider another 350 but there are just a few things that keep me on a 250F instead. It honestly just all depends on riding style and preferences. I can certainly tell on starts that it's harder to get a jump on the 250F like a 450 or 350 would. But I feel so much better in corners than I do on the other 2. Jumps don't seem to be a problem either.

I think maybe just choosing a  250F in general is hard to say if it is a good move, but if you can find one that really suits your style, then it can be a great move. For example, I don't really care for the KTM250SXF. The longer-gear-feel just doesn't work for me, so at that point, I would just rather have the 350 which has a similar character. But the YZF is what I have and like how instant it responds. It lets me move around in corners and gets spooled up quickly (at the expense of having to shift more.) So if you have a certain 250F that matches what you like, then you should be happy. 

AH387 wrote:

 "...I can certainly tell on starts that it's harder to get a jump on the 250F like a 450 or 350 would..."

Believe it.  If you're used to being up front on the start, a 250 can be a little frustrating.  Other than that, it's all good.

I'm 155lbs so my opinion is probably biased, but if you're planning on racing C class I really don't think it matters if you're on a 250F or 450 for the start; if you're a good starter you'll be up front either way.
 

I think big-picture it does matter. I have gotten good starts on a 125 in Plus 25 (Open), years ago, so it can be done. But I still can tell a difference in how easy it is to get a good start on my 250F compared to my 350 (or 450.) But for sure you can still snag a good jump on a 250F but I do think you have to be spot-on and the margin for error is smaller than the other bikes.

Fair enough, the margin for error is indeed smaller. Now that I think more on it the lack of power of the 250f (and 125) really does show if you have to go through deep stuff, but I don't remember too much of having to deal with that on the start straight personally. The biggest thing I see in C class is that most shut the throttle down too early before the first turn so even a mediocre jump can be turned into a hole shot by holding on the throttle for just a hair longer.

I guess my point was more that riders who get good starts consistently will tend to get them no matter the bike, at least in the lower classes where skill disparity is large.

Yes, absolutely. Talent usually wins out in C and Vet classes, for sure. That's sort of why in my initial post I said, as long as you find  250f that fits your preferences and riding style, it can be a great bike for the right rider. And that's why I prefer them, for how I like to ride.

To me it’s simple. If you’re a hardcore vet racer with skills and racing/winning is your  primary focus ride a 450.   For the rest of us a 250F is great. 

I got to ride a 250f at estreet a few weeks ago and had so much fun I did a 30 min moto without realizing it. It was enough power for me to get over all the jumps at 195lbs without gear. I did case the river jump a few times before I got the hang of the bike. Now i'd really love to get one as a play bike and still race my 450.

190 pounds and just good enough to blend in with the herd. I’ve never pulled off the track feeling like a larger displacement would have changed anything for me.

I’ve ridden all the Austrian 250 f’s, a Honda and a KX 250 F and felt they were all underpowered for my 230lbs .  Then I rode a 2022 YZ 250f.  That thing changed my mind of what a 250f can be.  So much that I’m pretty sure my next MX bike will be a Yamaha.  

I very rarely ride to a bikes potential. I ride more to my ability. As a vet racer I need something that is fast enough, consistent and fun. I spent last weekend at tomahawk riding a new yz450f and yz250f back to back. While it was easy to lug around on the 450, it felt heavy and boring. The 250f made me feel like a hero pushing harder while never feeling out of my safety envelope. My lap times were almost identical on both bikes so in the end, I picked the 250f.

Look at a TC250/250SX if you've got a bit of off-road in the mix and want a bit more pwr. Especially if you're old enough to have owned/raced a 2-stroke before. 

A 250f is much more manageable and fun for off-road stuff in my opinion, unless it’s desert or like NGPC where you’re wide open all the time. My 21 kx250 is probably the most fun/easy to ride bike in the woods I’ve ever ridden, even compared to my 17 tc250 I had set up for off-road. I usually race a handful of the D36 cross country and GP races in nor cal and it’s perfect for that. If you’re going to moto and Offroad a 250f is a perfect choice IMO. 

It also depends on where you race. I remember riding with a buddy at Perris, and we were super close in speed, I was on a 250 and him a 450, and I had the advantage. We went to Cahuilla and Glen Helen, and he had the advantage. 
 

However, when I was riding more seriously and a bit faster than him, I went right by him at Mammoth. 
 

Bottom line: unless you’re on a wide open track with hills, talent wins, not displacement. 

Lol. 450 boring. You need to twist the throttle farther IMHO. Now if you would have said KTM 350 I would have believed you.

I'm a vet racer (60), and race a 125.  I never feel like the bike is holding me back, except maybe in starts, which I usually do pretty well in, anyway.

For vet racing, it's far more about the rider than the bike.  No one is using all of the power.

If I were to buy a 4 stroke, it would be a 250F, almost certainly a Yz, and I'd keep the 125.

I ride a 125 because of how it makes me ride, all out (on a good day).

One thing to consider... in the season which is 7 months where i live i do around 60 hours. On the 250 yamaha this means tearing down the engine every 3 months! Sorry it just isn't worth it...

I went from a Yz250 to a Yz250f to a kTM 450sxf. Hands down the easiest bike to ride is the 450, the Yz250f was awesome to ride ,good through the corners but I had to work hard been in the perfect gear and had to thrash the crap out of it to be fast, I don’t really feel the kTM 450 wears me out more than the 250f.it’s definitely easier to down side all the landings on jumps which saves a lot of energy , there’s always map1 TC on function if it’s feeling like to much , that mellows it out plenty. I didn’t like the air fork so added a spring conversion and it feels normal again 🤙🤙