picking a new bike is hard.

lol, the OLd AER forks where good enough to run.

Between the three the OP asked about, the yz will be the best bet.  Won't have to mess with suspension settings beyond clickers,   160 isn't too heavy.

Put some fuel in it and go.

So far, the suspension doesn’t bother me. The rear is excellent and the front is a bit harsh on really rough tracks. The only 250F I’ve ridden was an older CRF and I thought it was pathetic. Not much more than a fat, heavy feeling 125. This 350 is light years faster than that 250. 

I have a 2025 Ktm 300sx and it’s amazing.  It really feels like a 3 stroke haha 

If you are near GH I’d be more than happy to let you ride my 350. Suspension will be stiff for you, but you can atleast get a feel for the power and see what you like about the rest of the bike

Only disadvantage I see to the YZ is you're not as much power as a 350 and will have to shift more. But it will be easy to ride fast.

KTM's are significantly more expensive, not familiar chassis feel, dealer much further away... I'm sure you would like to try any KTM for reference but I've already decided! But it is your decision! Enjoy!

....How about the new Triumph TF250X? Light, KYB, lots of power!...

I’ve had them all in many different flavors. Currently on a 24 mc350. One of the funnest bikes I’ve ever ridden. 

Words of advice. Never place any significant weight on the words of a vitard. How many shootouts did KTM win before they slimmed down the Yamaha’s? 

I'm not sure you can discredit the words of real-world owners on here and then in the same breathe shift your guidance to shootout results lol. I think it's ok to pick tidbits from each, as a guide, but at the end of the day it comes down to the person. As for the suspension, in my opinion the AER stuff isn't bad, in most cases. A lot of factors into which people feel the need to do a conversion or sink money into them to be happy. I feel like for anyone that is coming from a Yamaha, to a KTM, that is more than likely 1 of the hardest transitions to make. Because I had a hard time finding a balance of initial plushness in rough small stuff, while getting the proper feel on bigger landings. And coming from a Yamaha, it's very hard to match that feeling. It's not as noticeable on tracks that aren't ripped deep or choppy. But plenty of people can find comfort in the stock AER stuff, but it's silly to assume that everyone should.. 

Congrats!

Have you considered a yz250X? 

Congrats on the new scoot! I also picked up the same bike about a month ago and have about 10 hours on her.

However, my experience has been the polar opposite of yours. I find the bike has great low and incredible mid but is really weak up top IMO. I knew going in that this bike did its best work down low but still came away disappointed in its performance in the higher RPMs. Full disclosure - I am coming off a ’24 FC250 and a ’23 KX250 before that which reward the rider for letting it rev so maybe I was expecting too much?

I’ve tried all the Yamaha R&D and Keefer maps targeted at gaining more over-rev but found that the “Linear Torque” map that comes loaded into the app provided the most top. FWIW my riding is strictly MX

Exactly

He also said he was a C level rider. At that skill level you can ride a Stark as long as you want. 

All I can tell you is you must ride them if you can.  Just because everyone likes something or wins a shootout doesn't mean it's the right bike for you. 

I reluctantly rode a 2024 YZ450; I didn't want to because of everything I had heard and read. I figured it would make me want to run out and spend money on one.  Well, it was the exact opposite.  I was shocked I didn't jell with it at all.

I've yet to find a bike on which I felt as good as a 2021 Husky FE450. I should've bought it. Maybe I should look for a used one 🤔

You need a kawi 250 2025

Better chassi and suspension than the yzf and ktm. 

Engine is also very good. 

I know many would disagree  but I did have a yz450f-24 and a xcf 350 -25 before going to kawi so that is what I base my opinion on. 

I'm in the same boat.  I had ridden YZ250F's for 14 years before trying a KTM 350SX in 17.  I loved the engine, build quality, the way it always looked new...but I could never gel with the handling. I spent a small fortune on suspension before throwing in the towel after 3 years and getting back on a YZ250F.  I felt good again but wow...I had forgotten about all the shifting (I could easily ride my entire local track in 3rd gear on the 350) and sorta hyper noise of the 250F. So I learned to live with earplugs, learned how to shift again and here I am.  But at 3 years old and 70 hours, my YZ looks hammered and it's time for a freshie. I'll probably get another Yamaha, but I'm sorta intrigued by the Honda 250F this year. Or maybe I want to try one of these newer 2-strokes with e-start and counterbalancers?  A 125 would be fun in any color...maybe I want to that again before I retire. And then there's always that voice in the back of my head:  "The 350 is the best engine ever bolted to a dirt bike...maybe they handle better now despite being heavier?  Maybe the newer air forks don't suck?  Try it again!".  So that's where I'm at. It'll probably come down to a choice between the 25' YZ250F and KTM 350SX.  One is a safe choice and the other could could be even better...or not.

2021 and newer air forks are a lot better than 2020 and older. Small bump compliance is a lot better and most of the harshness is gone. I have heard 2017 were the worst of the WP air forks, but I have never ridden them.

I have a very similar experience. Went from YZ250Fs, to a 350 at that same time and then back to a YZ250F. Lots of upshifting, for sure. And the noise is a thing on those bikes. That being said, I still believe it's 1 of, if not the easiest bike to go fast, be consistent and not get tired on. I sort of told myself that if I did decide I wanted a bigger bike, that I would just get a YZ450F rather than try a 350 again. I didn't like the 350 engine as much as you seemed to though. I think a lot of people seem to go back and forth between the 350 and the YZ250F. There is a little window there of people who want less than a 450 but don't really want a 250F. But the YZF has a unique character that it can pull down low and doesn't run like a typical 250. It comes at the cost of needed upshifts. But I really want to give the new YZ450F a try. I know the engine is crazy fast but the chassis seems to be a lot easier to move around, which on the 450 I would want. The lack of stability worries me though. I really like the 21-23 250F chassis. For me it's almost perfect. My solution was to mod the YZ250F (dual injector and just dial in the chassis and ergos etc.) And I try to keep hours off of it and ride my other bikes when I'm just messing around. Use the YZF just for practice days when I'm trying to do practice motos and if I do a race or 2 during the year. But when the time comes for a freshie, I think I'm going to get a 450. It's a tough call though, so I can understand why people have a hard time choosing what to buy.

Whoa, those are 2 of the vitards justified favorites because…

A lowley KX250? Not a chance.

All the different brands handle and operate differently.

Choosing your bike has a lot to do with what kind of a rider are you so you head in the right direction.

I am old school so I have always liked the twitchy sharper turning bikes so Hondas were my 1st choice and Suzuki was 2nd for 1 year. Yamahas were a little lazier turning but overall they did everything OK so I rode Yamahas for quite a few years. Kawasaki’s were always more of a lazy rear turning bikes but I rode those for a couple years too.

In 2016 a friend let me ride his new Husky 450 and  in1 lap the handling sold me on the KTM/Hus 450 ever since.

I had a MC350 for a while back to back with my YZ250 and the 350 is staggeringly more powerful than the YZ250. The power difference from a 350 to a 450 was hard for me to discern at times. If you buy a 350 you are in for a serious upgrade in the power department. I ultimately went back to my YZ250 full time and sold the 350 because of suspension issues and power delivery made the bike hard to ride for very long.

Personally for me I've had 6 YZ250Fs and pretty much every bike displacement and make in between including the 350. I always navigate back to the YZ250F of which I currently have a 24'. Again, for me it's  hard to beat outta the box. 

Keep in mind there is a bit of variance between individual machines. 
I've experienced this with different models and mfgs,  later heard the same story from a team that their dozen or so new 250fs varied by up to 5hp on a dyno.

Another contributor to mixed reviews is that people don't know what they're talking about. So do, some don't.  Try reading reviews for a product you know well and it will change your perspective for anything posted on vital.