250f shopping

zac_k3 wrote:

Recently I’ve been tossing around the idea of getting a new 250f but completely lost out which route I should go. I’m not a fanboy of any certain brand so whichever brand fits me best is the one I’ll try going after. I’m 5’10 about 170ish, your average weekend warrior and skilled rider. I’m really interested in the new crf250rs but the exhaust is kinda a buzz kill. The ktm is on top of the list but the price compared to the other bikes makes me wanna lean away from them. The yz250f is a bike I’m really interested in but it seems like a more bulky bike that would fit taller riders. What’s everyone’s opinion?

Yeah i was recently in your shoes , i posted here for some feed back . I considered the yz250f because i bought one new in 14' and really loved the bike . But i made the switch to the honda for a couple reasons. Its all up to you , which you decide on . I like ktm/husky but i cant justify the prices. The YZ has without a doubt the best suspension , the only complaint i had which u may as well i am the exact same size as you . The bike was tall from the factory , and it wider then all the other bikes , it cornered very differently and made my legs tired due to being so wide ... i cant give feed back on the new crf because i havent picked it up yet . But if your a weekend warrior and skilled , anything u buy will be fast enough , you really cant go wrong with anything on the market now , plus honda went back to the spring fork 49mm showa supposed to be the best handling bike in class now , and 3 map changes on demand are the reasons i picked it...

What are you coming off of? I've had a 2014, 15, 16 YZ250F, all were great bikes as far as the suspension, power, reliability and build quality. The one complaint I had was what you mentioned the cockpit can feel bulky, but you get used to it too. I had a 16 KTM 150 SX which I hated, the power delivery was unpredictable, the suspension garbage, but it was super light and turned fairly well,the build quality was questionable (cue the fan boys and pitchforks). My last bike was my first Honda a 16 CRF250R and by far my favorite, amazing handling (suspension was not quite as good as the Yami KYB stuff, but it was air forks...), great cockpit, solid build quality and reliability. If I get back from this deployment and buy a new bike (though with grad school on the horizon doubtful) I would be buying an 18 CRF250R. All the bikes you mentioned you can't really go wrong with. The AER48 seems to be better than the 4CS crap I had on my 16 and I have yet to hear anyone complain about the new CRF, I think the bottom end critique would be hardly noticeable for any of us here. Keep in mind the YZ will be getting an update in 2019 so that will affect your resale a bit later, but I see some crazy deals on new ones right now. Pick whichever one you like best.

I've always ridden Yamaha and love my 2016 yz250f. The only thing I can really add on top of what's already been said is that you should be able to pick up a used yz250f cheap with the assumption that the 2019 will have e start like the 450.

Here’s a link to our 2018 250 Shootout with full opinions from our seven test riders: https://m.vitalmx.com/features/2018-Vital-MX-250-Shootout,5636

I had a 2016 Husqvarna FC250, basically the same bike as a KTM. I'd just like to comment about reliability. Always ran a clean filter every ride, and changed the oil every 3 hours. At 60 hours the valves were bang on in spec and did not have to be shimmed. I rode the bike to 92 hours, checked the valves again, they were still bang on in spec and did not move a bit. At 92 I decided to replace the piston just for routine maintenance. Rode it another 5 hours, and now I've traded it in on a 125. Whatever Husky/Ktm is doing for reliability, really is working good.
Also, found this picture online, pretty self explanatory


.

One thing to consider is the dealers you have near you. If one is a great shop and has a brand you like then I’d probably swing that way.

If you arent a serious racer, you cant beat the value of the YZ, CRF or the RMZ. Bulletproof bikes from top to bottom. I love my 16 YZ250f, love my 13 RMZ250, have ridden my sons best friends 18 CRF250 and it was very fun. They have had ZERO issues with the CRF. Reliability lies with those 3 for sure.

Dtat720 wrote:

If you arent a serious racer, you cant beat the value of the YZ, CRF or the RMZ. Bulletproof bikes from top to bottom. I love my 16 YZ250f, love my 13 RMZ250, have ridden my sons best friends 18 CRF250 and it was very fun. They have had ZERO issues with the CRF. Reliability lies with those 3 for sure.

What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi.

Im 5'9 and 175lbs, I loved my 16 YZ250f. Bike was really fun to ride and had a great motor. Suspension is the best hands down. I liked how stable the bike was and how much i could comfortably push the bike due to the suspension. The bike wasn't tall or felt wide when I was riding it. It is wider but it never made me feel like I was riding a tank.

Id maybe wait until next year to see if they get the updates the 450 got this year if thats a concern. The 18 450 has some great updates and is narrower.

Have you considered a 350? I have a 17 Husky 350. I love the bike, more power and is super easy to ride all day long. I got the rebate on a left over one and saved some money that way. I hated the air forks but got a spring conversion done and have made some adjustments and its been good ever since. Just a thought on a bike that has a little more power and I feel like is a better fit for what I do and my weight. I won't ever need a 450 but the 350 is a great step up over the 250.

Dtat720 wrote:

If you arent a serious racer, you cant beat the value of the YZ, CRF or the RMZ. Bulletproof bikes from top to bottom. I love my 16 YZ250f, love my 13 RMZ250, have ridden my sons best friends 18 CRF250 and it was very fun. They have had ZERO issues with the CRF. Reliability lies with those 3 for sure.

BobPA wrote:

What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi.

You cdnt ride a stock rmz to its full potential.

shaunbruce827 wrote:

I had a 2016 Husqvarna FC250, basically the same bike as a KTM. I'd just like to comment about reliability. Always ran a clean filter every ride, and changed the oil every 3 hours. At 60 hours the valves were bang on in spec and did not have to be shimmed. I rode the bike to 92 hours, checked the valves again, they were still bang on in spec and did not move a bit. At 92 I decided to replace the piston just for routine maintenance. Rode it another 5 hours, and now I've traded it in on a 125. Whatever Husky/Ktm is doing for reliability, really is working good.
Also, found this picture online, pretty self explanatory


.

Kawasaki got them to in the kxf250 2017-2018

Dtat720 wrote:

If you arent a serious racer, you cant beat the value of the YZ, CRF or the RMZ. Bulletproof bikes from top to bottom. I love my 16 YZ250f, love my 13 RMZ250, have ridden my sons best friends 18 CRF250 and it was very fun. They have had ZERO issues with the CRF. Reliability lies with those 3 for sure.

BobPA wrote:

What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi.

Same could be said for KTM. Broken parts all over those bikes every year. Lots of YZ’s in my region, yet to see a broken frame. Have seen 3 KTM’s with broken frames. Friend of mine exploded his front wheel last weekend on his sxf. Another friend is down with an exploded gear box in his sxf. That happened 5 hours after putting in a brand new engine from KTM after slamming the rod through the cases. Both guys are fixing them and going back to jap bikes. Happens a lot down here, for moto. Woods guys, i went trail riding yesterday and except for 1 Beta, 1 Sherco and 3 Yamahas, the other 20+ bikes were KTM 2 strokes and 2-3 4T’s. Moto, above the 85’s, KTM’s are rare to see

shaunbruce827 wrote:

I had a 2016 Husqvarna FC250, basically the same bike as a KTM. I'd just like to comment about reliability. Always ran a clean filter every ride, and changed the oil every 3 hours. At 60 hours the valves were bang on in spec and did not have to be shimmed. I rode the bike to 92 hours, checked the valves again, they were still bang on in spec and did not move a bit. At 92 I decided to replace the piston just for routine maintenance. Rode it another 5 hours, and now I've traded it in on a 125. Whatever Husky/Ktm is doing for reliability, really is working good.
Also, found this picture online, pretty self explanatory


.

ron36 wrote:

Kawasaki got them to in the kxf250 2017-2018

I never understood this either. Self lubricating bronze bushings are far better than needle bearings in these situations. But they cost more.

I’ve got a ‘14 yz250f that I bought when it first came out, I love the thing. I’m 5’8” 170, and I’ve never really had an issue with the height. I’ll use starting blocks if I’m on a concrete gate, but that’s about the extent of it. Width wise I would catch my boots on the stock shrouds/air box cover all the time so I ditched em for a cycra powerflow kit. Zero complaints about the rest of the bike

Go to you’re local track and talk to people who have the bikes. Most will probably be cool with you spinning a few laps on theirs. From there you can make you’re decision.

I've got a '17 YZ250F. Great bike. But after riding my '18 YZ450F for the last few months, I can tell you the ''18 YZ450F turns significantly better . Unfortunately, the chassis changes Yamaha made to the 450 won't be on the YZ250f until 2019 models.

I have wanted a Ktm 350 or husky badly for awhile but I don’t want to spend that much on a bike. If I ever buy another bike it will be a 2019 yz250f supposed to be just like the 450, lots of power, e-start, and priced fairly cheap.

ML512 wrote:

Here’s a link to our 2018 250 Shootout with full opinions from our seven test riders: https://m.vitalmx.com/features/2018-Vital-MX-250-Shootout,5636

I actually went back last night and watched all the 250f shootouts and really appreciated your video over all the rest, really good and informational.

I’m really considereding the yz and crf the most just because I’m pretty familiar with them, I’ll be 18 in two months so I’m not really interested in getting anything other than a 250. The husky’s seem like a solid third choice but with everything I’m hearing on reviews it seems like a no brainer go with the ktm for the price.

usafwx wrote:

What are you coming off of? I've had a 2014, 15, 16 YZ250F, all were great bikes as far as the suspension, power, reliability and build quality. The one complaint I had was what you mentioned the cockpit can feel bulky, but you get used to it too. I had a 16 KTM 150 SX which I hated, the power delivery was unpredictable, the suspension garbage, but it was super light and turned fairly well,the build quality was questionable (cue the fan boys and pitchforks). My last bike was my first Honda a 16 CRF250R and by far my favorite, amazing handling (suspension was not quite as good as the Yami KYB stuff, but it was air forks...), great cockpit, solid build quality and reliability. If I get back from this deployment and buy a new bike (though with grad school on the horizon doubtful) I would be buying an 18 CRF250R. All the bikes you mentioned you can't really go wrong with. The AER48 seems to be better than the 4CS crap I had on my 16 and I have yet to hear anyone complain about the new CRF, I think the bottom end critique would be hardly noticeable for any of us here. Keep in mind the YZ will be getting an update in 2019 so that will affect your resale a bit later, but I see some crazy deals on new ones right now. Pick whichever one you like best.

I’m coming off of a 2006 rm125 and also a 2010 CRF250R

zac_k3 wrote:

I’m really considereding the yz and crf the most just because I’m pretty familiar with them, I’ll be 18 in two months so I’m not really interested in getting anything other than a 250. The husky’s seem like a solid third choice but with everything I’m hearing on reviews it seems like a no brainer go with the ktm for the price.

my advice, hold on another couple of months, then we will know what the new YZF is like and what changes they made to help the CRF's low end....

Dtat720 wrote:

If you arent a serious racer, you cant beat the value of the YZ, CRF or the RMZ. Bulletproof bikes from top to bottom. I love my 16 YZ250f, love my 13 RMZ250, have ridden my sons best friends 18 CRF250 and it was very fun. They have had ZERO issues with the CRF. Reliability lies with those 3 for sure.

BobPA wrote:

What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi.

mxb2 wrote:

You cdnt ride a stock rmz to its full potential.

How do you know?

Dtat720 wrote:

If you arent a serious racer, you cant beat the value of the YZ, CRF or the RMZ. Bulletproof bikes from top to bottom. I love my 16 YZ250f, love my 13 RMZ250, have ridden my sons best friends 18 CRF250 and it was very fun. They have had ZERO issues with the CRF. Reliability lies with those 3 for sure.

BobPA wrote:

What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi.

Dtat720 wrote:

Same could be said for KTM. Broken parts all over those bikes every year. Lots of YZ’s in my region, yet to see a broken frame. Have seen 3 KTM’s with broken frames. Friend of mine exploded his front wheel last weekend on his sxf. Another friend is down with an exploded gear box in his sxf. That happened 5 hours after putting in a brand new engine from KTM after slamming the rod through the cases. Both guys are fixing them and going back to jap bikes. Happens a lot down here, for moto. Woods guys, i went trail riding yesterday and except for 1 Beta, 1 Sherco and 3 Yamahas, the other 20+ bikes were KTM 2 strokes and 2-3 4T’s. Moto, above the 85’s, KTM’s are rare to see

No one said anything about KTM’s? Seems like you’ve got some deep seeded issues with orange. I recommend some therapy man.

BobPA wrote:

What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi.

Dtat720 wrote:

Same could be said for KTM. Broken parts all over those bikes every year. Lots of YZ’s in my region, yet to see a broken frame. Have seen 3 KTM’s with broken frames. Friend of mine exploded his front wheel last weekend on his sxf. Another friend is down with an exploded gear box in his sxf. That happened 5 hours after putting in a brand new engine from KTM after slamming the rod through the cases. Both guys are fixing them and going back to jap bikes. Happens a lot down here, for moto. Woods guys, i went trail riding yesterday and except for 1 Beta, 1 Sherco and 3 Yamahas, the other 20+ bikes were KTM 2 strokes and 2-3 4T’s. Moto, above the 85’s, KTM’s are rare to see

BobPA wrote:

No one said anything about KTM’s? Seems like you’ve got some deep seeded issues with orange. I recommend some therapy man.

Not at all. Waiting for the right 350 to come along for a woods bike. But every thread about brands, you have jumped in to make sure orange is known as the grandest in the land and yz frames break. Its like you want so badly to be on orange payroll for social media defense. Kinda sad man.

BobPA wrote:

What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi.

mxb2 wrote:

You cdnt ride a stock rmz to its full potential.

BobPA wrote:

How do you know?

You are not the 10% in the world that could do it.

mxb2 wrote:

You cdnt ride a stock rmz to its full potential.

BobPA wrote:

How do you know?

mxb2 wrote:

You are not the 10% in the world that could do it.

Incorrect, I just have yet to be discovered by the factories.

Dtat720 wrote:

Not at all. Waiting for the right 350 to come along for a woods bike. But every thread about brands, you have jumped in to make sure orange is known as the grandest in the land and yz frames break. Its like you want so badly to be on orange payroll for social media defense. Kinda sad man.

"What about the broken Yamaha frames and the electrical gremlins? The Honda is a brand new bike this year, reliability remains to be seen. Suzuki’s do not make enough power to hurt themselves

This guy sounds like a candidate for a Yamaha or Kawi."

Please reread my initial post, and summon your infinite wisdom to show me where I mentioned KTM? Your absolute hate for the brand is hilarious. My garage is filled with green with a sprinkle of orange BTW .

If you could read, and not be blinded by your bias, you could see I told him to look at blue or green.

BobPA wrote:

How do you know?

mxb2 wrote:

You are not the 10% in the world that could do it.

BobPA wrote:

Incorrect, I just have yet to be discovered by the factories.

Just as i thought. Bs

ML512 wrote:

Here’s a link to our 2018 250 Shootout with full opinions from our seven test riders: https://m.vitalmx.com/features/2018-Vital-MX-250-Shootout,5636

zac_k3 wrote:

I actually went back last night and watched all the 250f shootouts and really appreciated your video over all the rest, really good and informational.

Glad to hear that! We try, we try.