96 yz tank fit on 02 frame?

No , maybe with custom brackets.

There was a guy selling navy blue plastic in the old school section. I bet you could make it work.

I was thinking about it. I found a crazy Frankenstein bike with a 96 yz frame and a 490 motor, but I probably won't end up going through with it.

Dafaq is up with there seemingly being a massive dent in the swingarm in this Yamaha promo pic?

I swear, the YZ's for 1996 looked so awesome....always liked the graphics on these bikes, but weird they kept the frame white only this year and for the first time went to this (correct me if I'm wrong) completely new color that started the blue for Yamaha marquee that they've stayed with to this day. The graphics all the way around the bike were just rad this year

Kind of interesting too .... For most people in general the bike that's remembered most for 1996 would be the CR250.... MC's CR250....but 96 was a big year for Yamaha, for years and years the YZ125 was the dog of the class then the 1996 YZ125 comes out and just like that it dominated the 125 scene for the next 10 years until the other mfgs stopped producing their 125's. This was the first year of the "modern" YZ250 as we know it for the most part I know it got the engine of doom in 99 and updated bodywork/frame in 02 ...then that aluminum frame but like the 125 I remember the 250 was also a huge step forward for Yamaha in 96 not great at anything but no weak spots either....just solid and even today the 01 which uses the same plastics shapes from 96 still looks "modern"