Most reliable 250f?

YZF for sure has the best motor.

YZF for sure has the best motor.

I would say Honda's are always the most reliable. That's just my opinion though.

LOL, maybe the newer ones but the first generation 4-strokes were turds

The 2001-2013 yz250f motor is very, very reliable.

My opinion? Get a CRF450X and just keep it full of gas. Reliability will be out of this world.

These are race bikes, they're reliability across the board on 250F's are not great. Keep in mind, the manual on the CRF says to replace the piston every 15 hours.

How old is your son? what bike is he on?

the older ones, yes.

the 5 valve yamahas are hard to beat as far as reliability goes and if you need it to go faster you can get motor mods..

YZF is most reliable hands down. then Honda, Suzuki a distant 3rd and I would stay far away form anything green. Yamaha and Honda are hands down the best in fitment and quality on all other parts of the bike too.

Agree with the posters above. I switched from a RMZ to a YZF last year solely for reliability. With less than 10 hours on a brand new top end, and freshly shimmed valves, my RMZ somehow blew up on me. The chances of something bizarre happening like what happened to me is extremely slim however, the RMZ up until 2013 had bottom end problems that I would rather not have to worry about.

The early CRFs had valve problems this was corrected. 07 up shouldd be fine.

The early CRFs had valve problems this was corrected. 07 up shouldd be fine.

Yeah, 07 and newer should be good for Honda. I would think with a little shopping around you should be able to find a 2010 of either brand for $3000 give or take. Where are you located?

Owned an 07 and 08 yamaha 250f at the same time and both bullet proof. Routine oil changes and air filter changes and rode the piss out of both and never had the valves checked or anything. Sold them both with atleast 200+ hours on them and they still fired first kick. Maybe not the best in performance but bullet proof

My 01, 03 and 04 yz250f all had over 150 hours on the stock engine before I sold them. I think I had to adjust the valves on the 04 once. Other than that, they've all been bulletproof. Stay off the rev limiter, keep your air filter clean, and change your oil and filter often and it will last an incredibly long time.

Find an 06+ yamaha with SSS and you'll have a great bike.

A guy I know got a used, rough 04 YZ250F as his first bike. He rode the piss out of it for about 2 years. One day it was spitting and carrying on so he asked me to look at it. The boot between the carb and the head was ripped about 1/2 way around. He kept riding it while he waited for parts to come in. I asked him how often he cleaned his filter. He said never, am I supposed to? LOL!! Took the seat off and the filter and airbox looked like a kids sandbox. And the thing was running good! As far as I know he is still riding it.

I'd be careful about buying a used 250f, regardless of brand. For me to buy one, it'd have to be a fairly new model year with an hour meter that has single digits on it, on top of being incredibly clean and easy to start, with no leaks on the ground or on the fork tubes.

Buy a new leftover yzf 250, I have seen them for $4999. 2013 models.

Wandell. It's seems that all the posts are answering your question. But thinking outside the box for a moment, why a 250f?? As people said above, these are race bikes with high compression for performance. If u want reliability yet still want something off road with your son, look for more enduro style models.

You guys are all crazy if you want the most reliable you need to stay away from the Japanese and get a KTM. We've had several brands and they are by far the most reliable.

My sons yz250f (07) blew up every year whether it needed to or not. every thing from a valve letting loose to
the main bearing somehow getting a crack in the race and letting the crank spin eliptical so the piston
could tap the head. It presently sits waiting for a rebuild while he rides a 2t bike. My 2004 crf250 had full
titanium valves installed and just kept chugging away. Of course he raced and I didn't. I'm told for those years
the KTMs were the most reliable as the biggest problem for all 250s was valves/clearance issues.
One dealer told me they didn't even stock KTM valves as they were so reliable.
TM

If you had fun on a 125, go get another bike just like the one your son has. If it's a CR several years are basically the same. Your benefit will be taking parts off one and getting the other running in a pinch and having to keep less spare parts around.

Nice, enjoy!