Q: FORGET ALL OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS. IS THE 2012 YZ250F BETTER THAN THE 2011 YZ250F?
A: Survey says…yes! Yamaha’s engineers must have taken MXA‘s 2011 YZ250F test to heart (along with the complaints of thousands of YZ250F owners), because they addressed nearly all of our concerns. Thanks to stiffer forks, updated gearing, a larger carburetor bore and a more rigid frame, the 2012 YZ250F excels in all the areas where it faltered in the past.
For 2012, Yamaha was just a pop fly shy of hitting for the cycle. It would have been a home run if they had released an all-new engine. However, that fact doesn’t discount the performance of the 2012 YZ250F. The engine is reasonably fast, and when combined with better suspension settings and a more rigid frame, the 2012 YZ250F is a serious race machine for the first time since 2005.