I recently purchased an immaculate 01 YZ250F with about 10 hours. You could eat off it it is so clean. Question. What are the differences between the 02 and 01? Anything I should be aware of? It came with Gold Valve Race Tech suspension and a FMF Power Bomb header with PC4 exhaust. I installed the 03 cam yesterday and proceeded to start it with my hand. My test ride was short prior to purchase but everything seems to be much beeter (less use) than the 02 I tested. Any concerns or preventative issues I should address would be appreciated.

Thank you.

kantoniak,

sounds like you got a sweet deal bud. the differences between the '01 and '02 YZF's are relatively minor -- lighter swingarm, different ignition map, tweaked jetting, and well... that's all i can think of. it's not much. the '02 to '03 delta is much greater than the '01 to '02, with the auto-compression release, one piece rear brake reservoir, different seat/tank, and a significant weight reduction.

your bike should be ready to roll. check/change the oil, make sure the old stuff looks 'ok' coming out. and i would ensure that the steering head bearings are lubed, plus that the brake fluid is changed out (it absorbs water which eventually corrodes the internals of brake system). you didn't mention the bars but if it has the stock bars you might just want to check that they are still straight, as the stockers bend real easy. finally, you may want to put new coolant in, as the factory stuff has been in there 2 years.

other than that, it's time to ride!

jim aka the wrooster
'01 wr250f

Thanks. I asked about oil and it was changed recently. Brake fluid hasn't been done yet. I had a set of Pro Taper bars so already swaped out the stockers. Will look at doing the coolant. Never thought of that. Thanks. Overall, this bike is literally showroom. Not a hint of dirt even in the base of the air box or some of those hard to clean areas. Unfortionatley, we have just had a huge dump of snow and the temp is -20 Celcius (0 to -3 F) so riding might not happen for a while unless I decide to travel. ( I live in the interior of BC Canada so coastal riding might be necessary.

Thanks again for your input.