hi guys i recently bought a 2002 yz250.  i got it be lcause it was a green sticker bike.  im new to dirtbiking. and have never rode  dirt  before this bike.

i have been riding street track and supermoto for sometime now.   getting into dirt i got all the protective gear first.  

about the bike its in fairly good condition.   but i dont know much about it.  i cfhecked the valves and they were slightly out of spec.

i am wondering should i actually dump money into this bike?  i want to but a autodecompression exhaust cam and reshim the valves.

my questtion is how much better are the newer aluminum frame yamahas?
is it worth building the suspension on the bike and rejett? or should i just ride it out until i get fairly good at it and then just get a newer bike?

i mainly starting to ride trails.  but like the idea of hare scrambles and eventually mx.  i like jumping but am taking it slow.  i get better air time on a mountian bike.  lol.  

what do you guys think?  i dont want to spend money rebuilding the bike Nd have the bottom end craping on me..

Edited by bpowa, 31 July 2012 - 08:57 PM.

Well the aluminum framed YZs are red sticker. You can get a WR which are green sticker. You can get an 03+ exhaust cam pretty cheap on eBay. I say build your bike to what you want. I don't have an aluminum bike so I can't tell you how much better they are.

id just ride it till you get better. i got 2001 yz250f and 2010 yz250f. the 10 is  just so much better. engine, handling, suspension. every thing is just better. its more stable the 01 slides around every where and the forks are terrible. just ride it for a bit and upgrade

any other feedback?

They are decent bikes, Usually the bill to fix them back up to 100% is more than a new bike. The suspension on the old yz is pretty much garbage compared to the new '12 bikes. I rode an 04 since 05 and thought i had it diled in. After spending 10k plus on the bike. Decided to buy a new '12 WR450 this last season and you cant even compare the two bikes. The new dual chamber speed sensitive fork is magical.

wow.  thanks man.  i just may hange the fork fluids.  and shim the valves ..   possibly a new cam decomp if i find a cheap used one.

It's not going to cost much for those simple items. Ride the bike till it dies and at that point decide (if you have the money) if a new model is worth taking on