ooops rode a 250F tonight

[426thumpers]

well did some adjusting with the suspension of my 426 with the help of a local motorcycle shop guy. Rode it and it was a pretty good difference in cornering and hitting whoops.

Then i traded bikes with a 250F, the bike was alot easier to ride. i was able to ride it faster and take corners alots better and able to glide across the sand. But it did lack the big power of the 426, the awesome roll of the throttle. So do you sacrafice power for easier, able to ride faster and longer, lighter bike? wish i had enough money to ride both, i'm just venting.

[MXOldtimer]

I don't use or miss my 426 since I got the 250F. They may feel slower since they don't have the major pull on the arms but my lap timers are much faster on the baby F

[MotoGreg]

Why don't you just get a CRF450 then? It's light and nimble like a 250F and has big power like a 426 (and then some!)

Sorry, just couldn't resist. ?

[Dansgarage]

I have a 01 426 and a friend of mine has the 02 honda. I have had a chance to ride both bikes back to back, trails and track. Yes the honda is lighter and I will give it props for having awesome brakes, but more power and then some? Get real man! My yamaha pulls harder and longer all day every day!! You don't sound too intelagent making fun of the yamaha on the yamaha forum when you own one, pick a bike and be true to your colors!!! True Blue Baby!!!!!

[John_Lorenz]

The 250f is a cool bike yes,

The power is down becouse its half the size (More Less), But I tell ya you put a 310 kit in that two-five-ohhhhhhhhhh

and lets see what the diff in fun to power ratio is between the 426,crf and the two-five-ohhhhhhh

A good rider on the 250 will smoke the 426 guys ( I own a 426) in tight twisty tracks or cow trailing. But you give the 426 some breathing room and waaaaaaataaaaaaash your dust.

The 250 is nimble lite and easy to ride, you place some good hp to it and it becomes a very notable stead...... ?

Just my $4.26 worth

I will never ever get rid of me 426

[Hootna]

The 250F is a great bike and for a little extra money you can have it pushing 40hp. Now this is not 426hp but if you factor in the weight savings and less fly wheel effect one should be able to hit corners harder and leave them quicker.

As with all bikes they work better for one thing than another. I wouldnt buy a 250F if I were riding in the desert or dunes.

I really like my 250F it is a very good but my bike of choice is my CR133.

What I have found is most folks dont use half the power available so it doesnt matter if you are on a bigger, badder, faster bike if you cant use all the power. ?

[John_Lorenz]

Hootna

What I have found is most folks dont use half the power available so it doesnt matter if you are on a bigger, badder, faster bike if you cant use all the power.

Man you could not have said it better, Its a matter of Mine is Bigger then yours and keeping up with the jones's.

I think that as amatures we "WE Including ME" are never going to ride the bike (426 / 250) as a pro.

If we could the guys like Mcgraff, Henry, Dubach would find it harder to get work ?

That is why I find it amazing that people are willig and spending hundreds if not thousands of dollors for work on the bikes that they cant ride half ass with the stock hp.

[PK]

Who is this "McGraff" character? Is he the new guy on the Maico factory ride? ?

I love the power of the 426 but like everyone else, the 250F is so sweet in corners. Wish I weighed less.

PK

[CAL]

Originally posted by EgoAhole:

That is why I find it amazing that people are willig and spending hundreds if not thousands of dollors for work on the bikes that they cant ride half *** with the stock hp.[/QB]

AMEN!!

I've been trying to get that point across on the DRZ board for a long time. BK mod this, Taffy mod that, drill this many holes in your airbox, advance your cams 1 degree for this......it just goes on and on.

Why not spend all the time spent on making these "insignifigant" modifications...RIDING! Seat time will make you faster, smoother, more confident MUCH more than shedding 2 pounds off the bike, or adding 1/2 horsepower.

[426thumpers]

i agree that the 250F is alot funner in the corners and the 426 kicks it's ass in the straight aways, but when do i hit straight aways in the trails? and the 250F is getting farther and farther away in the corners that i just catch up on the long runs and then it gets ahead again.

I totally agree that bigger isn't always better, this is the exact point i was trying to get across to the sales man and my friend i was with, i will never ride like the pro's. Just because they weigh less then i do doesn't make it easier for me to have fun on the bike, remember they are pros. Plus i need something i can ride for long durations, like an all day saturday ride or trying a hare scramble. Man i wish i had the money to have both.

So i'm going to take both bikes tonight with a friend and ride the hell out of both of them. If i decide to try to sell the 426 and get a 250 i will be counting on you guys for more knowledge to get more horse power, what are we talking here to get more hp and how much $$ are we talking? like say the 310 kit and where do i find info on this?

[Unibomber]

CAL

This is so freekin true, my buddies were talkin smack about which bike I should get, because this bike and that bike had more HP, Ill be lucky to put half throttle into any gear for the next year on the 426, its kinda funny when you hear your buds talkin smack about mods and such, GET REAL !!

[John_Lorenz]

I am all for making mods that correct issues like starting, backfire and crap like that,

my point was to get 2 pounds you pay 400 bucks,

get 1 hp you pay 300 bucks and so on

Mods Like BK and the blue wire are items that corrct the stupidity of the factory that could not get it right. In the Computer world its called hacking and overclockin.

Rest My case

[Mook]

Good thread, I think that is the right mindset. But just think of all the aftermarket guys that would go out of business if we stopped buying that extra HP or shed weight with CF or new pipes.

PS. Dansgarage, so what if someone suggested getting a CRF - doesn't mean you have too. I am sure you are secure enough about your purchase that someone else choosing another bike doesn't affect you at all. It's all good

mook

[426thumpers]

well rode tonight, rode in a dried up spot with a large sand trail all the way around. had some pretty decent whoops in the middle.

did about 5 laps one way and then another 5 the other way and hit the whoops about 10 times, this took about 30 minutes and i was beat.i did pretty good since i've adjusted the suspension and have done alot of parcticing and taking your advice , so i thought that was pretty good and maybe i'll be happy with the beast.

then i jumped on the 250F, whooo hoooo!! i blast around the track alot faster and flew through the sand better, my friend said i look out of control sometimes because of riding skills but was able to power it back up where i would of crashed on the 426. did much better on the whoops too, was able to stay on the throttle the whole way and even double a couple. after that i did a few more laps both ways and that was even after being tired from the 426. in the end my friend said i rode alot faster and looked alot more confident on the 250F. i felt better, i rode faster,longer,had more fun and was able to control the bike better. i let my friend ride both, he weighs 230. he said the 426 has killer power and was happy with it, then he rode the 250f, surprised by the power(not like the 426 though) and was able to really throw the bike around and control it too.

so in the end i was much happier and had alot more fun on the 250F, even weighing around 190 it had plenty of power, very smooth too. so looks like i'll be cleaning my 2001 426 and trying to sell it.

[MANIAC998]

I'm lucky(unlucky?) enough to own both. Bought the 426 first, and was extremely pleased. Afterall, I always have prayed to the horsepower gods! Then I bought one of my co-workers 250F. Damn! That thing rocks! Now my trusted old('01) 426 just sits in the corner collecting dust. Boy, I sure do get killed on the starts, but it sure does feel awesome to come from behind for the win! Drives those big bike riders crazy too! I don't think adding alot of horsepower to the 250F is the answer though. More power just gets in the way of handling. If the 426 had the geometry of the 250F, it still wouldn't handle like it, due to the excessive horsepower. All things are related to handling. Suspension, weight,ergonomics, and even power. But yes, even I would like just a little more!!! Maniac

[Yak]

How does the power of the YZ250F compare to the YZ250 (2-stroke).??? I can already assume its way smoother but as far as overall grunt goes, how does it measure up?

[426thumpers]

good question yak, i would like to know too

[Hootna]

Yak, The 250F will not out accelerate a YZ250 in a straighline stock. To tell you the truth when I first bought mine I was a little disappointed because I was used to the 2 stroke hit and it just felt really slow. The 250F takes a few mods like a Dubach Pipe and Vortex ignition to bring it up to a competitive power level of a 2 stroke 250. Now this does not mean that the stock bike puts down slower lap times. When a YZ250 is trying to get traction the YZ250F will be hooking up and accelerating. Down the straights the YZ250 will catch up but the YZ250F can go in deeper due to engine braking. Not to mention it is so annoying to 2 stroke riders to listen to a thumper behind them, I know when my buddy rides my thumper and is behind me I freekin hate it ?

[Hootna]

Oh and as always it depends on the rider if you are fast on a YZ/KX/CR/RM/TM/KTM/VOR you will be fast or faster on a 250F if you aint dont expect a miracle to happen.

[yzboy]

whats up thumper bro's? this is the first time that i posted a reply on thumper talk. i just like say that this web is awsome and that i have learned alot from all the discussion. so let me talk some sh@#. i been desert racing for a longtime, every race i can remember i had my bike wide open,"biger is better" i would rather have more power then i need then not enough. i have no problem throwing my 426 around on tight trails, most of the races in utah are mountain trails. both bikes (426)(250f) are awsome but the power of the 426 is what makes it fun for me.