A Closer Look at Yamaha's Premier Off-Road Racing Lineup

by Kevin Parker Blogger

Yamaha has been producing racing dirt bikes for over 50 years and constantly making changes and upgrades in its bikes. Yamaha has a dedicated racing dirt bike line named Yamaha YZ Series. There are two categories two-stroke and four-stroke engine bikes in this series. Two-stroke engine bikes are lightweight and easy to maintain, while four-stroke engine maintenance is a bit tricky.

If you want to know more about Yamaha's Off-road racing dirt bikes, read the full article to easily choose which suits you.

List of Yamaha’s Premier Off-Road Racing Lineup

Here is the List of Yamaha’s Off-Road racing dirt bikes written below.

1. Yamaha YZ 450F

2. Yamaha YZ 250F

3. Yamaha YZ 250X

4. Yamaha YZ 125X

5. Yamaha YZ 125

Yamaha YZ 450F

Yamaha YZ 450F

Yamaha YZ 450F is Yamaha's top off-road racing dirt bike. It was first introduced in 2009, and the company still produces it. Talking about the engine, it has a 450 cc liquid-cooled engine along with a 5-speed transmission with a tri-shaft transmission layout.

The engine type of this motorcycle is a 450 cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke with four titanium valves, capable of reaching a top speed of 80 mph. The bore x stroke measures 97.0 mm × 60.8 mm, and the compression ratio is 13.0:1. The fuel delivery system is via Mikuni® fuel injection, with a 44 mm diameter, and the fuel capacity is 1.6 gallons. The motorcycle has a 5-speed transmission with a multiplate wet clutch and a chain final drive.

The suspension system is made up of a KYB® spring-type fork with speed-sensitive damping that is fully adjustable, with a travel of 12.2 inches for the front, and a KYB® single shock that is also fully adjustable with a travel of 12.4 inches for the rear. The tires are Dunlop® Geomax MX33 F, with a size of 80/100-21 for the front and 120/80-19 for the rear. The brakes are hydraulic discs, with a size of 270 mm for the front and 240 mm for the rear.

The motorcycle's dimensions are as follows: it has a height of 50.2 inches, a seat height of 38.0 inches, a length of 85.8 inches, and a width of 32.5 inches. The wheelbase measures 58.3 inches, with a rake (caster angle) of 26.9° and a trail of 4.7 inches. The maximum ground clearance is 13.8 inches, and the wet weight of the motorcycle is 245 lb.

The price of this motorcycle is $9,899. In conclusion, this motorcycle boasts high-end features and specifications, making it a powerful and versatile machine suitable for various riding conditions.

The engine in the 2023 model has been completely redesigned, including the cylinder, larger diameter titanium intake valves, crankshaft, balancer assembly, and intake port shapes. The New engine of this bike is quite impressive as it has a top speed of 80 mph and 52.8 horsepower at 9500 rpm.

It features KYB® coil spring-type front forks with a speed-sensitive system and KYB® linkage-type rear shocks. It has an 80/100-21 Dunlop® Geomax MX33F front tire and a 120/80-19 Dunlop® Geomax MX33 rear tire for extra strength and stability.

This robust machine is available in the market in Team Yamaha Blue color in the price of $9,899.

Yamaha YZ 250F

Yamaha YZ 250F has a DOHC 250 cc four-stroke engine that can be able to produce a top speed of 65 mph. Although its speed is not compatible with the mighty Yamaha YZF-R6 speed, but still enough for this category. It has a 44 mm Mikuni® fuel injection system that gives the perfect amount of air and fuel mixture to the engine.

The 250cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke engine of this vehicle has a top speed of 65 MPH and a compression ratio of 13.8:1. It features a Mikuni® fuel injection with a 44mm bore and has a fuel capacity of 1.6 gal. The suspension is provided by a KYB® Speed-Sensitive System inverted fork in the front and a KYB® single shock in the rear, both fully adjustable and offering 12.2-in and 12.5-in of travel respectively. The vehicle has hydraulic disc brakes with a 270mm front and a 240mm rear.

The transmission is a constant-mesh 5-speed with a multiplate wet clutch and has a final drive chain. The tires are Dunlop® Geomax MX33F 80/100-21 in the front and 110/90-19 in the rear. The vehicle measures 85.6 inches in length, 32.5 inches in width, and 50.6 inches in height. The seat height is 38.2 inches and the maximum ground clearance is 13.2 inches. The vehicle has a trail of 4.7 inches, a rake of 26.8 degrees, and a wheelbase of 58.1 inches. It has a wet weight of 234 lb and is priced between $8,499-$8,699.

This dirt bike is equipped with KYB® Speed-Sensitive System inverted front fork with 12.2 inches travel and KYB® single rear shock with 12.5 inches travel. Both the front and rear suspensions are fully adjustable.

This dirt bike has enormous power, so to produce friction for stopping it, Yamaha gave 270 mm Hydraulic disc for the front and 240 mm Hydraulic disc for the rear wheel.

You are going to get a decent 50.6 inches height and 13.2 inches ground clearance due to its extensive 80/100-21 Dunlop® Geomax MX 33F front tire and 110/90-19 Dunlop® Geomax MX 33 rear tire. You will get this bike reasonably in the price range of $8,499-$8,699.

Yamaha YZ 250X

Yamaha YZ 250X has a 249cc engine with a liquid-cooled system to prevent engine overheating. For proper air and fuel mixture delivery, YZ 250X has Hitachi Astemo® Keihin PWK 38S, and for transmission, it has constant-mesh 5-speed with multi-plate wet clutch.

The 249cc liquid-cooled 2-stroke engine of this motorcycle features reed-valve induction, with a bore x stroke of 66.4mm x 72.0mm and a compression ratio ranging from 7.9 to 9.4:1. Fuel delivery is handled by the Hitachi Astemo® Keihin PWK38S system, with a constant-mesh 5-speed transmission and multiplate wet clutch for smooth shifting. The bike's suspension includes a KYB® Speed-Sensitive System inverted fork that is fully adjustable and provides 11.8 inches of travel, along with a KYB® single shock in the rear that is also fully adjustable and provides 12.4 inches of travel.

The brakes are hydraulic disc, with a 270mm disc in the front and a 240mm disc in the rear. The motorcycle rolls on Dunlop® Geomax MX33F tires in the front (80/100-21) and Dunlop® Geomax MX33 tires in the rear (110/100-18). The bike measures 86.0 inches in length, 32.5 inches in width, and 50.8 inches in height, with a seat height of 38.4 inches. The wheelbase is 58.5 inches, with a rake (caster angle) of 27.7° and a trail of 4.8 inches. The maximum ground clearance is 14.2 inches, and the fuel tank capacity is 1.8 gallons. The motorcycle has a wet weight of 229 pounds and is priced at $7,999.

It has KYB® Speed-Sensitive system inverted front fork with 11.8-in travel and KYB® single shock with 12.4-in travel for the rear side. It also has a reliable braking system, including 270 mm hydraulic disc brake for front and 240 mm hydraulic disc brake for the rear wheel. Furthermore, it has Dunlop's premium quality tires, the 80/100-21 Dunlop® Geomax MX 33F front tire and the 10/100-18 Dunlop® Geomax MX33 rear tire.

It is an excellent option to go with at the price of $7,999. It is only available in Team Yamaha Blue.

Yamaha YZ 125X

Yamaha Introduced its 125cc category YZ 125X off-road racing bike in 2020. It has a 125cc two-stroke engine with the Yamaha Power Valve System. With the new Hitachi Astemo Keihin PWK38S carburetor, drivers can control CDI using a 3D map and throttle position sensor.

To absorb the off-road bumps, it has telescopic front forks with 300 mm wheel travel and a swing arm (link suspension) for the rear wheel with 315 mm wheel travel. And to give support on any terrain and good contact with the road, it has an 80/100-21 Dunlop Geomax MX 33F front tire and a 110/100-18 Dunlop Geomax MX 33 rear tire.

This dirt bike has a liquid-cooled 2-stroke reed-valve engine with a displacement of 125cc and a bore x stroke of 54.0 x 54.5mm. It features a constant mesh 6-speed transmission and a final transmission through chain. The bike has a fuel tank capacity of 8 liters and weighs 96 kg when wet. The suspension system includes telescopic forks with 300mm travel on the front and a swing arm (link suspension) with 315mm travel on the rear. The braking system has hydraulic single discs with 270mm and 240mm diameters on the front and rear respectively. The tires on this bike are 80/100-21 Dunlop Geomax MX 33F on the front and 110/100-18 Dunlop Geomax MX 33 on the rear.

The dimensions of the bike are 2154mm length, 825mm width, and 1290mm height, with a seat height of 970mm, a wheelbase of 1455mm, and a ground clearance of 355mm. The ignition system is CDI, and the compression ratio is 7.8 - 10.2 : 1. The bike is priced at $7,099.

Brakes play an essential role while riding off-road, so to support the YZ 125X, Yamaha included a 270 mm single hydraulic disc for the front wheel and a 240 mm single hydraulic disc for the rear wheel.

It has 355 mm ground clearance, so it can easily travel in any terrain. It is available in Team Yamaha Blue color with the price of $7,099.

Yamaha YZ 125

Yamaha YZ 125 was introduced in 1974 for the first time and is still assembled by the company. It comes with a 125 cc two-stroke engine. And due to the two-stroke engine, it is a lightweight bike with low maintenance. Its fuel system is equipped with a Hitachi Astemo® Keihin PWK38S carburetor. is of 70 miles per hour.

This motorcycle has a 125cc liquid-cooled 2-stroke engine with a reed-valve induction system. The compression ratio is 8.2~10.1:1 and the bore x stroke is 54.0mm x 54.5mm. Fuel delivery is through a Hitachi Astemo® Keihin PWK38S carburetor. The bike has a constant-mesh 6-speed transmission with a multiplate wet clutch and chain final drive. The front suspension is a KYB® Speed-Sensitive System inverted fork with 11.8 inches of travel, while the rear suspension is a KYB® single shock with 12.4 inches of travel.

The tires are Bridgestone® Battle cross X20F at the front (80/100-21) and Bridgestone® Battle cross X20 at the rear (100/90-19). The bike has hydraulic disc brakes with a 270mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear. The bike measures 84.1 inches in length, 32.5 inches in width, and 51.0 inches in height. The seat height is 38.6 inches, and the wheelbase is 56.9 inches. The bike has a wet weight of 209 lb. and a maximum ground clearance of 14.4 inches. The fuel capacity is 1.8 gallons, and the price is $6,999.

One thing that differs from the above dirt bikes is its Constant-mesh 6-speed with multi-plate wet clutch. This bike is loaded with KYB® Speed-Sensitive System inverted front fork with 11.8 inches travel and KYB® single rear shock with 12.4 inches travel.

In the tire section, instead of Dunlop, this bike of Yamaha has Bridgestone tires. It has 80/100-21 Bridgestone® Battle cross X 20F front tire and 100/90-19 Bridgestone® Battle cross X20 rear tire.

The braking system is the same as most of the Yamaha’s dirt bikes, including a 270 mm hydraulic disc for the front wheel and a 240 mm hydraulic disc for the rear wheel.

It is a massive success for Yamaha. It is readily available in the market at the price of $6,999.

Conclusion

Yamaha's Top Off-Road racing dirt bikes include Yamaha YZ 450F, Yamaha YZ 250F, Yamaha YZ 250X, Yamaha YZ 125X, and Yamaha YZ 125. All of these are good for off-road racing. If you want a bike with tremendous power and are an experienced rider, you can go with the YZ 450F, and if you want a mid-level engine specs machine, you can choose YZ 250F or YZ 250X.

Lastly, if you are looking for a racing dirt bike with lightweight and easy to maintain, you can go with the YZ 125X or YZ 125, as both bikes are two-stroke and excellent in performance.