2009 Yamaha YZ250 & YZ125 First Ride

There's just nothing like the smell of a 2-stroke dirt bike, or the sound for that matter. The mixing of pre-mix oil and race gas, combusted and then expelled from the shorty exhaust canister of a 2-stroke motocrosser is the original testosterone perfume. While I'm sure it wouldn't be good for my health, I could pump the exhaust straight from the canister of the 2009 Yamaha YZ125 into the vents of my house; living immersed in the glorious odor, and would be a happy man. My girlfriend, on the other hand, might not be quite as happy. But if you grew up riding 2-strokes like I did, I'm sure you wouldn't mind either.

Equally as intoxicating as the odor is the sound. The high-pitched scream of a 2-stroke climbing a fourth-gear-pinned hill will raise the hair on your arms unlike anything else. While 4-strokes are deep and throaty, sounding equally as gnarly per se, it's just not the same. This is why when the invite for Yamaha's 2009 YZ125 and YZ250 intro rolled across my desk, instead of giving it to one of my guys, I personally jumped at the chance. It's been a long time since I've heard that high-pitched scream, and I've missed it...


Sadly, 2-strokes are a dying breed. At one point they were the only option
for an MX'er, but with the improved technology of 4-strokes and the tightening of environmental regulations, they are going the way of the dinosaur. With Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki discontinuing them, Yamaha is now the only Japanese OE still producing the smokers. European brands, most notably KTM, still do as well, but the list is dwindling. Sad, very sad.

In the pre-ride technical briefing, Yamaha made it well known that they want to keep making 2-strokes for as long as possible. Their history is with 2-strokes, as its first-ever motorcycle was a "ring-dinger" and, in fact, for the first 15 years it's all the tuning fork gang produced. Problem is, they can only make what people will buy, and sales have been declining steadily, thus if things don't turn around, it may have to follow the competition. I can tell you one thing, after riding the latest YZs, it'll be a travesty to see them go - they are amazing machines.

Written by: MotorcycleUSA.com Staff
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