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On the track I rode the YZ250 first, it had the quickest throttle response of any vehicle I've ever ridden. Throttle response was so strong I almost "whiskey throttled" myself into the woods on the first downhill. After backing it down a notch, I got a few laps in and then headed for the big 450. The 450 is a big bike, a strong bike. It took a couple of hard, strong kicks to get it fired up and once it was running it sounded like half of a straight-piped Harley with none of the ring-ding-ding of the 2-stroke. Once underway, the 450 seemed big, both weight-wise and power-wise. With a little clutch abuse I felt I could have run the whole track in 4th gear. Being out of shape and being a new dad I decided to cut my track time short and head over to "The Big Green Monster" before I killed myself on the big bike. The Monster was perfect that day, having been mowed late fall and not enough sunshine to get the weeds growing. I popped the 450 into second and let her rip, grabbing third halfway up I made it with ease. With close to 50 hp, the big bike made mince meat of the big ugly hill. Going down was a little sketchy because of the weight and seconds later I was on the 250. One easy kick and the 250 smoker fired up. Starting in second and a quick shift into third I blasted all the way to the top. Unlike the 450 I had to keep the revs up to get all she had out of the smaller bike. Going down was no problem, it felt light and easy to manage. On paper there is only a 9 pound difference between the two bikes but when riding these bikes back to back, the 450 seemed at least 20 pounds fatter. A couple of rips up and down on each machine and I made my choice. The '06 Yamaha YZ250 will be in my barn this year. My choice was mainly due to weight, the bikes weight and my weight. At 6'1" and 160 lbs I felt like I didn't have enough ass to start and ride the YZ450F effectively. When trying to start the big bike it felt like I was kicking a bag of cement. Don't get me wrong, at 211 lbs, the YZ250 is no featherweight, it still takes some ass to start it. The choice had been made, I called my local Yamaha dealer, Mountain Extreme of Rockton, PA and in no time I had one in my truck on my way back to the farm.

Sept, 2006. Why would anyone want to know about the bike of a mid-pack, C class vet rider? Well I don't know, but if you are interested, keep reading. I'm writing this laying on my back, in my bed, where I will be for the next 3 weeks. 1 week ago I had lower back surgery to repair a herniated L5-S1 disc. So, out of boredom, I'll write, something I haven't done since the late '80's. If I seem to ramble or have a lack of skills, I'm sorry, I'm working on it. Anyways....

The Yamaha GTY-R Off Road Flywheel adds 8 oz. of centripetal mass to your crankshaft. This weight takes some of the "hit" out of the motor but doesn't reduce horsepower. The added weight greatly reduces stalling and eases starting. Traction also has been helped with much smoother power delivery. For around $125 the guys at Clarion Cycle installed this in less than 10 min. Everyone knows that more noise equals less land. I realised that my stock silencer didn't do much to silence my bike. My neighbors must be thankful that I got the quietest pipe made, the FMF Q. Checking in at 93db this pipe really is quiet, the tone is like a muffled stocker, without the sharp crackle that is common with 2-strokes. The "Q" didn't seem to hurt the power at all and my mind may be playing tricks on me but the bike seemed to have a little more power on the top end. $150 and a 10 minute install made my bike much more enjoyable to ride.

Once home, it was time to start modifying. For a list of modifications, look below. The first mod I put on the bike was a set of these Moose aluminum handguards. These things are tough, well made and easy to install. They will protect your digits from the occasional contact with a tree or other riders. I've smashed trees with my brake hand and without the guards I surely would have broken fingers and crashed, instead, I could keep on going without a slow in pace. With the guards on, it is now almost impossible to break a lever. If you plan to ride in the woods, these $40 well made aluminum guards are a must.

I'm not so sure about this one, the Sunstar Z sprocket is a big old chunk of steel. It's a lot heaver than the stocker though being made of steel it should last much longer. This may be a bad thing because this thing is ugly, really ugly, big black and ugly. Its teeth are in a "Z" pattern, hence the name. This funky pattern is supposed to shed mud better and prolong the life of your chain. I forget how much I paid for it and I hope someone breaks into my barn and steals it off of my bike so I don't have to look at it anymore. If you want a super heavy-duty sprocket and are blind, pick up one of these. Update, 7/15/07, I've hade a lot of people comment about "that cool sprocket", maybe they're blind.

After 2 years riding a Yamaha YZ250F four-stroke I decided it was a time for a change. Since I'd be focusing on hare-scramble type woods riding, I knew I'd want a more powerful machine. More horsepower for those big hills and for more speed for those long, illegal road runs between riding spots. On the road my 250F always seemed to be at the back of the pack, topping out at less than 50 mph. It was hard to keep up with the bigger bikes that would top out at 65+mph. The horsepower of the 250F is in the mid 30's. The horsepower of the larger 250 2-strokes is in the mid 40's range while the 450 4-stroke bikes are in the upper 40's. I had a decision to make, 2 or 4 stroke? Being a Yamaha guy and still wanting to do some light motocross work, I had two bikes to choose from: the YZ250 and YZ450F. This spring I had a chance to ride both the '06 YZ250 and the '06 YZ450F back to back. I rode these bikes on my track, through the woods and up and down a pretty gnarly hill-climb called "The Big Green Monster". Coming from a four-stroke I thought a 450F was in my future.