The ‘00 engine is slightly better on the bottom, noticeably improved in the middle and a smidge better on top. While the 2000 Yamaha YZ250 is faster than the 1999 YZ, it’s still not an eye-watering, arm-dislocating, fence-post-blurring machine. Very good! QUESTION TWO: IS THE ‘00 ENGINE BETTER THAN THE ‘99? It has an acceptable power setting for almost every situation.
How can that be? In a straight line, on the dyno or in the world of hill climbing, the 2000 YZ250 wouldn’t always sit on top of the throne, but if you toss in off camber corners, ruts, downhills and half-throttle situations, the YZ shines. This is not the fastest engine in the 250 class, but the YZ engine could be housed in the fastest bike. Yamaha has tapped into a secret that the other motorcycle manufacturers haven’t figure out–it’s not how much power you make, but how you make it.
