Yamaha Motorcycles

Yamaha recently gathered the motorcycle press at Tom White’s The Early Years of Motocross Museum to unveil an all-new off-road bike and provide details on several early 2016 models. The good news? There is no price increase on any of the returning models announced at this time. Four highlights:

YAMAHA YZ250X
This was the Big News. Yamaha pulled the sheet off a new two-stroke off-roader based on the YZ250 motocrosser. The YZ250X is designed as a pure, closed-course competition lightweight two-stroke GNCC/woods racer. Features specific to this new model include an 18-inch rear wheel, a sealed O-ring chain, a wide ratio transmission, a narrow expansion chamber, off-road-focused tires and suspension settings, plus a standard side stand and a fuel tank petcock with reserve position. The 2016 Yamaha YZ250X will be available in August, priced at $7, 390.

YAMAHA YZ450F
Looking to maintain the top spot in 450cc four-stroke motocross sales, Yamaha has treated the YZ450F to a host of updates. Launch control and new cam profiles are complemented by clutch and shifting refinements, a revised frame shape, and new triple clamps. The new YZ450F also has new engine mounts, revised suspension and a larger 270mm front brake rotor. Bikes arrive this month, priced at $8, 590.

YAMAHA FZ-07
Introduced in 2014, the affordable entry-level FZ-07 naked sportbike has proven to be a very hot item in Yamaha’s road lineup. The eager 689cc liquid-cooled parallel twin is mechanically unchanged, but the $6, 990 FZ-07 arrives late this summer in new Raven and Matte Silver/Blue color schemes. The latter hue looks very much like that of Yamaha’s flagship YZF-R1. On a related note: The 2016 Yamaha FZ-09 arrives in September, priced at $8, 190 and wearing Raven or Blue paint.