1980 Yamaha YZ250 Classic Motocross Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
- This is a look back at Yamaha's new YZ250 for 1980. In 1980, many people considered the YZ250 to be the best machine in its class. Powerful, well suspended, and classically styled, this is one of the best of the original monoshock YZs.
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That was a great time in Motocross 💯
It truly was magical, you could walk into a dealership and smell the fresh bikes lol. Back when they lined them all up in rows, now you have to order a damn spark plug.
@@deborahchesser7375 Now the sport is Nascar with 4 strokes that is of no interest. That was the magical time back then.
...back in the 80s....you could be an apprentice or work at a supermarket and still afford to ride and race. It was an affordable sport....in my opinion.
Well, in Oz we could.
Another great review. How were you able to keep all of your brochures and magazines all these years? Can you do a review of the 80cc shootout for 1981? Keep up the great work!
Great Review.I had a 1978 YZ80 when i was a kid and I loved to look at the magazines with all the 125s and 250s being advertised by people like Bob Hannah.
That was my 1st bike in 82... It seemed soooo old compared to the 82 J models at the time.
Hi Tony, I love your channel! Thanks for all you do and for another great review. I so appreciate you sharing your thoughts and all the cool pics on this Yz. My brother bought one new in 80 and I still remember what an amazing bike it was! I learned to ride on his Canam 125, which was an great bike too, but when he got the YZ, I could not believe the difference. The advancement in bikes back then from one year to the next was huge. Keep up the great work!
I had the 125G,white here in the UK,great bike,bulletproof and scary fast.
Same they were great bikes here in aus also white I’m a lifetime Suzuki fan but friends had some yzs back then I’d sometimes ride one I remember them as fast and super reliable bikes 👍
I didn't have parents that liked bikes. My uncle somehow changed their minds. Really wanted the 1982 YZ 80 but ended up with the MX 100. It was 100 dollars cheaper. Still passes me off.
When I got older things really changed(2years later).
No dirt bikes didn't do it for me until 1982(except for the '81 RM125), 1982 is when the paradigm shifted for the better in making bikes very appealing to the eye.
...pick any five or six year period motocross history...1980 - 1985 was a period of massive developmental changes never before or since. A remarkable period in motocross.
Yes, another great review. This was my first real motocross bike. Not the best choice for a 19 year old trail rider coming off a mild can am 175 qualifier. The bike was an absolute rocket. The first time I gave it the berries I nearly went flying off the back of the bike. First race of the year, my second race ever (after racing the canned ham the previous years finally). got a decent start, gassed it half way through the first corner, flipped it, got run over by half the pack (50 man gates at Maplehurst), tire tracks all across my back. not a good day, then it started raining, then I locked my keys in the car. Mom rescued me, Thanks mom.
This comment deserves at least 15 or 50 likes. I wish I'd been part of your generation. Cheers.
Yah really you guys were tough. My friends are always throwing excuses why they cant go riding.
Wow what a beautiful bike! There is something special about motocross bikes from late 70s to early 80s.!
Yes there was, but we can't seem to figure out what it was. I figured it out. Since 68, when MX came to the USA, to 1986, (the production rule), MX was as "free market", (no outside controls of what we make and sell), as the sport ever was in the USA. When following their own interests, the manufactures, and the big sales, allowed the manufactures to make a better bike almost every year,---with very little added retail cost. That was a special era indeed. I wish we all understand that. We seem to think interests , (usually government), outside of the industry is OK for some reason. It is not. It is basically control and theft of the industry from the free people who created it in the first place, and they drive them into the ground. That is why the sport is failing today, and is the same reason a mid priced car is about 30 grand. We don't get it----anywhere near enough to reverse it. I find it interesting you see that era as "something special", as many of us do who lived it. I just explained what made it special, and basically, it was the same for every industry we created.
In reality, if we want healthy and new industries that come from our minds,---we gotta tel government to get out of our business. Those people sought government jobs, because they are not sharp enough to make a dime in our free market.
The 1986 production rule and the 4-stroke forced on the industry are the biggest 2 things that happened in our sport by far,---that had damaged it.
I raced Honda CR250R's, 1978 through 83, in between them was my 1980 Yamaha YZ250G, of those bikes the Yamaha was the only one I didn't have to do any suspension mods, that bike handled beautifully out-of-the-box
you went back to honda for 1981? the yamaha and especially the suzuki full floater.
I owned one of these many years ago.. It certainly had a screaming power band and was a decent bike in it`s day
I love how you included so much of that awesome Cycle World test and the ad that was in the issue. I spent hours looking at that ad and the motor diagram and really learned how a 2-stroke engine works. These were great days for the sport. Just a few years later, I bought my first dirtbike....a $400 1981 YZ 465. Not a great choice for a 140 pound skinny novice.
How about one on the 1980 YZ125G.....love watching your show....I was a young southern ca. motocrosses through the decade of the 70's so I relate to a lot of the bikes you showcase from that era....thanks for the trips down memory lane
Awesome documentary on the 80' yz250! Hope to see a review of the 81' yz250 in the future.
We will!
@@TheMotocrossVault Thanks bud!
This is great. Seeing the bikes that were the bikes to have when I was a kid! Thanks.
This takes me back bigtime!!! The color an everything. My dad took me on his 80' out to the desert all the time. I thought it was the most bad ass machine. I loved the big yamaha print on the seat.. Been a Yam guy ever since.
Had one , it was great , wish I still had it .
Had one-since 1980 yz250g redoing it now had all these years sold once bought back redoing it
Great review of a great bike and era .
Fascinating as always Tony - thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it
Nice work, this was a great overview!
The Yamahop…I think that’s what happened to my uncle Mark, he crashed his hard getting bucked off. He came home and his back was blood, his cut up white T was just soaked in blood. Pretty sure that bike got parked for years until I came along and rebuilt it, crazy fast bike.
Love the content I wasn’t born until the late 80’s but I love the vintage bikes so please keep the video going
Very cool video. I had the 1980 yz 80, and then the yz125, but never got to enjoy they yz250. But always wanted one
Thanks yet again T, man it’s like waiting on my issue of Dirt Bike to arrive in the mail ! Love your narration. How cool would it be to get with some guys that own these classic jewels and do historical rides and retro reviews. And the cool part, we technically get to go too ! Hey, we can all dream right ?
That It’s so nice to say thank you very much
The 80-81 yz250 info is awesome
Please review th YZ465 😁
My older brother had the 'G'. "It would rip my arms off"
Tony the 1980 YZ's had 38mm Forks and then 250/465 got 43mm in '81. Honda had 41mm forks 250/450 1981 only.
Hey great video as all your videos are. How about doing a 1996 125 shootout?
I used to have a 1979 YZ 250 and it was a beast of a bike, Like too much power for a primitive chassis imo...
The 6 speed transmission gave lots of problems on this model as well as the IT 250 in 81, that’s why they went back to 5 speed transmissions after that. I was going to buy a 81 IT 250 to race but after having friends who experienced many transmission problems I bought a brand new IT 465H which was a premium motorcycle.
The one year only (white) IT465, wow I bet you’d love to have that big Mama back. When I rode in the late 70’s early 80’s, Yamaha’s and Honda’s were the best you could get unless you were rich, then you got a Husky or a KTM. Nothing could beat Japanese reliability though and they still can’t.
@@deborahchesser7375 I agree with the jist of, and enjoyed your comment, but I must tell you that today, a KTM goes over 200 hours on the original clutch plates. We aren't in Kansas anymore, as much as I'd like to visit Dorothy.
I bought one new in 1980 and rode desert with it and it was faster than dam near any other bike for that time. Six speed transmission and a power band like a 125 allowed me to routinely beat 400, and 465's in a drag race. I had a 400 Suzuki with a fresh motor when I bought it and the salesman at the Yamaha dealer told me it would be faster than my 400, I told him he was full of shi*. Well, I had to eat those words as the 250 was neck and neck with the 400 through the gears then the Yamaha hit sixth and left the 400 in the dust. That was the best new motorcycle I have ever purchased.
That's only because your RM400 had a worn out top end,
Bad ass bike
I don't think "Yamahop" was a problem because of the early single shock location, (thru 1982). I say that because my 86 YZ250 had that "BASS" system on the vertical shock in an effort to stop Yamahop, and Yamaha had used a vertical shock/linkage for 3 years to that point. But at that point in my life, (before 86), I guess I was not fast enough to know what yamahop was.
BASS was 1985 ONLY.
it was an outstanding bike and at the time probably better quality than the honda. Although it was a fast intermediate or pro bike. If mid pack
11.8" of travel in the forks. The exact same as my stock 2019 YZ250, but much easier to get on the old bike. I lowered my 2019 bike by a total of about 1.75 inches, (.75" on the suspension and 1" off the seat), and I bet the seat height is about the same as this bike now. Why so tall today? Because the 4-stroke is so tall,---of course.
"Short people, (under 5'10"), got no reason. Short people, got no reason to ride". (old banned song, because "ride" was "live". Same thing to me though.)
th-cam.com/video/5aSD0GkU4jk/w-d-xo.html
The banned song from about 40 years ago.
If you could....and you had the G and the J of '82, you'd junk the engine and radiator of the J and wedge the aircooled engine from the G (or H) into the J chassis.....which is kinda what the Yamaha factory team did...with the YPVS intact.
Thank goodness the K came along in 83.
That's was the rapid development of the early and mid 80s.
and with a Boost Bottle! If i could attach a pic I have evidence that 1969cmp is correct on what the Factory was trying, race to race. Mr. Hannah on #2H OW and R.J. on a "factory support" 250J #47. Musta been right before High Point 1982 because i witnessed R.J. win that day on the "production" YZ250J but #22. Pic is not from that day but from a promo poster that was at Cahill's Yamaha (Tampa)when we (Dad)were picking up my YZ125K. Being a Hannah kid, i took a shine to the poster, Dad asked for it and at the time, being last years wallpaper they gave it to me. 2024 now and it still makes me smile! 10:01
@@stevekemp7810 YEIS.
My first 125 was a G back in the day. The issues that the 250 had were carried over to the 125
Hi, so how many gears did the 79 model have..
The 1979 and 1980 YZ250s are six-speeds
Tony wheres the cr history vid that had soft washed out?
Which one are you referring too?
@@TheMotocrossVault it was all cr models it was a thing where it was a flip card thing that had the bike and had a white backround you took it down
@@TheMotocrossVault come on tony can you put it up again or send me a private link please
Im sorry for bugging you so much man but id really appreciate it
I'm sorry what did you want me to do?
@@TheMotocrossVault theres a old vid you had that you took down it had washed out -soft and it was a slideshow of all the honda cr motocross models it went up to 2019 or 2018 i think
@@TheMotocrossVault it was the history of them
What yz yamaha to europe deference by usa
Suzuki.......RM......250.....history of........please........
Sorry guys i was see yamaha for moto x i couldn,t reconagsice n deference dt ,wr xt xtz n yz n etc in 1979 isaw yamaha often practice in field very deference they had stick very long n chasis to but n found tank gas soline cecked n long cause yelow colour until now i won just looking for wasnt same thing please your show it one colected
I cant stand when American people use "zedd" instead of z your not british and it makes you sound silly
I say it because it is entertaining to say it that way and it amuses me.
@@TheMotocrossVault dammit Tony 😂 quit bloody sayin zed ! Cheers 🍻 mate.
He’s just saying it correctly ;)