Fred's YBR 250 ;-))

[Fred]

Ok, so an update after 800km with the new toy !

Likes :
- the storage place under the seat
- the general handling of the bike, so much easier than a "cruiser" style bike. The feeling is much better to take corners at speed.
- the tyres, very confidence inspiring in the dry or wet (except those bloody white markings on the roads, slippery as hell...)
- the power
- the fuel consumption
- the bike is quite narrow, perfect for splitting lanes.

Dislikes :
- false neutral at a red light. Doesn't happen often at all, but it happened only once in 5,000km with the Honda, and it's already been 3 times with the Yam...
- blinkers switch : it's a little bit softy for me, you don't feel clearly when you engaged or disengaged them. It's a minor problem anyway.
- the horn button is a little bit too far / down to reach it immediately and without doubt with the thumb. If you have to feel for it for 1-2 second, it's already too late in most of the cases.


In my opinion, having to look down at the rev counter during the break-in period is a bit dangerous, but that's unavoidable I guess. In China you cannot allow yourself not to be completely focused on the road ahead, as it takes only a second for something to scramble in front of your tires.
This morning was a suicidal girl, pulling behind her her younger brother just in front of my wheels, when I was looking down to see the counter....
Yes, I know, I could do it by sound, but I like to be very gentle with engines, so I'm looking precisely at the revs 90% of the time.

[Fred]

As posted here I took the bike to the mountains yesterday, 500km in a day.

Quick report on the bike :
1. It was perfect. Everything ran smoothly, break-in is now finished so I can open it !
2. Perfect set-up with the Bagster tank bag, got everything I needed and more, without having the need for saddlebags or backpack. The tank bag did not bother me at all, I don't feel it and completely forget about it when riding.
3. The fuel consumption is really low, at least according to the HTC app i use (Fuel Log) : 2,76l/100km, which means something like 85.22 miles/US gallon. Needless to say that with a tank capacity of 19 liters, I did the 500km without having to stop for fuel.

I loved the bike on the boring stretches of road, and loved it even more in the mountains. Very fun in the twisties, more than enough power, I'm hooked.

[Fred]

One more thought : being a monocylinder, the engine braking is quite strong, especially if you're getting off the clutch after downshifting, and still being quite high in the revs...

Yesterday I did a good slide with the rear tire while turning a bit because of that (I was not cautious enough this one time). I'm sure it looked spectacular from behind, people thinking I did it on purpose.
From the inside, I changed my underwear afterwards....


1 more question : does anyone know if we can buy (Taobao or others) hand guards for the YBR 250 ? I'm thinking that maybe the stock ones for the YBR 125G could fit, I'll go to the Yamaha store when I have some time.
It'll be mainly for wind/cold protection.

[euphonius]

Yesterday I did a good slide with the rear tire while turning a bit because of that (I was not cautious enough this one time). I'm sure it looked spectacular from behind, people thinking I did it on purpose.

Downshifting in a turn is no drama in a car, but on a motorcycle, especially a thumper as you've noted, you have to be very cautious as it's an excellent way to lose traction. It's far better to remember your basics and do all your braking/slowing going into the turn, then accelerate out. If you are having to downshift in the turn, you've probably waited too long and now are in the wrong gear. Be super careful engaging the clutch; engaging too quickly is just like hitting the brakes, and you'll slide for sure.

1 more question : does anyone know if we can buy (Taobao or others) hand guards for the YBR 250 ? I'm thinking that maybe the stock ones for the YBR 125G could fit, I'll go to the Yamaha store when I have some time.

Check out the hand job thread for full details on hand guards. I'm enjoying very much the Acerbis knockoffs that ChinaV cited early in that thread. They are almost indestructible, look great on the bike and help keep your hands warm (well, less cold) in winter by blocking the wind. They also keep your levers from snapping off when you drop your bike.

cheers!

[marcomagica]

I loved the bike on the boring stretches of road, and loved it even more in the mountains. Very fun in the twisties, more than enough power, I'm hooked.

Another happy customer of YBR250, it's indeed a fine bike! We should make the twins meet some day!

As for the hand guards keep me posted Fred, I'm interested to see how they fit, if you get some. I'm always looking for some new gadget for mine too.

[Fred]

A quick question for the YBR 250 owners out there : how would you describe the engine sound on your bike after 5,500-6,000 rpm, up to 7,500 ?
As obviously it's my first YBR, and I only had a 150cc before, the engine noise and also vibrations are different to what I knew of course. It sounds a little bit like something is "scraping" inside the engine after 5,500rpm, not as smooth as the Honda engine I knew before.
On the Honda, the engine sound when accelerating was more and more of course, but with a smoothly increasing sound. With the Yam, you have more of a metal scraping sound, with vibrations.

I checked the oil, everything is good there, no worries. Maybe it is the normal sound, it is a bigger engine after all. But after the rather unpleasant discoveries I had with the bike when I took it (damaged tank and side cover, bent steering, etc.), I'm a little bit paranoid now over every noise the bike is making...

I know it's difficult to say without hearing it, but for the YBR owners : if you had to describe the engine sound from 5,500 to 7,500rpm, how would you describe it ?

[marcomagica]

During normal operation (riding) I didn't notice any scraping sound at all, of course riding the sound could be covered by wind. I would describe it smooth from what I can hear.

I've never tried to rev it up in neutral, I'll try once I get back to homebase and report back.

[ZMC888]

With the Yam, you have more of a metal scraping sound, with vibrations.

Fred there absolutely shouldn't be any weird noises with a YBR250. I've ridden Pete's bike, I have to say it's about the quietest smoothest bike I've ever ridden, and I've taken it to the red line a fair few times. My previous Honda, wasn't as smooth. Carefully check your bike, I'd wager it's a bent front brake disk rubbing on a pad, but it could be a host of other things.

On a side note I found the throttle to be a little weird and choppy as I'm not used to EFI singles, the bars too narrow and high and the forks/shock to be a tad too soft for me. But I could get used to it, as the handling is phenomenally good!

[bartez88]

A quick question for the YBR 250 owners out there : how would you describe the engine sound on your bike after 5,500-6,000 rpm, up to 7,500 ?
As obviously it's my first YBR, and I only had a 150cc before, the engine noise and also vibrations are different to what I knew of course. It sounds a little bit like something is "scraping" inside the engine after 5,500rpm, not as smooth as the Honda engine I knew before.
On the Honda, the engine sound when accelerating was more and more of course, but with a smoothly increasing sound. With the Yam, you have more of a metal scraping sound, with vibrations.

I checked the oil, everything is good there, no worries. Maybe it is the normal sound, it is a bigger engine after all. But after the rather unpleasant discoveries I had with the bike when I took it (damaged tank and side cover, bent steering, etc.), I'm a little bit paranoid now over every noise the bike is making...

I know it's difficult to say without hearing it, but for the YBR owners : if you had to describe the engine sound from 5,500 to 7,500rpm, how would you describe it ?

Fred I have the same. It happens during driving only when you put it at a certain pressure on the throttle it sounds like something is not quite right. Take the throttle off and its gone. I cant figure it out either, I asked if it was the valve timing but nobody has the tools to check it or even dare open the head to check. Did you find any solution to it, or did it stop?
When the engine is cold the noise is not there, only after a 5 min warm up. Is it the same?

[Fred]

Strangely enough, I think I got used to it, it's just making the exact same noise it was making when I purchased it.
So to be honest, I cannot say at all if it is normal or not, I never tried any other YBR 250.

I will be in Chengdu in 4 days, so if there is any YBR250 owner over there, I'll be glad to hear it, or it will wait maybe Shandong with Pete...
What I have also is a faint but very regular clicking sound from the engine after 5,500-6,000RPM. I tried to change the fuel octane (93 and 97), but it made no difference.