Yamaha XT250 Thread - All things related to the XT from riding to modifications.

WOW!!!

Ordered 11/11/2020 - Waited for WebBike to get the tire which took a few days. Shipped 11/20/2020. Arrived today!!! - I paid for sea freight, which is supposed to take months.

Everything was wrapped beautifully, like it was fine art.

Always impressed with the service and care from WebBike. Getting stuff from Yokohama Japan is easy and very affordable, and PayPal doesn't charge currency conversion fees.

How much did you pay for your XT250?

I purchased mine new in 2018:

Anyone know if there is anything comparable to the Power Commander currently available for the XT? Or some other way to reprogram for exhaust and air?

My XT is having an identity crisis. You all know what it is but when I get to the dirt county roads, it starts thinking it is a purebred Dakar or Baja machine running 55-60mph as much as possible in the dirt. This past Sunday, it went flying over a couple of cattle guards at over 40 with me on the back. It will run me across them faster but usually doesn't take me for a flight like it kept doing this time. Hmm, I wonder if sometimes it starts thing it's an airplane now? Anyway, it either needs some help in the power department or it needs to go.

In reality, I have have tried riding conservatively. Having been off dirt for about 6-7 years and street for 10 years until this summer again (crazy how an overbearing marriage does to one until they are free to be themselves again). So I got the XT for it's many positives including the seat height but now I feel I am riding it harder than it should be. I want to be able to cruise tarmac a bit more comfortably since I unfortunately have to pound more miles than I want to get to dirt. I also am curious at what point I am going to outride the XT with catastrophic results. So maybe the thing to do is just move on? I don't know. Kind of rambling here but if anyone has input, let me know. I just want to ride harder than is wise and be able to cover a lot of miles in the process.

It is interesting to note you get 55mpg while I got 74mpg (19 miles variance)

My 94 miles is easier than yours.
It consists of about 60 miles hwy/freeway (55-65 mph) and 34 miles dirt.
Of that dirt 34 miles:
- 10 miles is really deteriorating forest service road (a lot of baby head loose rock), some mild rock garden
- 3 miles of sharp loose rock (like in a land slide)
- 21 easy Forest Service road/gravel piste

Mine is at elevation. Does the FI emit less fuel because of elevation?. Not sure if XT has an oxygen sensor.
Payload (rider+gear), riding style (aggressiveness) and speed have a factor on mpg.

Some riders get higher mpg. But most of us bought the XT250 for the 'fun factor' and not for the mpg.
I was expecting that the worse scenario, the XT250 will get 65mpg from the claimed 76mpg.
Last solo ride was 69mpg (faster on the freeway)

I have heard numbers all over the place. I use to get around 74 average and as I got more comfortable (more aggressive!) with both the bike and the roads I was riding, it dropped to about 68ish. Now I am running the dog piss out of it like a rally race bike and have dropped to 58ish. This is on a 2020 bike. So between the highway with lots of hills and running it hard in the dirt, it's taking a lot the feed the little squirrels inside the engine casing. At this rate I might have to up my spare fuel I carry as it's routinely 200 miles between fuel stops.

Congrats on being free again

I heard that there is 'no replacement for displacement'.
You want to fly, need bigger engine. Bigger engine equates to heavier iron horse.
If there is a power commander, it 'might' shorten the life of the XT.

Another option is to make it lighter so it run faster.
My friend has the Delkevic muffler on his XT225. It is Not obnoxiously loud like FMF pipe.
Oh it sounds so Sweet , nice growl.
Compared to OEM pipe, you will loose about 1.5-2 lbs without going on a diet.
Not significant HP gain according to their dyno.
Very tempted but not a required mod before my big trip.

I think that's the real bottom line. There was a Power Commander back in the early days of the FI XT. No idea why it went away.

I think the ultimate result here for me is goodbye XT, goodbye RE, hello .... Hmm, I don't know. Chasing the damn unicorn that doesn't exist I'm afraid. Was excited to see the launch of the KLX300 today since Yamaha dropped the WR but a 2 gallon tank and 9.8" ground clearance won't get me far either.

Sorry, but I think you are on the wrong bike. The XT is a great bike and I love mine for what it does: it's a workhorse that get's me where I want to ride and takes me off-road in a slow, competent safe manner. It is far from the thoroughbred race bike you describe you want (or a comfortable street bike). You might be able to coax some more of what you want out of it (upgraded suspension, re-built engine, etc.), but that would be at great expense, and it would still just be a 250. I think your solution is to sell it and buy this (then if you want to ride "harder than is wise", buy good health insurance and hang on tight!): https://www.ktm.com/en-us/models/enduro/4-stroke/ktm-500-exc-f-2021.html

Suspension solves airplane. See my previous Cogent Suspension posts.

Displacement solves power. Don't go trying to add power with modifications or you will need to add an oil cooler, like Yamaha had to when adding 2 hp with the Mexican version.

We find that we get a lot better mileage at altitude riding street bikes. But, I have a non-California XT250, and the service manual doesn't show an O2 sensor. My fuel tank has a 2.54 gallon capacity.

Can't speak for anyone else, but if I want to ride fast the XT wouldn't be the bike. Upgrading the suspension gets good reviews, but just look at a XT suspension compared to a KTM (for example) and that will tell you all you need to know about going fast over any obstacle. Got to have the right tool for the job.

I've been looking for weeks, if I could find a deal like that I'd be an owner. I'd prefer a used bike (all the good ones are sold in hours), but new the XTs around here are MSRP plus.

Grips like a mountain goat when combined with a knobby up front. I usually ran it with an MT21.

Bought my 2014 XT250 in CT in 2014, for MSRP, but out the door, including taxes, dealer prep, transportation, and dealer registration. At that time, the Honda CRF250 had a higher MSRP, but the same dealer wanted more for it, out the door, than the XT. MSRP for the Yamaha in 2014 was $5200, as now, but the Honda MSRP was more than it is now.

Thinking about a Shinko Trail Pro SR241 Golden Boy in 3" width.

https://shinkotireusa.com/product/trail-pro-sr241-series-tire/211922

True, but KTMs have nose bleed seat heights. - My XT250, with the raised seat height, is an all day comfortable place to sit. Try that on a KTM seat.

One can easily make the argument that KTMs are "real dirt bikes" and the XT250 is a trail bike. So, yes a prudent buyer carefully considers the intended use before spending hard earned money.

For me, at $4,200 plus the changes, like seat and suspension, my all in purchase is considerably less than a KTM purchase. But then, I'm a trail rider with no expectations of competing in enduros, like I did in my younger decades.

The value prices XT250 has trials bike turning radius, 11" ground clearance, and the suspension is easily upgraded. Even KTM owners make suspension changes, if the owner is outside the design weight.

There are deals, but you may have to hire transport to get the bike:
https://www.cycletrader.com/New-Yam...el=XT250|764863440&condition=N&sort=price:asc

Hmmm. . . Sounds like the problem is the nut behind the throttle

But seriously, I can't tell whether you want more power to fly faster, less power to preserve your skin, or better shocks to stick to the ground.

If it's the first, I agree a KTM (or Beta) would be the way to go, if you enjoy maintenance. They can do a lot:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/new-zealand-rtw-and-back-on-a-ktm500exc.1181912/
Of course, there's always the WR250R. Those would all be faster, but probably not more comfortable on the highway.

If it's the second (which I doubt), maybe a Honda Trail 125?

If it's the third, many inmates are very happy with better shocks. The OEM shocks just use a sharp-edged orifice to control fluid flow, so hitting a bump at speed imparts a very high resistance to compression. If you don't want to buy that whole list from Cogent Dynamics, consider just getting their Dynamic Damper Cartridges (DDCs). They list them for the XT, but don't give a price, so I asked them how much. They wanted $198.95 for the set. I'm not as aggressive as you, but think I'd be happy with just that (but still haven't sprung for them). You might also consider the Race Tech Gold Valve cartridge kit, for $179.99.

I do have Cogent suspension and for the record, the launches were intentional. As to the oil cooler comment, that was one of my curiosities. I suspected the power commander didn’t stick around because of overheating concerns.

All valid points by everyone around. Stuff I already know in my head but I am struggling with trying to justify the XT and not spend more money on another bike. Also not sure what the other bike would be since my list of requirements doesn’t really match anything on the current market. Closest thing I can find right now is a factory lowered Beta with the rally tank and extra fuel added on. I hear they are pretty rowdy though and I don’t want to be drawing undue attention to myself anymore than running down the dirt roads at 60. I feel like a noisy, rowdy bike is a good way to piss a lot of people off around here. Especially with the long deer hunting season we have and the fact that all my riding areas are going through prime deer hunting areas. Would prefer to not have the sheriff waiting at the end of the road to write me a speeding ticket because of multiple complaints. And this leads us back to the search for the fabled unicorn.

Comparatively to what I saw when I was looking for a used bike, you're right, that's not a bad price for a 2018. I was seeing '16 and '17s asking prices at around $4,700. That was crazy!

I went to a dealership 60 miles away with the full intention of buying a '20 that was ridden and turned back in by an MSF class with only 700 miles on it and only discounted $400 off MSRP. To me, it just made more sense to purchase new. So I bought a '21 and haven't regretted it one bit.

There are 2 pretty good deals on Cycle Trader right now. A '16 with 400 miles and a '17 with 7k miles both for $4,000.

Wow!! I just saw that leftover new stock 2020 in PA for $4,100!!