Review: Yamaha off-road bikes WR250F and YZ250FX chew up some dirt

Yamaha is enjoying some success with its off-road bikes. The company has just surpassed league-leader KTM in some dirt bike segments, and is likely to add more motocross, enduro and trail models to its 2016 lineup.

We took a pair of them out to Santa Clarita’s Rowher Flat OHV park to get a sense of how they behave in the rough stuff.

The WR250F and the YZ250FX are similar in DNA to the bike on which pro rider Jeremy Martin has dominated the AMA 250cc motocross class for the last couple of seasons.

The two bikes have similar chassis, similar brakes and suspension, carrying about the same weight and do many of the same things well.

They sit high, at 38 inches, with just under 13 inches of ground clearance, and are shod with 18-inch rear and 21-inch front tires. They have 2-gallon tanks and six-speed, wide-ration gear boxes.

They differ in subtle ways, too. The YZ is the more motocross model -- a closed-course bike, red-stickered in California, that makes a good track or trail bike. The WR is the more enduro model -- green-stickered, with a headlight, tail light, trip meter, low fuel indicator and check engine light.

I liked them a lot, and found both responsive and ridable, right off the truck. At the end of the day, I found the WR a little more fun, probably because this particular machine had the added advantage of Yamaha’s after-market power tuner. The power was a little more accessible, which meant the front came up more easily and stayed up longer.

At just under $8,000, the bikes are priced competitively -- in the neighborhood of what you’d pay for a comparably equipped Honda, KTM Suzuki or Kawasaki.

Either one is a good weapon for the amateur weekend warrior.

Twitter: @misterfleming