Yamaha celebrates 50 years of YZ racing success with range of special editions

This year marks half a century since Yamaha YZ was the firm’s first foray into motocross, launching their original YZ production model and winning a first world title in the same year with the factory backed YZM250.

With that bike ridden by Swedish star Hakan Andersson in 1973, the firm were the first to implement a single shock at the rear of an MX bike and have since gone on to take multiple victories across the mud-packed classes.

In celebration, Yamaha are now releasing a striking range of special editions using a livery inspired by the YZ250 and YZ125 competition machines of the 1990s, and they are sure to turn heads during your next visit to the track.

Available on an all-new YZ250F, plus the YZ450F, YZ250 and YZ125, the colours offer a mix of white contrasted by licks of purple and pink. It became available for the YZ125 and 250 last month, with the 450F available during August. The new 250F won’t arrive in dealers until October.

Focusing in on this new 250F, the latest four-stroke Yamaha YZ gets a new YZ450F-inspired aluminium frame which is said to provide lighter, easier handling than before.

There’s also new bodywork that’s claimed to be tighter and slimmer – aided by a seat that’s now 6mm narrower. Keeping you upright is a twostage traction control system, with revised launch control also helping you to bag the holeshot. The suspension settings have also had a tweak and there’s now a lap timer for chasing vital tenths.