YAMAHA TT250R (2004 - 2005) Review

The Yamaha TTR250 is a hardy wee beastie. As an undemanding, unfussy enduro bike for newer riders it excels, with a never-say-die single cylinder motor that has just enough pep for muddy fun. Now deleted from Yamaha’s range the Yamaha TT250R is still a sound used buy providing you don’t have to go too far on the tarmac.

The one downside to the Yamaha TT250R is its height. At 895mm only six-footers will be able to get their feet flat on the floor. There are lowering kits available for the Yamaha TT250R, but it’s sometimes easier to simply fit the thinner seat from a pre-2000 bike. The off-road handling is easy, the brakes predictable and the simple chassis and suspension inspire confidence. The Yamaha TT250R's not quite so assured on the road, but it’s adequate.

The Yamaha TT250R's DOHC motor claims just 19bhp, but you can eke a little more out of it by removing the restrictor in the header pipe and trimming the snorkel in the air box. As it is the plucky Yamaha TT250R is about as friendly as they come and it’s as dependable as daylight. There’s also a screw by the throttle linkage under the tank that limits throttle turn. Slacken it off, adjust the cable for more turn and retighten it.

The Yamaha TT250R is so simple that things rarely go wrong. Just watch the flap that covers the shock – lose that and the damping rod quickly gets dirty and pitted, quickly compromising the seals.

As an introduction to off-roading the Yamaha TT250R is tough to beat, but you might soon find you could do with more oomph. Honda’s two-stroke CRM (also now deleted), especially the AR model, is supremely good and more capable. And any mechanical breakdowns will be much more expensive to fix on the Yamaha TT250R. Find a Yamaha TT250R for sale

The Yamaha TT250R comes with electric start as well as a kicker, a truly poor headlight and woeful handguards as standards. There are a few big bore Yamaha TT250R kits available, but it’s kind of missing the point and it only ever knackers the reliability.