Yamaha XT250 Motovlog 46: XT250 Highway Riding
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- čas přidán 10. 03. 2017
- Hey guys,
In this video I talk a little bit about how the Xt250 does on the highway. I dont recommend using the XT on highways for extended periods, but for the short trip its fine. Rider weigh and weather conditions can make the XT a joy to ride, or you can be stuck puttering in the slow lane.
~NoOne - Auta a dopravní prostředky
For sure buying one now, if it goes 70 on the highway that's all I need. I have a Sportster for cruising, I want to hit the Ohio wilderness with this bad boy.
Thank you for all your videos. Helped me decide to buy the 2018 Xt250 yesterday!
Fun fact. The xt250 has a wider gear ratio than the wr250R, despite only having 5 gears.
Excellent vid bro. I NEEDED this info. I own an XT250 and an R3 and this content was invaluable to me ;-) so keep up the great work on your channel :-D
I love my XT250 because it pretty much forces me to slow it down and take the back roads. I mean, why are so many motorcyclists in such a hurry these days anyway? Any road with a speed limit of 50 mph or less is where I like to ride this bike... And of course gnarly single track...
+80hitultracombo the xt250 really shines on those 50mph roads! When I bought the bike those were the only roads in my area so it was perfect. Since then, I've moved and now I have to pin it just to keep up with traffic! Thanks for dropping by!
Seeing this bike keeping up with traffic going 120km/h+ on the freeway is selling me even more on one. Up in Quebec most traffic on the autoroute is going around 110. Hell i dont even go over 110 in my car so this is pretty much all i need.
Wouldn’t recommend doing that too much though. The strain it puts on a small 250 is harsh
am considering xt250, thx for very helpful review.
you are wise and smart, two requirements for riding motorcycles
The xt250 is a great bike!!! Thank you for the compliment! You don't have to be smart and wise, you just have to be more smart and more wise than the people you share the road with.
~NoOne
i know this vid is old, but it helped me alot, Very informative, Thank you! 😸
Thanks for the video. Buying my 1st bike. Either this, or the yamaha MT-03. You provided some great information
What did you end up getting? I have xt225 thought about MT03
Thanks for the Video, I have seen a lot of your posts and I appreciate your input about bikes and on the XT. I am looking to get my wife on a bike and I was considering the XT your videos have been very informative. Have you ever considered throwing a windscreen on it to cut down drag to help at highway speeds.
Thank you so much for watching!!! Not a problem, I just try to keep people informed about the bike and help those who are in the market! I have been looking into windscreens, particularly the small one off of the japanese SEROW. Its the US XT250 with different fairings! As of right now, I'm slowly going to start doing some mods to the bike, stay tuned for some of those videos in the near future!
Being able to go on the highway speeds seals the deal for me. I would like one in the future.
Good review, well done!
Very Cool Highway ride. Cheers!
nice vids man. i never reply to stuff so yea. please consider changing the gearing on your xt if you use it to commute mostly. i have a 2009 and 2017 xt 250. the bike can do anything you want after a few mods, very versatile.
I have a xt250 2017 did changing the sprocket help you go faster ?
Thank you for posting the video with all usefull infos! Greetings from Brasil!
You are very welcome!!! Hello from California!!!
~NoOne
Great vid!! I don't take my '16 XT 250 on the highway. At all. It's my trail riding and around town bike. I've had it up to 130km/h (Canadian) but it definitely doesn't like it. Looking at picking up a dual sport 650 for highway travel! I am a smaller guy as well. 150lbs 5'7 so these XT's were made for us. I totally agree wish it had a 6 speed. But get her in off road she's a total mountain goat! Keep up with the great vids dude! Ride safe.
Thanks for dropping by Todd! I was thinking about a bigger 650, but I still owe some money on the XT and most of the 650s would require me to get lowering links and shave the seat.
i have an xr650L better on highway for sure from short stints ive done the pickup for on ramps in particular here in west palm beach area 95 but for the 35mph roads she is a workout vs my xt250 i'm 6'0 160 31'' inseam xr is 37'' seat hight , 346pds and just big requiring more energy conversely xr is easier by for 45-75mph in terms of comfort and stability whereas i have experienced the dearh wobble on xt250 at 40mph in mild winds get a used xr as well all bases covered for platable ds both equally bulletproof vs husq/ktm
death wobble
You ever thought about doing some video recordings of big city riding? Do one during rush hour then do one not so rush hour or like halfway through lunch traffic.
I got a 2023 xt250 do love it but I tried taking it on the freeway but got the death wobbles the wind was pushing me around to much.
It seems like the Brazilian version of this bike has a smaller sprocket, i recommend you put on a smaller sprocket when it wears out it doesn't need to be high rpm all the time
I am buying one tomorrow.
2017 model with 17000km, just over 10000 miles.
Long tome ago I had brand new DT250 2 stroke and moved that bike but now I have 2002 Yamaha DT175
You, my friend, have just gained a new subscriber! I was just sitting on this bike at the shop near my job and thought to my self, "Wow, this bike is in my price range and fits me like a glove, but how will it do on the highway when visiting my family?" Excellent video! Very informative! Pease keep posting! Also, did you ever thing about changing the sprockets and adding a slip on exhaust to increase highway performance?
+Bassghost Baybay hey thanks for tuning in brother and leaving a comment! I have thought about throwing on some speed parts but it adds up pretty quickly! The fmf power core 4 is about $225 alone and a lot of people recommend a remap for fuel. :/
$225?! That sucks! Do you think just the sprockets alone would help?
+Bassghost Baybay honestly anything would help, but the 2 changes im most likely to do would be a Performance air filter and an exhaust (mainly so people hear me splitting lanes)
Bassghost Baybay I have the fmf powercore 4. It does NOT require a power commander. At least not on the fuel injected XT's. I even contacted fmf Personally with that regard. I also have a k&n air filter. Fmf powercore also reduces weight by 12-14 pounds on the bike. I have aftermarket pro taper handlebars fastway footpegs, double take mirrors, aftermarket stubby aluminum black levers, cycra pro bend handguards, the list goes on!! There are LOTS of mods you can do to these wonderful machines.
I sat on one of these and what I love is that the seat is low enough so a normal guy like me (5 11) can easily sit at a red light with both feet on the ground and not need to be on my tippy toes. That lower seat pulled me away from the Honda 250.
Also, I heard it gets about 78 mpg! great!
+classicjukebox man I'd kill to be 5'11!!! The low seat brought me to the xt250 as well, all of the other dualsports have 35+ inch seat heights! That mpg is optimistic, but I have a CA XT so I have a bunch of emissions stuff. Brand new without all of my gear on it and the way I ride I was getting about 65 mpg, fully loaded and 11000 miles later I'm getting about 55 mpg.
I just sold my 2016 CRF250L and purchased a new 2020 XT250. I love my decision, this is an awesome motorcycle.
@@honestlion17 which one is faster?
Good vid. Bought one 2 weeks ago. Have a Ducati Monster 12 with 170 hp and I keep jumping on the XT cause it's so much fun. And yeah 60 in the right lane is just fine.
How fast does yours go? What speed does it get squerly?
@chasetan1059 I sold it sometime ago and had a CRF 300 for a while. I remember I could ride 60 on the XT comfortably. Any dual sport might get squirrely you just have to be gentle with the bars at highway speeds.
@@pg6576 thank you for the info. I’m between the Yamaha XT250 and a Honda XR150L. The 150 cruises at 55 supposedly but anything more than that is left to chance I hear. That eliminates all chances of me getting on the interstate. So basically I don’t know if I should spend the extra 2500 on the Yamaha…I’m 6’ 200lbs
@chasetan1059 I don't know what your budget is but if you can afford it get a crf 300 you can cruise at 70. It's only 50 CC's more but it's a whole different ball of Wax
@@pg6576 okay thanks for the advice! I could probably spend 6k on a bike but I think I want to get a new one. I’ve never driven a motorcycle before so that’s why I was think of a small dual sport but I like the idea of the CRF300L because a lot of people told me that it’s better to get something you won’t grow out of
Thanks for the video, im probably going to get this for my fist bike. I'm also thinking about the TW200 but I'm leaning towards this
What did u get??
Could you ride at that speed with say d606 tyres? I had a ktm 350 freeride but sold it because it just felt like too much bike for me, being 5'5" I need something really low and this seems just right for me but I need to ride some 100kmph roads for a little while to get to the offroad areas I could explore
Im at 200lb with gear and i can get about 73 (indicated). The xt shines in city, lane splitting, and trails. As far as the extra gear, i dint think it needs one.
1st and 2nd are low enough for offroad. 3rd is perfect for city. 4th is decent for 2 lane highways. I consider 5th an overdrive. A 6th would be good for low revs but no acceleration at all.
The xt is such a fantastic bike for everything except for long highway use. I think the 6th would be good for long flat highways, where I am I'm usually high in the revs in 5th and there's a ton of vibration. I agree, with the XTs power a 6th gear would make it pretty gutless in terms of acceleration. Thanks for the comment and thanks for checking out the video!
Can you do any tuning like remap or maybe hotter camshaft or even a bigbore kit?
I wonder what's the difference between the 2017 model and the new 2019 model??
You always hear about buffeting from trucks with light bikes. As a "hope to get a bike someday" guy I am wondering... Is this a serious safety issue? To people actually end up losing control or is it basically a comfort issue?
Have you put a K&N air filter on your XT? I installed one on mine and noticed two things. 1) its definitely quicker feeling in terms of acceleration. Its pretty noticeable. 2) There is a downside in that Id say I lost about 5 mph on the top end, and as you know on this bike it needs everything it can get up there.
Since the XT is my second bike (F800GS is my daily) Ive decided keeping the filter for the extra grunt around town and in the trails is worth it to me.
Since this video I have thrown on a K&N! I didn't really notice too much of a change but then again, I may just not have been paying close enough attention!!! I really want an bigger ADV bike like an f800 I'm just paranoid about dropping something that big!
Dropping a bigger bike definitely something to be concerned about. I feel like the XT is a feather when I tip it over and have to pick it up. As of yet, I have not dropped the GS, but I don't ride it that hard off road as it still has pretty street oriented tires. Next set I'll go 50/50.
I had dropped my previous bike a few times (Honda NC700X that i adventurized). I'll say there is definitely a technique to it, and its doable by one person if you do it the right way. Theres videos on here that demonstrate the procedure, but I could see having a second person would definitely be handy!
Hey Im planning to buy the xt250 but the dealership is like 220 miles away, do you think is a good idea to ride the 220 miles, the 50% of the miles will be street and the other half highway
What is your front and rear sprocket size? I just got the xt250 and even at 55 mph I am revved way too high. Even after going to 16/48 it isn't fast enough for what I need.
great vlog, great video ! you need more subs! i have a few bikes an dim interested in a newer XT
+TheKLXkid1 thanks brother!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Honestly you aren't the first person to say that, and it makes me wonder why I don't have more. Hahahaha. As an owner of a 2015 xt, it's a very fun bike but keep in mind what kind of riding you expect to do.
Well if you peep my channel you'd see I do a bit of every type of riding. I love my 82 xt in tight stuff but it doesn't always have enough power. My younger sister has a 09 xt250 before fuel injection and I like it. I've had a TW that was fun but mine was clapped out. I'm thinking a 13 and up xt250 and that stroker crank and big bore kit on procycle has me like thinking hmm that would be fun. Haha
This bike consumes as much gasoline for 100km of roads and urban roads? Thanks
What tires you have on it
What kind of tires to you have? When I get up to 65-70 my bike starts to have front end wobble. If I accelerate or decelerate it slows/stops. I just assumed it was the knobby tires. Thanks for all the tips!
In this video I think I was using the Shinko 804/805s. Right now I'm using the Continental TKC80s. Sometimes I get the wobble, but it really varies depending on road conditions, what's on my bike, and even cross/head wind/ weather conditions. I rarely have them with my TKC80s but I'm not sure why.
A 4 lane ( or more ) is not the place for the XT250 for an extended length of time as you note.. To each his own but I wouldn't ride it on the road nearly as much as you apparently do...Over 70 on knobbys ? In the rain ? You gotta be kidding me.. Just because it can doesn't mean you should.. Take it for a ride in the woods or a gravel/forest road or even a back blacktop road and enjoy it the way it was meant to be ridden. By that I mean under 60 most of the time. I think you're missing out on the real purpose of the bike...
The bike is made for off and on.. dual sport / enduro, their are highways tires that are knobbys like d.o.t approved.
I'd love one of these but at 250lbs I'm not sure it'd hold me
I bought mine Friday, not registered yet sump gard, rack & barkbusters never registered a 2016 station bike with knobbies a 2016 10000 on the odometer I paid $4000.00 Australian
I have a MT03 2017 as well with a screen.
From where to San Diego? Hammer
Did you enter I-215S from Scott Road? I live around 20 minutes away from that place, and greetings from a supermoto rider from Temecula. Cheers.
+E2Moto yes I did! Keen eye brotha!
NoOnesWatching I used to drive there a lot for MSJC.
Be great on twisty rural back highways
Do you think it would be good for 55mph? That's all I really need, there would be some hills around too. I've thought of the tw200 but it needs a sprocket change and the knobby tires swapped.
Perfect for 55!
The XT 250 indeed is not a fast ride. I installed a larger primary sprocket on my bike. It seems its cruising comfort range is about 48 to 50 MPH. I don't like putting too much stress on the engine since its not a high speed cruiser and I am perfectly happy with those speeds riding the highways of the Ozark mountains. I use this motorcycle to look for old rotting and dilapidated barns doing photography and its perfect for that kind of riding. The engine has a history of being bullet proof. My XT is the 2014 model with fuel injection and I love it over the carbureted older models.
I've been waiting to put the bigger front sprocket on my bike but can't pull the trigger. Is it worth it? Did you lose alot of torque and acceleration? Whats your top speed increase like?
I enjoy photography as well! Id love to see some of your photos! I totally agree with you in terms of the XTs engine, I've put mine through the ringer and she still putters like a dream.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
~NoOne
The addition of the larger primary sprocket gave me possibly 3 more mph which is not dramatic but again I am very particular about not stressing the small engine. The sprocket was pretty cheap and was very easy to install so I had nothing to loose. I noticed no problems with torque or acceleration. For a small bike even with the installation of the larger primary sprocket I am continually impressed with its power but non the less, it is not an interstate travelling motorcycle and is more suited for slower backwoods highways. I would say go for it because it is a very inexpensive improvement.
Sweet!!! I love hearing parts reviews like this! I'll have to give it a shot pretty soon!
Hey how essential is ABS for street riding on the KLX250 with less than 10% off road?
If abs is an option, id get it
All those things you speak of about motorcycle and highway driving it applies to all motorcycles
How do the vibrations compare between the xt250 and r3 on the highway? Do you think a crf250l would do better than the xt250 on the highway with its sixth gear? Thanks.
+denny diablo the vibrations are by far worse on the R3. The seating position forces you to put more weight on your hands which amplifies the fatigue you feel over time. At cruising speed (75-80 mph) you can even feel the vibration in the footpegs. I honestly couldn't tell you if the crf250 would do better but I'm sure the 6th gear would help out. Thanks for dropping by denny!
Wow would have thought the thumper would be the more vibey bike. Thanks for the info!
+denny diablo yeah brother no problem!!!
when we gonna ride? i got a xt250 as well in the los angeles area haha
You know of any good trails out there????
I looked this up to see if it could handle the fast paced freeways by my house and i see that this guy is actually riding by my house
So cal can be a bit sketchy on the highways but the XT (almost) keeps up!
I'm still thinking of a dual sport or a cruiser
Really think about what kind of riding you want to do vs the actual kind of riding you will be doing. I love riding a dual sport but there are a ton of amenities that it lacks! Keep that in mind and thanks for dropping by!
~NoOne
What about vibration? When you are riding at 75? I dislike vibration...also, is the motor straining and over revving at 75? Or is it calm?
+classicjukebox honestly the bike has had a bunch of different vibrations from when I started riding it. From high speed wobbles to tiny vibrations in the grips that numb your hands. The XT isn't meant for long durations at this speed but it's all situational. Road and load conditions can induce some pretty weird things but at 75 my bike is fine! I don't have a ton of extra go at that speed but if I'm going flat I can get to about 85. I'm a super light rider so my riding experience with the XT may not be the same as yours will be! Thanks for dropping by!
~NoOne
Thanks. What if I am riding city driving up to about 60 mph? How is vibration in that scenario?
+classicjukebox in the city with stop and go stuff you'll be fine! Most of my riding when i first got my bike was in those conditions. It was perfect.
Thanks. Yes, I can imagine 3 hour rides to San Diego at full throttle at 75 would be brutal in terms of vibration. I think its a lot more fun to cruise PCH instead with a bike like this...The freeway is just laborious with no real sights to see...
Well, here's what I love/hate about the XT. She can go 75 if you need her to BUT you necessarily won't want to be uncomfortable at 75mph hahahaha, so take it a bit slower (60-70) and just take the extra time to get there.
I've done my fair share of 2 hour jaunts down to San Diego and back in the same day, it's not exactly as easy as it could be, but it's still doable. The XT is pretty clutch, it does highway and offroad whereas say the TW200 can't even get close to stretching distances like the XT.
~NoOne
As long as it doesn't honest 60 to 65 I'm good with that. I'm sure your gas mileage must really stink at 70 plus.
what the max weight rating of this bike:)
+40belowful owners manual says 353 with rider and gear. I wouldn't want to push it beyond 220 though.
im looking to sell my tw200 and buy 2012 xt 250 ! not sure if it right decision !!!!!!
I'd go to the Wr unless you are really short
@@NoOnesWatching0_0 xt has 50cc more and no tube tires.
The xt is tubed
Oh ok
I have the XT250 go up 1 tooth on the front it's like have a 6th gear
+Don C awww man!!! That sounds awesome, how much torque did you lose?
NoOnesWatching none
Don C did you gain top end mph? and what about changing the rear ? smaller bigger? what would make it faster.. i have one and really want to pick up more mph
i only changed the front i went up one tooth. the rear is stock 48 tooth. if you change the front you will see a increase of performance through out the gear range. my top speed is 83-85 mph.
Eduardo M I can definitely attest to what Don C said. The 16t front sprocket made a huge difference on my XT-250. I have a 2010 (carbureted) and I installed the new front sprocket, FMF powercore 4, and rejected the carb. With the new pipe I have more bottom end power than I did before, and with the new sprocket the rpms are much lower in 5th gear at higher speeds. These two mods are a must on an XT in my opinion.
You should really slow down on that thing on the freeway, or you ain't gonna get no places.
How heavy are you.?
+Blueman about a buck 20, buck 25 give or take.
maybe not tailgate...
For only $1,000 more , you can get a BMW G310GS 😉 wow 😮
Great go buy one
Except that’s a sketchy made in India bike that I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw it
250cc is in no way suitable for long haul highway riding..a 650 or at least 400 dual sport should be used for that
I live in California and I am forever getting stuck behind cars doing 60-65 mph usually texters or older people and Asians. Don't ask me why but Asians are some of the worst and slowest drivers anywhere, I lived in Hawaii for awhile and they are the majority there and the worst drivers, slow and dangerous somehow.
I agree totally! Man, ITS THE WORST! I've noticed that the worst drivers are always the ones who are most distracted. Of course there are plenty of people who lack spatial and situational awareness, but they are a bit harder to come by.
Thanks for checking out the video and leaving a comment!
~NoOne
You buy a 250 cc bike and then you say it is slow, what kind of stupid is that?
Wr250 .... It's a 250, that's not slow. Have a good day.
yeah...he should have bought an F-16
Thank you for all your videos. Helped me decide to buy the 2018 Xt250 yesterday!