Moto House Yamaha YZ250F

It is said that one man's dream is another man's nightmare. That saying makes a lot of sense when it comes to Dirt Rider Dream Rides. Some are full moto while others are dedicated off-roaders. Many look rad and different. What most have in common is bling. However, this rare and exotic Moto House YZ250F is antibling. Moto House is a Japanese company that modifies suspension and hand-builds bikes. Instead of mass-produced parts bolted on willy-nilly, every component is scrutinized in search of superfluous weight. At MH, stock is too heavy. Every part that could be made lighter has been; in many cases, substituting aluminum and titanium for steel. In other cases, careful machine work has nipped and tucked such stock parts that Jenny Craig would shiver just looking at them. A vast amount of time-which translates to money in the end-whittled eight pounds from the bike to make it 209 pounds ready to ride, tank empty. As impressive as 209 pounds is, and how subtly ultratrick the handiwork on the brake calipers is, the suspension action is the most impressive part of the package.

The light weight and suspension action led staff jump-monkey Chris Denison to exclaim, "This thing is bad! From the minute I pulled the YZ-F off the stand, I knew it was going to be fun. With a tight overall feel and some trick, mysterious components, the 250F carried much of that elusive 'pro bike' feel with it. I was immediately surprised with how well it cornered, much of which can be attributed to the light feel. It sounds counterintuitive, but the lack of weight made the Yamaha drop into ruts with incredible precision-it felt as though there were no extra pounds to work against you. Stopping power and acceleration were both excellent, and the strong motor had a surprising hit high up in the revs that would kick in just as you began thinking the bike was topping out. With a little clutch work, you could use this upper hit to squirt around the track. All told, this bike is a Dream Ride in every sense of the phrase-fast, trick and totally reasonable unless your business card has an Apple logo and the word 'Founder' on it. Suffice to say, I want one." Jesse Ziegler was more succinct, "This is the best-handling Yamaha I have ever ridden."

Eight pounds may not sound like much, and you would think it wouldn't matter whether the weight came off the rider or the bike, but the weight is absolutely noticeable.

When working on the bike, we discovered that the bolts holding the handlebar and fork legs are aluminum. Most of our riders felt that they didn't need quite that much lightness. An aluminum brake line fitting popped loose as well. The price of cutting eight pounds is breathtaking, and it increases our appreciation for works bikes. If you want some amazing suspension and a bike that's far from ordinary, battle your loan adviser and the language barrier and go to Moto House.

Parts List
LightSpeed Performance Products: www.lightspeedperf.com; 714.990.5767
Carbon-fiber chain guide: $66
Carbon-fiber clutch cover: $200
Carbon-fiber ignition cover: $200
Titanium footpegs: $200
Moto House Products: www.mhproducts.com
Fork special modifications: $1000
Shock special modifications: $1300
Front wheel lightweight modifications: $500
Front hub lightweight modifications: $550
Front disc inner change: $400
Rear disc lightweight modifications: $150
Wet-sump modifications: $600
Special lightweight triple clamp/stem: $1200
Aluminum footpeg bracket with titanium bolts: $300
Titanium axles, swingarm pivot, bolts and aluminum bolts: $2252
Modified Yoshimura exhaust: $845
Aluminum rear axle nut: $78
Rear brake pedal pivot bolt: $89
Rear brake lightweight modifications: $912
Special seat with drilled base: $280
Front brake lightweight modifications: $500
Teardown and assembly labor: $1000