Hello XT Riders,
Life events and stupidity on my part kept me away for a long time. But I came to my senses and just bought a 2020 XT 250. I've owned 3 (I think) 225's in the past and was hesitant to buy a 250 due to the 5 speed rather than 6, extra weight and fuel injection (I hate electronics. They crap out and can leave you stranded). But I decided to bite the bullet anyway with the hopes that Yamaha has been making the FI XT for the last 10 years and should have the electrics perfected by now.
The bike has only 193 miles on it and other than a few scratches on the decals seems next to perfect. Doing some research I see that the new XT's have a higher seat height. I knew that the 31.9 seat height fit me perfectly from my past 225's and the 2020 still had that. I live in Roswell NM and had to rent a Van from Uhaul, drive 400 miles each way to pick it up. (The things we do for XT's) What made the trip interesting was high winds, snow, ice and accidents. (Again, the things we do for XT's)
But made it home safe and sound.
Now, a couple of questions. I need a set of tires that would work well in sand and also rocky terrain. And I need a rear rack to carry tools and probably extra gas. What are your suggestions?
And I am also looking for a riding partner. Anybody from the Southeast New Mexico region interested?
I guess that's it for now. I'm glad to be back!!
Bob

Welcome back. Glad to see someone else who feels the same way I do about electronics. I spent over three decades working as a government fleet services mechanic, and we had way more problems with electronics than anything else. We would get seven or eight vehicles a day coming in with the check engine light on, but still running ok. But being a government department, we couldn't let them be operated like that. We spent an unbelievable amount of time diagnosing and repairing whatever caused the check engine light to come on. Also a lot of vehicles that were brought in for routine service would have the check engine light on. We had no idea how long it had been on. Whoever that vehicle was assigned too couldn't afford the loss of use of it for however long it took to find and fix the problem, so they never brought it in. I can rebuild a carburetor out in the middle of nowhere. Yes, the XT225 does have a CDI, but I have a parts bike that had a CDI unit on it, so I carried that one with me in case I had a CDI failure.

A higher seat height is the last thing I need (other than computerized electronics) I have bad knee and hip joints, and have to stand on something just to get on my 225. I have to carry that something with me to be able to get off of it. I might be able to get on and off without doing that if the seat was flat. The back part of the seat is way higher than the front, and to get on it you have to get your leg over the back part. A couple months ago I had a fairly serious right knee injury, and had to stop riding motorcycles altogether (I have seven) I can't get on any of them. I do have a Vespa GT200 scooter I have been able to ride. The knee is getting better, and I'm hoping I will be able to ride actual motorcycles again. But unfortunately I've pretty much given up on riding the XT again. Even if I were able to ride it around locally, on paved roads, that's not what I got it far, and I have bikes better suited to that kind of riding. About a year ago I did a major refurbish on the XT, which included new tires. It took me almost a full day to replace ONE tire. And that was at home, where I had everything I needed. It made me realize that I would not likely be able to repair a flat tire with tube type tires out in the middle of nowhere, and flat tires (especially tube type tires) are fairly common in the AZ desert. I would be stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no way to call for help. I decided the risk wasn't worth it. If I had someone to ride with that could fix a flat tire, it would be different. I'm keeping the XT225 for now, it's an old school bike, and I like having it around. What I could get out of it by selling it wouldn't be enough to make any real difference.

As far as tires go, I am using those super cheap Cheng Shin tires that come on cheap Chinese dual sport bikes. There is a dealer that sells those bikes close by, and he can also get the original tires that come on them. They are not commonly available from most places that sell motorcycle tires. They don't have a lot of traction, but they had enough for the kind of riding I did. They seem to be made out of fairly hard rubber, and last forever. You might want to check here for ideas on tires https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/...xt-from-riding-to-modifications.1341366/ And this place seems to have a nice rack for the XT250 https://www.pmracks.com/products.php?b=Yamaha&sc=XT250

Enjoy your XT250, hopefully the electronics hold up.

Welcome back! A trials type tire should work quite well on rocks, but I don't know about sand.

Thanks for the welcome back. I found this article on Dual Sport tires. I may go the route of Dunlop D606 on the rear and Pirelli MT21 Rallycross Tire on the front. It seems like a pretty good combination. The rack is the same one that's offered on Ebay new for $73. I guess I'll spring for that. I understand the instructions leave a lot to be desired but once you get them figured out, the rack is fine. Partzilla has the control module for $235. It might be worth it to carry a spare. Has anyone had a control module fail?

I study Auto diagnostics as a hobby and the one thing I found out is NEVER EVER buy electrical components made in China. You have a 50-50 chance of them working at all or lasting any amount of time. Always go OEM.

Seeing how I just got the bike, I think I'll ride it with the stock tires to see if I really need to get different rubber. I'm 73 and hard core riding is a thing of the past.

Oh, the article on tires is https://www.rideadv.com/ride-adventures-tour-and-rentals-blog/best-dual-sport-tires

Welcome back to the site. We always leave the lights on and a key under the mat. There is a Tire Fitment thread that's dated but might provide some assistance in selecting tires. Ride safely.

Great to have you back with us, Bob. Among the XTs I've owned and ridden most have been 225s, the single exception being a 2012 XT250, the last year Yamaha made the carboratred 250. It was a great bike, a bit larger and heavier than the XT225, with 5 speeds instead of 6. It was in most respects a better local commuter bike, but for the type of low speed local desert riding I did, plus the off the beaten path urban exploring I particularly enjoyed, the lighter weight, lower seat height 6 speed XT225 remained my favorite.

At this point in its production run, having utilized their FI system on the XT250 since 2013, Yamaha doubtless has that system as 'dialed in' and bullet proof as it can be. So there's little you'll have to worry about with your bike's FI.

There are lots of rear carrying racks available for the XT250, plus a large selection of replacement parts and a variety of riding gear. Just depends on your needs and what you want to add to and spend your bike.

Once again, Bob - glad you're back!..

I think you're right. The FI system should be fine. I bought the bike at a dealer. It has 192 miles on it. Not knowing the history of the bike I don't know if the oil was ever changed. So that will be the first thing I do along with inspecting the air filter.

Welcome back!