For this edition of Classic Ink, we are going to take a look back at some ads and literature for Yamaha’s all-new 1996 YZ lineup.
The early 1990s were a tale of two very different paths for Yamaha’s full-sized machines. The YZ250 was a perennial contender with several shootout victories under its fenders, while the YZ125 struggled to claw its way out of last place in the yearly standings. In 1996, that script was flipped with the YZ125 FINALLY finding the power to run at the front while the all-new YZ250 plummeted from MXA’s “Bike of the Year” to the caboose of the 250 division.
The 1990s were nothing if not bold, and boy howdy, Yamaha’s ad department was not afraid to uncork an optical assault to make sure you knew they had an all-new YZ125 and YZ250 on deck for 1996. I am sure this ad caught the eye of many readers as they flipped through the magazines, but I think it may have taken things a bit too far, as it is difficult to read and does not do a particularly good job highlighting the styling of the all-new machines.
The YZ250 adopted an all-new frame, bodywork, and suspension in 1996. The new layout was a bit cramped for taller riders, but most pilots thought it was a significant improvement over the 1995 machine in handling and comfort. The revamped suspension was too soft for all but the lightest riders, but by far the biggest complaint in 1996 centered around the YZ250’s updated motor. The motor changes Yamaha made for 1996 knocked the YZ from one of the class motor champions to a unanimous pick for last in the horsepower standings. The new engine was down on power everywhere, with a narrow spread that made it much harder to go fast than in 1995 despite the new machine’s improved chassis dynamics.
While the YZ250 took a major tumble in 1996, its little brother finally broke through to the top of the 125 standings. After years of laughably slow motors, Yamaha found the power to push it to the front in 1996. The revamped motor was wicked fast and much broader in power than Honda’s notoriously pipey CR125R. The new Why Zed ran like a mini 250, and that made it much easier to put all of its 30 horsepower to the ground. Honda’s CR still had it by a little over one horsepower at its peak, but it required skill and total commitment to keep the high-strung Honda happy. The Yamaha, on the other hand, made going fast easy, and that was enough to deliver the YZ125 its first MXA 125 shootout victory since 1980.
BluCru: Yamaha made the move to its new corporate blue hue in 1996, and it was a pretty radical departure from the days of magenta, lavender, and lightning bolts. At the time, I was not a big fan of this new dark navy look, but I did love the sleek new styling of the bodywork. In my opinion, the move away from the white fenders and introduction of a lighter shade of blue in 1998 brought out the best of this bodywork.
All-new in 1993, Yamaha’s smallest YZ was not nearly as radically updated in 1996. The new deep blue bodywork gave it a fresh appearance, but otherwise it was the same machine as in 1995. That was not an entirely bad thing, however, as the YZ remained one of the best machines in the class despite a motor that lacked the flexibility of Suzuki’s power-valved RM80.
