yamaha xt225 reviews

2005 Yamaha XT225 review. I am a 6'1180lbs 50 year old male. I have been riding for many years. I was looking for a bike that was light (238lbs), and capable of getting me to those old logging roads where I love to ride. This bike is what I call a "put putwhich is what I wanted (last bike was a 650 Suzuki dual purpose). My spirit wants to ride aggressively but my 50 year old body says no way. This bike hardly has enough power to keep the front wheel up when going over large bumps so I definitely have to slow down. It will do 65 down the paved roads easy enough, just don't ride it when there are any significant winds. Off road, for me, it is perfect; light and nimble with enough power to get wherever I want. The seat is an engineering mistake. There is a ridge along the center back half of the seat that rams right into the tailbone so a new seat or adding about 2of padding is a must. Front shocks are adequate but the rear shock could use a little more travel. I get about 75mpg. Show less

I've owned my XT since March of '04. I drive it to work when the weather permits and it's great. Easy to handle in traffic and enough zip to get you out of tight spots. After a few mods it's gotten better. As for off-road I've taken it to a local motorcycle park and rode with guys on full blown dirt bikes. No it won't do a double or make much of a rooster tail or ride wheelies for miles but when you get onto tuff mountain trails it comes into its own, I will go out on a limb here and say hands down it's the best trail bike you can buy. Very easy to handle and will climb anything nice and slow!!! It's very dependable which is important when it's a long walk back to the truck. If you want a tuff little bike that you can explore the back country with, I would suggest this one to you. Show less

My wife and I each have an XT. We love riding on logging roads and trails with them. Would like to purchase luggage racks for commuting purposes. One complaint is they are hard to start when left sitting for over a week. Crank, crank, crank, crank then finally either one will fire. Have had other more powerful larger dual-purpose bikes but these are lots of fun. Of course I'm a little older now and probably a lot smarter and don't have to go as fast as I once thought I had to! Happy Riding! Show less

I purchased my 225 to replace a '73 Yamaha CT3 175 Enduro. I never knew that 5 months later I would be embarking on a 4,300 mile excursion into the great southwest. I took the trip with friends of mine. Four were on cruisers, one a crotch-rocket, and me on a dual-sport. It took us 10 days and I can say that I was glad to get home and sit on something wider than the 225's seat. The bike did great. On the trip, we tried to run 60-65 mph. The 225 did this with not much problem. The bike is a little too light to go much faster than that on the interstate. (Larger vehicles will make you really squeeze the tank to keep control). I did however find that I could move around on the long seat and find a place that was "less raw" than the others to sit on. I made me a pair of highway bars and installed them on the lower front engine mounts. They were well welcomed on some of those long Texas and New Mexico roads. The bike did exceptionaly well and if it handled all those consecutive miles, then it will certainly hold up for normal riding. I am wondering now if I should sell it and get a cruiser. I may just end up keeping it and getting a Yamaha Virago 250. I think this is a great bike, but hard for dealers to get around this part of the country. Show less

I wanted a bike that wasn't so big that I couldn't get out of the way of some of these Colorado drivers and I also wanted it to go off road without having to do a bunch of suspension adjustments. I seemed to have found it all in the XT-225. This machine is perfect for what I wanted. I took it off road for the first time and I couldn't make it faulter in mud, dirt or stones. I did one adjustment to the suspension and now have an ideal ride for both the street & dirt. It's not the fastest bike out there, but at 250 lbs, I can load it easily on and off my pick-up. The electric start works great on this bike as well as the DOT approved tires. This is one of the best Enduro style bikes Yamaha has ever built. Show less

I have had the bike 2 weeks and already have 1100 miles on it. It is a fun ride on the streets and I did a proper engine break in and can travel comfortably at 65-70 on the highway. I can hit 80 if I want with no problem. The bike is very fast and sometimes cars try to race me... but I always blow them away. This is a reliable bike and fun to ride. I even do a little trail riding when I can. Totally cool. Also I take on a rider (my girl) most of the time. The only down side is the rear spring is a little soft (soft ride). So I am upgrading to a stiff rear spring. I gave comfort a 4 star out of 5 rating only because if you ride for a few hours your butt will hurt. I do plan on getting a more comfortable seat one day. But it's not so bad. Show less

I was a little hesitant about buying a 225 and thought I would have would want to upgrade in no time. To my suprise this bike has more then enough power in the city, highway and off road. Handles like a dream and is great on gas!! I would reccomend this bike to beginners as well as veteran riders. Ride smart and be safe !!! Show less

I happen to love this bike. It requires ZERO maintenance. It will go anywhere you want it to go, with the exception of sugar sand. Some will say its kind of slow with a top speed of 50-60mph, but with a long flat straightaway I can peek mine at about 83 mph. The lightweight of this bike makes it ideal for younger or novice riders. I love this bike and highly recommend it! Show less

Well as my title says I have driven my buddy's bike a couple of times and I really liked it a lot. A couple of years ago I owned a Yamaha TW200 and went driving with my biking partner but couldn't keep up with him going thru the trails. His '97 XT225 really absorbed the bumps while I felt every one on the TW200 so I sold it! But now I just purchased a leftover '03 and can't wait to get out on it in May once all this snow is gone. I know that we'll have a great time riding our XT225's and we're both over 50 years old. I'll do a more in depth report once I get some miles on this little baby. By the way my buddy has put 8000 miles on his bike and hasn't had any problems with anything, he just thinks it's the cat's meow!! Show less

When stock it does all right on road or off road for a dual sport. It doesn't have the torque or horsepower I am looking for in a dual sport but better after some engine modifications. Show less