The MXA wrecking crew has known Dave Osterman for yearsfrom his Mike Bell tuner days, to Action Oz, to Team KTM, to Team Pro Circuit, to his current gig as the team manager of Yamaha of Troy. And although we've known Dave for 25 years, you don't truly know someone until you've spent quality time with them. We logged our time in the last month on a grueling mountain bike ride, during 104-degree test sessions at Glen Helen, and in the casual confines of the palatial MXA Towers. Familiarity may breed contempt in some circles, but for the MXA test crew, the more we interacted with Dave the better we liked him. We like it when we get to know people this well. It turns out that familiarity eliminates all the posturing that people put forth on a day-to-day basis.
So, it was only natural that when the time came for us to ask Dave if we could test Andrew McFarlane's or Brett Metcalfe's full-race Yamaha of Troy bike, it was a buddy-buddy deal. We asked, and Dave said, "I have to get approval from Yamaha, but I don't think it will be a problem." A day later Dave called us back and said, "Yamaha said you can test not just McFarlane's or Metcalfe's YZ250F, but you can have both of their bikes." It turns out Yamaha of Troy's two best riders run completely different setups. How different? That will become more apparent as we get deeper into this.
EVERY TEST RIDER REACTED THE SAME WAY AFTER RIDING THE TWO RACE BIKES. THEY ROLLED INTO THE PITS AND SAID, "THESE BIKES ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER."
Before we talk about how different Brett's bike is from Andrew's, we need to give you the lowdown on what exactly makes up a Team Yamaha of Troy YZ250F. The long list of modifications includes a YoT/YMUS head, Webcam cams, YMC crank, YMUS Keihin carb, Vortex ignition, Uni Filter air filter, FMF exhaust, YMC transmission, GYT-R clutch, Renthal sprockets, RK Chain, Renthal Twin Wall bars, GYT-R clutch perch, Acerbis plastic, YMUS triple clamps, Kayaba/Enzo suspension, N-Style graphics, GYT-R titanium footpegs, Fastline brake lines, Lightspeed carbon fiber and, last but not least, Pirelli tires. To clarify the source of the parts, you need a lexicon: YMC means it is a works part from Japan, YMUS means it is a works part from Yamaha USA, and GYT-R means it is a readily available kit part from Yamaha's in-house hop-up company.
MXA's test regimen was as simple as it could be. We took three MXA test riders (Pro, Intermediate and Novice) to two uniquely different, but well-prepped, race tracks, and let them ride as much as they wanted. The goal was to switch back and forth between Andrew McFarlane's and Brett Metcalfe's race bikes. As a fail-safe, we brought a stock 2006 Yamaha YZ250F along to keep us honest.
Every test rider reacted the same way after riding the two Yamaha of Troy race bikes back-to-back. They rolled into the pits and said, "These bikes are completely different from each other."
It turns out that Metcalfe likes a low-to-mid powerband, while McFarlane is a mid-and-up kind of guy. How does Yamaha of Troy manage to come up with two completely different engine packages? With different cam profiles, cranks, head work, carburetors, ignition curves, exhausts and clutches (McFarlane runs an STM slipper clutch, while Metcalfe runs a traditional GYT-R clutch).
SURPRISINGLY, THE MXA TEST RIDERS ASSIGNED TO RIDE THE YAMAHA OF TROY BIKES WERE NOT THE SLIPPER CLUTCH FANS, BUT THE SKEPTICS. THEIR CYNICISM FADED AFTER RIDING MCFARLANE'S SLIPPER.
If it seems like a lot of work to build two completely different bike setups for the same race team, you should understand that this is not uncommon for factory-backed race teams. In truth, many four-man teams have all their riders on bikes with slightly different setups. The key word is "slightly." The unique thing about McFarlane's and Metcalfe bikes is how radically different they are. You may think that we spilled the beans when we told you that Metcalfe likes low-to-mid power and McFarlane favors mid-and-up, but the differences are even more significant when you throw the clutches, ignitions and suspension setups into the mix. Here is how the two bikes felt in action.
Andrew McFarlane's YZ250F: Within one lap every test rider was completely comfortable on Andrew McFarlane's YZ250F. His bar positioning was perfect, the levers fell readily to hand, and the suspension was absolutely spot on. If we sound surprised, it's because we were. We have never been as comfortable as quickly on a works bike as we were on McFarlane's Yamaha. Josh Grant's CRF250 comes in a close second, but McFarlane's has Josh's beat on the comfort scale.
WITHIN ONE LAP IT WAS STRIKINGLY APPARENT JUST HOW DISSIMILAR BRETT'S ENGINE WAS FROM ANDREW'S. ON STRAIGHTS WHERE WE ONLY SHIFTED ONCE, WE SHIFTED TWICE ON METCALFE'S BIKE.
What made it so greatbesides the ergos? McFarlane's suspension setup did everything a motocross bike should. It used all the travel on the big stuff, absorbed the small stuff, and never once had us feeling out of control. When we added McFarlane's engine to the overall package, with its blend of smooth bottom (just enough to get you out of the corners), strong mid (a healthy chunk that will pull through anything) and unlimited rev on top (this thing revs to the moon) you have the perfect four-stroke weapon (regardless of your skill level). We can't say enough good things about McFarlane's setup.
Several MXA test riders run slipper clutches on their race bikes, claiming that they tame the chassis' tendency to wheel hop into choppy corners. Surprisingly, the test riders assigned to ride the Yamaha of Troy bikes were not the slipper-clutch fans, but the skeptics. The slipper naysayers' cynicism faded when they ran back-to-back tests on Metcalfe's non-slipper unit and McFarlane's slipper. The slipper made some strange sounds, and there was a little lever movement at the bar, but what the slipper did for the chassis going into turns and the hook-up coming out was worth a few creaks and groans.
Brett Metcalfe's YZ250F: Now that we've gushed about how great Andrew McFarlane's machine was, it's time to move onto Metcalfe's YZ250F. We had no complaints with Metty's bar or lever position. He had everything in a neutral and comfortable location. There was, however, a noticeable difference in the clutch pull on Metcalfe's machine. Without the slipper clutch, Metcalfe's clutch was almost twice as hard to pull as McFarlane's. But that was the least of the differences. Within one lap it was strikingly apparent just how dissimilar Brett's engine was from Andrew's. On straights where we only shifted once on McFarlane's bike, we shifted twice on Metcalfe's. This has absolutely nothing to do with horsepower, as both bikes put out about the same amount of ponies.
Metcalfe's low-to-mid powerband accelerated harder out of corners than McFarlane's engine, but signed off much sooner. Shifting became crucial on Brett's bike, where we hadn't given it much thought on Andrew's. We could go just as fast on Metcalfe's bike, and lap times were close to identical, but every MXA test rider got tired faster on Brett's bike than on Andrew's. It didn't help that Metcalfe's suspension was softer than McFarlane's and had a tendency to drop way down in the stroke and get harsh. It notched our confidence down a little bit to be chasing the movement around the track.
By the end of the day, everyone was asking the same questions. Does Metcalfe have it all wrong? Is McFarlane's setup perfect? The answers are simple. No and no. Brett's bike is designed for his personal style, while McFarlane's bike, as good as it is, isn't perfect. When it comes to riding at Brett's and Andrew's level, the riders have to feel confident that their machinery is custom-tuned to their peccadilloes. They must have the setup that best suits their riding style. In that light, Metcalfe has the perfect bike for him (as does McFarlane). It is a compliment to Dave Osterman and the YOT team that they did everything in their power to build their riders two bikes that are so unique.
DOES METCALFE HAVE IT ALL WRONG? IS MCFARLANE'S SETUP PERFECT? OUR ANSWERS, FOR US, WOULD BE YES AND YES.
Now, if we ask the questions again. Does Metcalfe have it all wrong? Is McFarlane's setup perfect? Our answers, for us, would be yes and yes. For our level of riding, Metcalfe's bike was too hard to ride, while McFarlane's bike was a dream machine.
