I'm looking at getting back into dirt bikes after 6 years off, my last ride was a 2000 YZ250. It'll be used for riding in Florida, at Croom, on sandy trails, and occasional hare scrambles or enduros (MAYBE). There are lots of tree roots where I ride too. I ride fairly aggresively in the deep sandy whoops, and one of my top priorities is a stable, forgiving bike that still kicks booty.

I can pick up a nice used '05 for maybe 3,000, an '06 for ????, or a new, leftover '07 from a dealer. Since the motor & frame are the same, are the new forks/shocks THAT much better, or would I be money ahead getting a nice '05, having the suspension serviced/revalved, & freshening eveything up?

TIA.

07 Yamaha had spot on jetting, but the 2008 has a new front fork off the 450F and the whole braking system off the 450F. Its gona be good.

Where did you hear that about the 2008 fork? Anyway, that's out of my budget.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Artic...eID=4872&Page=1
If thats out of the question then i would say a 2006. I say 2006 because there was only a change in jetting in 07 so it makes scene to just buy one from 06 and have more money to put toward other mods or repairs.

They changed the forks ~some~ in 2007:

"Modifying thickness of both inner and outer fork tubes and revising damping settings provides fantastic bump absorption and comfort while shaving weight"

All the other changes were for weight reduction, jetting, & Pro-Tapers.

Were the 2007 fork (& minor shock revalving) worth much?

Many people have expressed that the '06 forks (which are COMPLETELY different,) are much better. You'll have to make your own decision, though, won't you?

yamalast, the revalving part you will have to do to the bike later on when you get aggresive because it handles so much better when the bike is set for your weight, so the valving is not that much.