1980Yamaha XS 250

27 fields on record

The 1980 Yamaha XS 250 is a Japanese roadster with a 248cc air-cooled four-stroke parallel twin making 27 hp. It weighs 165.5 kg dry and has a 6-speed gearbox and a 14-litre tank.

Capacity: 248.0 ccm
Engine: Parallel Twin, four-stroke
Gearbox: 6-speed
Dry weight: 165.5 kg
Seat height: 810 mm
Power: 27.0 HP (20.1 kW) @ 9500 RPM

⇄ Compare with another bike ＋ Add to garage All model years

Other years 1980 1981

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail10%

Cornering65%

City riding55%

Daily riding55%

Touring30%

Two-up35%

Track45%

Best for: Naked bike built for its class - everyday, practical use.
Built for: A naked bike from Yamaha, built around a 248cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for serious performance or off-road use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Will it fit you?

Worked out in your browser - nothing is sent to us

Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 810mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with both feet flat on the 1980 Yamaha XS 250, with a moderate knee angle of around 105 degrees and a forward-leaning riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 751-820 mm — Middle Ground →

Find bikes that fit your height →

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Below average

The 1980 Yamaha XS 250 passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 77.7% of the time, 7.5 points below expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 24% of models.

All years of this model: 23 / 100 (below average) from 1,392 tests.

77.7%Passed first time

12.8%Failed outright

9.5%Fixed during test

20,000Typical miles

507Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

82%

10-20k

78.5%

20-30k

74.2%

30-40k

73.5%

40-50k

66.7%

All years of this model.

Score by year first registered

1979198019811982

Against its rivals · ranks 5 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Honda CM 200 T	34 Below average	1,188
2	Kawasaki Z 250 A	28 Below average	186
3	Honda CB 400 N	28 Below average	4,554
4	Suzuki GS 500 E	23 Below average	5,550
5	Yamaha XS 250	23 Below average	1,392
6	Kawasaki Z 400 J	21 Below average	489

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.