Chad Reed’s 2004 THQ Supercross Championship winning factory Yamaha YZ250 is a legendary machine in the history of Supercross. The bike represents a significant chapter in Reed's career, marking his first premier class championship.
Reed won 10 out of 16 main events in the 2004 THQ Supercross series, solidifying his place as a top contender. Even over 13 years later Yamaha is closed lipped about the exact specs of Reed’s YZ250 engine.
250 two stroke whoops yz 250 yamaha
In 2022, Chad Reed dusted off his 2004 Yamaha YZ250 and rode it during opening ceremonies at the St. Louis Supercross. The Australian rode his iconic two-stroke during opening ceremonies inside The Dome at America’s Center, and at certain points was in close proximity to Monster Energy/Yamaha/Star Racing’s Eli Tomac, which served as a cool look at the differences between Yamaha’s factory bikes 18 years apart.
Aside from Gared Steinke and other occasional privateer entries, we don’t hear the buzzing sound of 125 or 250 two-strokes in Monster Energy AMA Supercross anymore. That was not the case at the 2022 St. Louis Supercross, however, as Chad Reed brought out his 2004 Yamaha YZ250-the same bike he used to win the 2004 AMA Supercross Championship-and spun laps on it before the evening’s racing action got underway.
Chad Reed aboard his title-winning two-stroke at the 2022 St. Louis Supercross.
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A Closer Look at the Championship-Winning YZ250
Looks like any other clean looking 2004 Yamaha YZ250 right? This one was the fastest on the planet that year! Just in this picture we see a few custom carbon fiber parts, lots of titanium and an exhaust system that with lots of love from Pro Circuit. The gold standard. We want to send a special thanks to Tom White for letting us photograph this legendary machine.
Note the trick carbon fiber front brake line guide.
Who remembers these factory Yamaha graphics?
A throwback to when video game company THQ was the title sponsor of AMA Supercross.
Reed's Early Career and Drive
Jay Foreman had never seen so much drive in one kid. The Team Manager for Suzuki Australia, Foreman couldn’t believe how quickly Chad Reed thrashed bikes. He was eating through a clutch a day on his RM 125s; the countershaft sprockets sometimes came back to the shop missing teeth. The bikes got no rest. At a natural riding area called “Crazers”, Reed often rode 10 minutes through the bush with a 20-liter drum of fuel between his legs. When it was empty, he rode home, filled it up and came back.
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He developed this habit when he heard a story about how Ricky Carmichael didn’t stop riding until he had burned through five gallons of gas a day. It could have been a tall tale, completely fabricated, but this was Ricky Carmichael and Reed had a poster of the guy hanging above his bed. So be burned through as much fuel as he possibly could. And he took full advantage of the fact that Foreman’s shop was 20 minutes away from home.
“It didn’t matter who was around helping him, he was going to make it,” Foreman said, dispelling any notion that Reed caught lucky breaks. “Nothing was going to stop him. Foreman has known Reed since he was a boy and watched him grow up. He rode for Suzuki in the Australian Jr. championships and when it was time to turn pro, he made it clear that he wanted to bypass the 125cc class completely.
In New Zealand riders could move to the senior (pro) division at 15. In October of 1997, Foreman sent him to Australia’s neighbor to compete in their professional motocross season on 125s and 250s. Reed doesn’t recall racing in New Zealand as being a tryout period but he was definitely dead set against racing a 125 and was up for any opportunity to race pro.
“When I make my mind up, it’s going to happen,” Reed said. “I wasn’t intimidated, nor did I look at those guys, such as Cameron Taylor, Andrew McFarlane, Michael Byrne, Peter Melton and say, ‘Oh my gosh, these guys are gnarly’. My cousin (Craig Anderson), who was the Australian champion, would kill them and I got to see everything he did and I rode with him all the time.
In one of many examples of growing up fast and finding his own way, Reed went to New Zealand alone. A man named Dave Craig looked after him but they couch surfed their way around the two islands, practicing whenever and wherever they could. It was during these months that he blossomed into a young adult. Reed didn’t beat Coppins but Foreman granted Reed’s wish to compete on a 250 in Australia’s 1998 National Motocross series. The fact that a 15-year-old could go to a foreign country alone and adapt well enough to stay in the championship hunt was impressive on its own.
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Reed on the 250 smoker was a thing of beauty.
Reed's Legacy
When Chad Reed hung up the boots at the end of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, the sport saw one of its legends retire. The Australian rider came over to the United States of America and embarked on a several-decade journey through different eras of bikes and riders in AMA Supercross and Motocross. Along the way, he tallied podiums-lots of them-wins and championships, while clashing with both his closest rivals (Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart) in the mid-2000s.
Throughout his career, Reed showed grit, determination, and emotion and there are plenty of memorable moments from his long career. When it was all said and done for Reed, he sat a top or near the top of the history book in several categories.
Reed is the only rider to win a supercross main event on four different brands (Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Honda), but his most prestigious stat is his all-time premier class supercross podiums, which he recorded a whopping 132 before he hung of the boots on his professional racing career. His final podium came in the 2019 Detroit SX Triple Crown event inside Michigan's Ford Field.
Tonight, Reed will be inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025.
Chad Reed's Supercross Podiums
Here is a summary of Chad Reed's Supercross podium finishes:
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| All-Time Premier Class Supercross Podiums | 132 |
| Brands Won Supercross Main Event On | 4 (Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda) |
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