Rumors abound saying that Yamaha is working on a bike to challenge Kawasaki’s recently unveiled ZX-25R. Some even give it the moniker of YZF-R25M. It the rumors are true, could this be the begging of the glory days of four-cylinder 250cc screamers?

Kawasaki’s new inline four-cylinder ZX-25R is taking the small-bore race-rep crowd by storm. The little Kawi’s specs are nothing short of amazing. Boasting a claimed 50 horsepower at 15,500 rpm and 22 lb-ft of torque at 14,500 rpm, the quarter-liter bike has some significant get-up and go. The remainder of the chassis is no slouch either. At the front is a 37mm Showa upside-down fork with a single 310mm disc grasped by a four-piston caliper.

Yamaha already does have a small displacement 250cc race rep bike, the R25. But it carries a twin-cylinder engine, not an inline 4 screamer. Its equipment spec is in no way up to ZX-25R standards and capability either.

So if Yamaha is working on a YZF-R25M, they are going to have to bring their A-game.Indianautosblogsays that the new Yamaha will likely resemble its literbike, the Yamaha R1M.Motoroidsgoes on to say that if the bike reaches production, it will likely be rolled out in Indonesia. That would seem to make sense because this part of the world has a very high population of small-displacement motorcycles.

Finally, if a new Yamaha screamer isn’t enough for you, both Indianautosblog and Motoroids speculate that Honda will also enter the inline four-cylinder screamer fray with a CBR-250RR-R.

Interesting times these.