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12/21/2010
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US
Ridemx314
9/8/2015 7:11pm
9/8/2015 7:11pm
Edited Date/Time
9/10/2015 6:15pm
Has anyone bought a 2016 YZ 450? What do you guys think of it? I have about 10 hours on mine so far and i love almost everything about it. Great motor, suspension works great in the rough stuff, and its very comfortable to ride. The only complaint i have is the front end has a tendency to get a little twitchy at high speeds. I notice it most when im going through small to medium chop at speed. It feels like the front wheel wants to turn and does not track well. I was thinking of going to a different off set for the clamps, possible a 22 or a 23.5 Has anyone tried this or had the same problem?
What do you weigh?
The Shop
My 2014 has a 22mm clamp offset stock, and I have installed the 143.5mm link (stock was 142mm).
The link was a huge improvement on the 2014 model, I would start there before changing the clamps.
I spent a few hours Monday playing with fork height and sag settings. My conclusion is that this latest generation YZ450F is extremely sensitive to those settings. I can feel 1/2mm in the fork height and I can feel 1/3 turn of shock spring preload on this bike.
I feel like this 2014 is a bike with too much trail. I am keen to try a set of 25mm triple clamps later this week. I have been wanting to hear what the 2016 feels like with those stock 25mm clamps.
Here are some notes from my testing Sunday if you're interested:
I am 160 lbs, 5'9" and a decently fast B rider. I tend to ride the front end of a bike.
Fork height is measured top of gold tubes not including the brown cap...
1) I tested with 5mm fork height (the groove in the tubes) and it felt ok on a fast local track without even a hint of instability. This was at around 100mm of sag.
2) I tested 7.2mm fork height here at home. The steering feel becomes very light, but the bike wanders all over the track, especially exiting corners where the track has small rollers or bumps.
3) I liked 6mm fork height. more than 5mm for the lighter, more responsive steering feel, but the wandering I felt in the 6.5mm to 7.2mm range was eliminated.
4) I decided to try the 7.2mm fork height with 1/2 turn less preload (approximately 103 - 104mm of sag) and keep in mind that I have a 143.5mm linkage. This feels like a lighter steering effort without any instability... I need to try this compared to the (6mm / 100mm) setting in #3 when I go to a faster track than I have at my place.
Perhaps Thursday night at the local practice track I'll try those settings #3 and #4 above with the stock 22mm clamp and compare them to the 25mm clamp with a similar range of fork & sag settings.
Pit Row
MXA article
How long is your WR450 link?
All of the old two-strokes as far back as my 2002 used a 145mm link. I have collected a bunch of data on the various Yamaha links and their specs, but nothing on WRs.
When I decide which measurement I like, I'll probably just machine a new billet linkage.
Ted Devol has been making an adjustable link for many years, if you want to try various settings, that's the best way to go.
I think all of the suspension shops that make links for the YZ will have something near the sweet spot (143.5mm to 144mm). The Pro Circuit link is 143.5mm as listed on their site.
Brand new links from Yamaha cost around $100. Trouble is, I think they jump from 142mm (on all the late model YZ-F) to 145mm (on the two stroke YZ and older YZ-F).
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