2016 YZ450 Front End

Ridemx314
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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?
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loftyair
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9/8/2015 7:16pm
I'm interested, I'm getting one! What's your height, weight, and speed? Thx
TeamGreen
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9/8/2015 7:18pm
What's your rear sag set at?
What do you weigh?
Crush
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9/8/2015 7:39pm
Wouldn't think bringing the clamps in will help what you're describing... Sounds to me like you could use some more sag and or some more damping up front to keep it up higher and control the stroke...

The Shop

loftyair
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9/8/2015 7:53pm
Plus, I wouldn't do much until the suspension fluid has been changed.
Ridemx314
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9/8/2015 8:05pm
Im 6'2" 205lbs and I'm an intermediate. I have been trying the sag between 100 to 105. Currently its at 103. I have the forks in the stock positions, which is like maybe 2 or 3mm.
loftyair
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9/8/2015 8:08pm
Shoot, cant help too much then, I got #135, 6 foot, pro level.
loftyair
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9/8/2015 8:09pm Edited Date/Time 9/8/2015 8:10pm
I would think heavier springs first thing. For you
cwtoyota
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Tacoma, WA US
9/8/2015 9:26pm
Ridemx314 wrote:
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...
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?
TeamGreen and CarolinaJoe are asking you the right questions... Play with your fork height and Sag. All of the Yamahas I've bought since my new 2010 YZ250 have come with the fork tubes flush at the top triple clamp (effective fork height = 0.0mm). I haven't ridden a YZ or YZ-F that would turn with that setup. 4mm to 8mm seems to be the range people like on the forks.

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.
mag23
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9/8/2015 9:44pm
Ride Engineering has a steering dampener... you might contact them, and take a look
tmauto769
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9/9/2015 3:27am
Isn't this the bike that they increased the offset to 25mm already?
jwag87
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9/9/2015 5:45am
loftyair wrote:
Shoot, cant help too much then, I got #135, 6 foot, pro level.
Change springs immediately. Stock that bike is set for 170-180 that is with gear on too.
mxrose3
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9/9/2015 6:50am
The 25mm offset clamps will have less high speed stability than the 22mm offset. Look it up.
Crush
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9/9/2015 7:07am
mxrose3 wrote:
The 25mm offset clamps will have less high speed stability than the 22mm offset. Look it up.
Really? Doesn't increasing wheelbase help stability typically?
CarlinoJoeVideo
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9/9/2015 7:17am
mxrose3 wrote:
The 25mm offset clamps will have less high speed stability than the 22mm offset. Look it up.
Crush wrote:
Really? Doesn't increasing wheelbase help stability typically?
Yeah, agreed with Crush, the longer clamps you put on, the more high speed stability you will have. The short clamps will give you better tight turning ability.
sesker15
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9/9/2015 7:42am
Has anyone said drd engine relocation kit?
ML512
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9/9/2015 7:47am
mxrose3 wrote:
The 25mm offset clamps will have less high speed stability than the 22mm offset. Look it up.
Crush wrote:
Really? Doesn't increasing wheelbase help stability typically?
Yeah, agreed with Crush, the longer clamps you put on, the more high speed stability you will have. The short clamps will give you better tight...
Yeah, agreed with Crush, the longer clamps you put on, the more high speed stability you will have. The short clamps will give you better tight turning ability.
Depends, the math on trail makes sense once you see it on paper but for the most part, I feel that chassis length affects it as well. (Most riders believe in length over trail from what I've tested with guys) Yamaha went to the 25mm clamps based off what they wanted to do with the trail (trying to make it turn better, basically)
mxrose3
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9/9/2015 8:10am
mxrose3 wrote:
The 25mm offset clamps will have less high speed stability than the 22mm offset. Look it up.
Crush wrote:
Really? Doesn't increasing wheelbase help stability typically?
Read this:
MXA article
loftyair
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9/9/2015 9:03am Edited Date/Time 9/9/2015 9:04am
I'm pretty sure doug doesn't make the engine relocation nor the radiator lowering kit for the newer bike, its been altered already from the factory. Could be wrong though! Helps a lot on the older bikes though!
sesker15
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9/9/2015 9:10am
loftyair wrote:
I'm pretty sure doug doesn't make the engine relocation nor the radiator lowering kit for the newer bike, its been altered already from the factory. Could...
I'm pretty sure doug doesn't make the engine relocation nor the radiator lowering kit for the newer bike, its been altered already from the factory. Could be wrong though! Helps a lot on the older bikes though!


luckyguy19
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Albuquerque, NM US
9/9/2015 9:10am
Ridemx314 wrote:
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...
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?
cwtoyota wrote:
TeamGreen and CarolinaJoe are asking you the right questions... Play with your fork height and Sag. All of the Yamahas I've bought since my new 2010...
TeamGreen and CarolinaJoe are asking you the right questions... Play with your fork height and Sag. All of the Yamahas I've bought since my new 2010 YZ250 have come with the fork tubes flush at the top triple clamp (effective fork height = 0.0mm). I haven't ridden a YZ or YZ-F that would turn with that setup. 4mm to 8mm seems to be the range people like on the forks.

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.
What link are you running? I had a WR450 link on my 10 and it helped a bunch.
cwtoyota
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9/9/2015 9:45am
luckyguy19 wrote:
What link are you running? I had a WR450 link on my 10 and it helped a bunch.
143.5mm in length. The stock link was 142mm.

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.

luckyguy19
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Albuquerque, NM US
9/9/2015 9:51am
luckyguy19 wrote:
What link are you running? I had a WR450 link on my 10 and it helped a bunch.
cwtoyota wrote:
143.5mm in length. The stock link was 142mm. How long is your WR450 link? All of the old two-strokes as far back as my 2002 used...
143.5mm in length. The stock link was 142mm.

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.

I'm not sure how long it was, I left it on my 2010 when I sold it. What bike did your 143.5mm link come off of?
cwtoyota
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Tacoma, WA US
9/9/2015 10:27am Edited Date/Time 9/9/2015 10:31am
I modified a 2009 link on a CNC mill for testing.
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).

brimx153
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IE
9/9/2015 12:22pm
id try more comp and less reb in the front .then sag and fork hight .before you spend any money on anything .
brimx153
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9/9/2015 12:24pm
loftyair wrote:
I would think heavier springs first thing. For you
yep
BAD10
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9/9/2015 12:36pm
sesker15 wrote:
Has anyone said drd engine relocation kit?
Its been stated many times and the DRD engine relocation kit helps immensely. Have it on my 2015. Do it
sesker15
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Upper Marlboro, MD US
9/9/2015 6:31pm
BAD10 wrote:
Its been stated many times and the DRD engine relocation kit helps immensely. Have it on my 2015. Do it
Does hit help with front-end traction?

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