2024 YZ450FX Released

sat on one at my dealer Friday. Feels low in the rear. It had a sold tag but I was told it is available, so..

my buddy picked up his new FX and has been putting some good time on it. Mine arrived I’ll grab it later this week. 

just a quick message with him 

Out of the loop here, why are the 450s going away in endure? Why is it sad? What are they being replaced with? I dont watch much enduro so I'm curious what's making it obsolete 

A lot of riders want lighter and easier to ride for truly tight conditions. It just depends on the rider and terrain, but based on what I see out in the desert, 450cc+ pure dirt sales are pretty soft. 2 strokes, 250s and 350s are popular. 

Hey guys, I'm considering buying a new 2024 YZ450 but sort of torn between the FX and F. I mostly ride MX (75% of the time) but the odd trail day has me considering the FX for a couple reasons, (Bigger fuel tank and low fuel light is awesome, 18" rear is nice to have for off-road, can swap to 19" easily for track days). I don't want to give up anything on the MX side but want to consider all my options.

My questions are:

1. Is the engine ANY different at all? I run a few different maps as it is but don't want to have a package that isn't as "MX" if its a matter of mapping it and its the same as an 'F' that would be ideal. 

2. According to my research the gearing is different internally, how much different tho? Could I still run the MX track comfortably with these gears? If 1st is lower, and 5th is taller, the rest being the same, that might be perfect because I never run either gear (1st of 5th) on the track.

3. Is the suspension different at all? I'd have to have it re-valved and sprung regardless, curious if i'd be giving anything up there at all (mechanically). 

Any input is appreciated. Thanks 

How’s the rider triangle compared to the Kawasakis?  I keep hearing that the Kawis are the best ergonomics for taller/bigger riders, but I love the looks of the Yamahas. I know that there are plenty of parts to help stretch the triangle for comfort, but I’d rather start with a bike that is bigger initially and then go from there. 

Early 450FX models, no thanks. 19-up are brilliant. I bet this thing is the 450 off road bike to have for the next few yrs at least. This from a Kawasaki 450X owner...

The kawasaki is absolutely fantastic for tall/larger riders. This is why I have a KX450X now after years of cramped yamaha's.

The Kawasaki needs a flywheel weight to be rideable off road. Once you add the weight , it is pretty darn good, and feels like it was designed for a normal to largeer sized human, rather than the 5'4 guy that yamaha designed their YZ's for

You are the man, thank you very much for this information. Definitely thinking I could make this bike work very well for me as is. The 2-4 gear ratios are close enough and i spend most of my time in 3rd as it is on the track so it might not be an issue (More in my headthan anything).

To get the rear end lower is that just the connecting rod length? I'm sure you could play with that a bit and get it to where you want, or leave it as these bikes like to be a bit low in the rear for outdoor setups (I believe). 

Fifth gear on the YZ450FX (.88) is very close to the 6th gear (.81) on Husky/KTM 500/501. May make a good dual sport alternative to the KTM/Husky, though not sure of the YZ engine reliability/wear/maintenance when racking up road miles? 

I've heard Randy Hawkins from AMPRO has begged Yamaha to build a 350 woods bike and keeps getting told no.

The 450xcf misses the mark for a lot of riders by not having a 6th gear. A CR 6 speed is a beautiful thing in the desert or GP track. The Yamaha FX 5 speed is a huge step up from a CR 5 speed too. I’m currently on a KTM xcf chassis with a 500exc engine and it’s really good but the trans is a little odd, tiny jump from 4-5 and a big jump from 5-6. 
 

If I was buying a bike today, it’d be a blue 450fx. Unless KTM does a CR 6 speed 450xcf.

I ride my 450x in the woods and really like the torque, coming from a 250f that I had made into a 290 I don't think I'd want a 350. Now this is just for trail riding, a hardcore racer may like a 350, but I think the added torque of a 450 is really overlooked for trail riding. If you need it, open the throttle and it's there. If you don't need it, don't open it so far. I ride with a bunch of guys on 200-300cc 2-strokes and I don't feel like the 450 is holding me back at all, even in the super tight single track. And on big technical hill climbs I actually do better than they do. As long as my throttle is open it doesn't stall, just keeps chugging and finding traction. The lighter bikes seem to spin up the rear easier and loose momentum. As a side note, I'm always the one who makes it to the top and has to hike down to assist people... In New Mexico my brother couldn't make it up this one crazy climb, he gave up and I had to hike back up to my bike. There was a guy parked at the top and he was looking at me funny. He said no one rides up this trail, everyone goes down it 😂.

What's the maintainance like on the x (piston change, valve checks)? Can it compare to the austrians?

Can't say too much about the 450 but a buddy and myself have the opposite '23's and he's at 90 hours on his 450FX and it still pulls like it's brand new, my 250FX is at 80 with about 5 races and feels awesome but can definitely feel the need for a top end after the next trip to the desert. Both bikes' valves are still in spec after we both tore them apart last weekend. Killer bikes.

I'm in thr market for a 450 off-road race bike.  I'd love to see a shootout between the 24 blue and green bikes.