Hello everyone, currently i own 2024 yz 450f and it seems to be not as reliable as everyone told: clutch problems, rod snaps, gearbox failures etc. Now i’m thinking about switching to other platform for 2025 just becuase fixing all this issues becomes pretty expensive and even when every known issue is fixed i am still not 100% sure in my bike. So i’m looking for the most reliable 450f on the market.
I know that ktm performs excellent on the track and oem parts quality is great, but it becomes pretty expensive because i don’t want to compete on stock wp suspension (both shock and forks are garbage)
Kawasaki seems to perform great on the track also, and engine’s low power output is pretty easy to fix, but i haven’t heard anything about reliability of the new platform and kawasaki now has a reputation of a brand with low quality oem engine parts so i am a bit hesitant with this one
What about honda: i rode couple of new ones and overall feel of the ergonomics and handling was weird to me. Seems like in stock form hondas just do not suit my agressive riding style and in my opinion it is just uneffective to spend time and money trying to “remake” the bike that wasn’t built to ride like that
Suzuki i don’t consider as a possible purchase because over the years we know a lot about this platform and it is far from being reliable and build quality isn’t the best at all
Overall, if one of the mentioned bikes (except suzuki) is reliable as a tank, i may forgive all their drawbacks in terms of riding experience just to save money from constantly repairing engine for upgrading suspension and engine performance.
please, tell about your/your friend’s experience with these bikes, it will be really helpful for me🙏🏻
You are doing the correct thing by getting rid of it.
yeah, sad to say that because it was the most exciting bike to ride((
Sorry to bust your yellow bubble, but with almost 200 hours on RMZ 450s the past year, I haven't so much as cracked open a cover and had zero problems. If you're looking for a tank, this is it.
If you like excitement I suggest you try the Honda. They never seem to have reliability issues.
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as far as i know suzuki’s clutch and valves are very weak. but the main reason why i don’t consider suzuki as a possible purchase is that it obviously requires a lot of money and time investment to be competitive at high level and i am looking for the best bike in terms of performance/reliability/money
ofc suzuki is not a bad bike, affordable and corners great (i tried one), just not the best platform for a competitive bike
yeah, i tried couple of new ones with different setting and they just felt weird to me. It feels kinda small for me in terms of ergonomics. i know i can compensate it with lowered footpegs and taller seat but it also seems like that chassis doesn’t like agressive riding style. Even though they’ve stiffened the frame in 25 it still feels soft for me at times when i smash into 180 sand corner or jump into sand rollers. it isn’t suspension thing, i can feel the chassis bending a little bit (like old ktms with soft frame) and i am just not a fan of it
i think honda compliments light and technical riding style like lawrences have, and the engine was great ofc, exciting and powerful
maybe, if it is really reliable enough, i will really buy a honda))
Either ktm or Honda for most reliable but still powerful engine. It is probably going to be cheaper to put a good piston and rod in your yz. This is also the first time I have heard of a Honda needing lower pegs than a yz.
thanks for the suggestion, i’ve had more problems with yz besides rod issue, and clutch problem is unfixable. even if you put full hinson clutch kit it will last 15 hours before replacement.
What about honda: idk if the pegs were the problem for me with honda ergos, but coming from a yamaha seat was really low on honda between my legs and i’ve felt my feet are moved a bit forward compared to yamaha. this made hard to me to straighten my legs while gripping the bike with my knees. maybe i just was so used to yamaha rider’s triangle that honda’s felt weird, but i’ve never had such a feeling on any other bike
I think the Honda may be thinner in that area and yes time would help.
Kawi get a bad rap quality wise but when maintained they are great imo.
Most reviews say kawi and Honda ergos are the most similar and the best for tall riders. You can’t beat the ktm clutch that is for sure. Probably need to budget close to $1k to put a hinson in a kx or crf. That would cover a used set of 6500 inserts for the ktm. Then you just need to deal with the shock that you don’t like.
There is no such thing as a perfect bike.
Suzuki durability is very good, keefer praises it all the time
Specifically what part of the Suzuki is of lower performance that makes it not competitive?
If you rewrap and silicone the tube sleeves and electrical wires on the KTM, that's the most bullet proof bike there is out there when it comes to 450 (and the 350).
I do that to all my new bikes anyway, but specially needed on 2023+.
The valve train is outdated compared to most other high performance 4 strokes these days. Outside of that probably not a ton.
Idk I mean it’s a DOHC setup what’s old about it? I know nothing about headwork and configuration so idk.
It uses and older cam and bucket design for actuating the valves. Most newer bikes uses finger follow valve trains which allows larger/longer valve openings and higher revving engines.
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I think the most reliable is the one in your garage that’s paid for with low hours!
So you had a bad experience with Yamaha, don’t like Honda ergos, can’t trust a Suzuki to be competitive. Sounds like you’ve made a decision already. What’s the point of this thread?
i am just trying to get the experience of people racing on other bikes to make my own decision which bike i’m racing next year. i know there’s no perfect bike and i have some drawbacks in terms of riding experience for every bike. but in this thread i was looking only for technical problems of each bike because it is difficult to find some data for new platforms
I think you nailed it with "hard to find data for new platforms."
The data you seek won't make it out to the real world in volume until a lot riders & shops have lived with the bikes for a season or more. It's just how it works - to get data, you need run time. From here, solutions to the imperfections will arise - and they all have them.
As far a reliability of current bikes, it's a pretty good day and age to live with mx bikes - they are all pretty darnn good, especially for the average guy not pushing them to their limits.
I will say this: I have limited experience with late-model KTMs, but I've been impressed so far. They are the most "go & ride" for me. Easy to change air filters, engines carry enough oil and the oil filters are big enough that 7-10 hour change intervals are safe, etc. My Yamahas smoke their engine oil in 3 hours, etc. At this point it comes down to ride time vs. maintenance time for me - assuming you really gel with the bikes you're riding. I also don't mind having to buy aftermarket suspension and all the other goodies to make them rock reliable (like Dirt Tricks sprockets, DID x-ring chains, TMD Designworks chain guides and sliders, etc.) and perform at the level I want.
I've never said this before because I've always been strictly a Honda or Yamaha guy (for the most part) based on overall quality and reliability, but given how all manufacturers are essentially on par in this regard now IMHO, I'd buy the bike that fits your riding style best and ignore the rest.
Your racing results (and fun!) will depend on this ^^^ most, so maximize this variable.
Lastly, in a Keefer podcast I heard owner Chad @ XPR Racing say KTMs are the best built and most reliable in his experience. This stuck with me, actually helped push me over the edge to try a few KTMs, and I am glad I did.
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P.S. My Yamahas and Hondas have generally been good to me, too. No complaints. I'm just a bit enamored with KTMs at the moment because I hadn't owned any to date and realized how high of quality some of their components are like the Pankl transmissions, 1-piece clutch baskets, etc. Their electrical connections, however, oy! I think they outsource to preschoolers at times ...
thanks! you’re so right with this one. the more i think about this theme the more i lean to this conclusion. even though yamaha is not the most reliable, for me it worths to invest my money in engine reliablity because engine character and chassis feel for me are best in class
overall, i agree that ktm’s are best built bikes, i’ve asked kefeer this question lately and he also said that.
will keep my yami for another season but if there will arise another serious problem with the engine i’m done)
I’ve got the 24 kx450. All stock besides powerflow kit, oil changes every 5hr, and air filter every ride. 51hr so far and no issues. Chain guide and slide seems to hold up better then previous years just the normal wear and tear items.
I am old and slow but think for a fast guy KTM or Honda is the best bet.
Why do you say the forks and shock are garbage on the KTM? Do you race pro?
yes, i race pro and unlike other oem suspensions wp is impossible to set up with just different valving. if you want to race pro on this suspension you have to invest into conversion kits for both forks and shock. even oem showa can be turned into decent suspension
LOL
what do you laugh at?
Pro in Russia is like C class in SoCal? I don;t know if that is true, but probably is close.
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