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Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
Can you guys afford to buy a 10 pound lighter bike, it may add another 5k to the already out of control prices.
I just bought a new zook in July, had it re sprung and have been loving it.
I work in the industry and get to ride all the new bikes. I don't see how the Yamaha unanimously wins all these shootouts. It's really good, but not good enough for it to be the choice for everyone in my opinion.
The only Shootout I trust is MXA..
It's surprising that Honda didn't take the top spot.
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So another $1000 - $1500 to get it to run like a Yamaha? Maybe with a deep discount to start.
I have done this with my FC 450 from that gen and my new gen KX and while one is heavier to put on the stand, I don't really notice much when riding.
The bikes now are all super reliable. If they cut weight, that goes away.
You can buy a KX 450 new for 7k out the door.
where?
Lots of dealers. Lots of people on vital have. Me included.
I don't think they were very happy with it because they couldn't make their little adjustments here and there to make sure ML was riding the absolute best version of the production bike that they have. IIRC, it was a bit of a big deal. In my opinion, it was the best shootout we've ever got from any media source and I was really hoping we'd get to see more of it.
Anyone got rough dates of when the 26 Triumph TC-450X is supposed to drop or have a price listed? Ive called a few dealerships and they had little to no info. Ive also heard November
What was this track? How big was the biggest jump? How long were the laptimes? How fast did they get/what gear?
Looked like it would be great for an FX model.
I'd like more transparency about the test conditions. At least a GoPro of a lap if this is something we can't ride.
I don't mind the breakdown into groups. I think the next group will be interesting with the Beta, Triumph, Ducati and KTM/Husky/GasGas.
What I really want is a direct comparison with the smaller brands. The best comment I've heard about the Stark's chassis was from the Honda test rider who said it wasn't as "racy" as the Honda electric prototype. We get such great information about breaking down the intricacies of the 2007 vs 2025 Honda chassis, and then I've never seen the head angle or rake/trail of any Beta.
Which they have had, and then some.
Removing the screens out of the stock muffler, drilling a few holes in the airbox and adjusting mapping with the app cost nothing and works pretty good.
Is the 25/26 kx450 much different from the 24? I’ve ridden my buddies 24 kx450 a bunch and I’m a little lost at the idea that it’s slow. I own a 24 yz450 and my preferred map is the “hard hitting” map, so coming off my bike and riding his kx450 you’d think according to the bikes reputation it would be a huge difference. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very noticeable difference between the two, but just because it’s noticeable doesn’t mean the kx is slow. That bike absolutely fucking rips! I legit jumped on his bike this past Saturday to again see, because of all the reviews and opinions I’ve heard about that bikes motor. Even purposely lugging it in third, it still pulls great. To me, the reports and reviews make it seem like it’s a WAY bigger difference than it felt in real life.
Only difference is more adjustment allowed with the ECU on the 25/26 vs the 24 on the ignition side.
Yamaha won that one too iirc... I'm a blue crew fan though so it's okay with me! 😁
Pit Row
Cool story but I don’t understand. Ktm 350sx and the same year ktm450sx are basically the same weight. I think they are about 1lb different. But I’ll agree the 350 feels about 15lb lighter.
I believe it did 😂
I’m a YZ/RMZ guy and was a KX guy for a very long time some years ago. No matter which of the manufacturers bikes I ride, the Yamaha’s and Kawi’s always feel like home to me with the Yamaha always coming out as the favorite.
I love reading what each rider has to say about each bike in the shootouts, but I also know there’s so much of it that’s subjective. I see a lot of people love and rave about the Honda’s but I have never liked ANY Honda 450 I’ve ever ridden including the new ones. You can bet your ass I’ll read every word every test rider has to say about it though.
It's really just in how you ride it. It's not a 450 you use 3rd in corners on. It doesn't have the same bottom grunt, but ridden in the mid range and beyond it rips. All of these 450s rip. Power isn't the problem on a 450 ever for anyone not a pro.
I don’t understand. The 350 and the 450 are the same in most regards. He asked if I’d been on one. I told him “kinda - the 350” and described my thoughts on it.
Exactly, but even when ridden in third in a slow corner that really needs the grunt, it pulled it off. I think we’re just at the point where all the bikes are so good, but people still want reviews and test of bikes and there are differences that are pointed out. Again, I was just really surprised when riding the 24 kx450, my thoughts from all I’ve read and heard was that it wouldn’t feel nearly has fast as it did. With a 450 and comparing the motors of them, I think a good analogy is to think of it like your retirement account. The Yamaha has 100 million and the Kawi has 80 million. Yea the yami has a good amount more, but we’d all do just fine with that 80 million! This is all in response to the comment “so another $1000-1500 to get it to run like a Yamaha” from reading reviews and hearing test that might sound like it true, but I’m telling ya when riding them back to back, that money doesn’t NEED to be spent. If it’s spent, it’s a want.
But for a lot of us. The want is part of it, I don’t need a 25 crf250, 25 yz250, 24 yz450 and a 22tc125, all with tons of aftermarket parts and exhaust. But I wanted them so here I am!
Maybe so.. but I guarantee you if you ask 10 racers if they would rather race a bike that weighed 240lbs or one the weighed 225lbs 9 out of 10 would choose the lighter bike!
If it was as easy as removing a hidden 15 pound weight from the bike sure but you just made up a hypothetical situation that does not nor will ever exist.
It’s still a 450 so it has the beans. The biggest thing is from
Year to year OEM’s choke bikes up to meat decibel standards and or know that regular riders won’t do much to a bike. But racers will open up the air box, get an exhaust and ECU, and then have it programmed. Just like that, any bike you buy is fast enough.
True..but one can can hope cant he
You cant confidently say that though. What if that 15 pounds had a severe affect on handling, you think they would still choose the lighter bike? I think not. For yours people have complained about front end feel on AER equipped KTM's and most people know its due to the fork being light weight. If it was possible or profitable to make a 450 weigh 225 pounds, dont you think they would do it?
The KTM's back in 2019-2020 2021 ECT did weigh somewhere around $22 to 225 lb and let's not forget all the highest level factory riders bikes that are sub 230lbs which I guarantee you a bunch of them are close to 224 225 lbs so I don't know all the top pros and the top amateurs are making their bikes as light as possible I guess you can say they'd know a thing or two about how about by candles and feels It may choose to drop weight on all their bikes
Youre still comparing apples to oranges. Factory teams are combining light bikes with all of the FACTORY components to go with it and the support that it takes to make the bike work. How many hundreds of hours of testing and tuning goes into that factory 220lb bike? Most of vital probably cant count that high. Not to mention 99.9% of dirt bike riders in this world would ride a factory bike and hate it. Thats not even addressing what it could cost to use materials that would allow weight to drop that low. You cant build factory bikes for the public......
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