Been riding/racing my trusty YZ250 since 2013. Love the bike but it is definitely tired. I've been considering getting a 450 for a while now as I embrace my vet years. The 250 two stroke is a blast, but you need to work pretty hard to ride it fast, which is fun if you're riding all the time. I went 450 to have a bike that I can ride fast within my comfort zone, and the easy maintenance for a weekend warrior type like myself. I can get a lot of hours out of a 450 before I'll need to give it some love outside of oil changes and occasional valve check.
I'm a sucker for Hondas, and hearing/reading about the improvements in the 25/26 vs previous gen had me intrigued. The yz450 would've been a safer bet based on the feedback I've gotten, however I'm looking forward to getting the Honda dialed in so I'm good for the next decade. I buy bikes and keep them for a long time usually, and I rank Honda and Yamaha at the top from a fit/finish/long term ownership perspective.
I'll be doing the Vurb 500 again at Mesquite this year, so I have some time to get acquainted with the new steed.
Anyone else have Santa drop something off early?
Merry Christmas fellas!
Congrats! 👍
awesome! good for you! I just got the same bike a couple weeks ago. Your going to love it!
She’s a beauty!
Thank you gentlemen!
@GPrider Any feedback on the bike? I will have to wait until next weekend for maiden voyage. I'm 165-170lb range so should be sprung close off the bat.
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Riding a 450 fast is the most demanding thing I’ve done moto wise. I could ride my YZ250 hard and never get very tired… at all. The 450 on the other hand is a menace.
I am 160lbs. The stock shock likes less sag. Worked best at 101/102mm, odd, yes! Stock clicker settings on shock. Forks I added 15cc each leg. Ran 8 comp and 10 rebound. Flush on forks, stock gearing. I broke it in like this then sent out my suspension as I am converting it to an RX for gp/desert racing.
I already added an IMS tank, stabilizer, 18" rear, ect...Actually I raced it last weekend in a desert race with stock suspension, 14/46 gearing and all the other stuff I mentioned. Worked pretty dam good for mx suspension in the desert! haha
@GPrider Good feedback, thank you. I have heard similar on less sag (102mm), and also going up on front springs (or adding some oil as you did). Sounds like you'll have a dialed gp/desert rig!
@OwenJakes Fair point here, and maybe I will change my tune. Or perhaps it is a byproduct of the tracks we ride out here. I can change lines, make mistakes, etc. and it seems to wear me out less on the 450s I've ridden than the smoker. 250 two strokes want you to keep momentum, and it can get a little tiring when you abruptly lose that momentum vs smoothly lugging a 450. I've found myself riding lazier lately on the two stroke, sticking to outsides to keep momentum. I am curious to see how the smooth/momentum maintaining style of riding I try and replicate transfers to the 450 longer term.
That being said the Vurb 500 at Mesquite last year was the gnarliest track I have ridden moto-wise, so that will be a great test for fatigue with the 450 haha. I have excellent cardio, but will need to get some strength up to tame the big dog.
Nice score on the new bike!
Santa showed up last Saturday for us, and we picked up a CLEAN 2021 PW50 for $800 for my 6 year old son. He's been asking to show off that he can start it everyday at 7:30 am so far LOL! He's been terrified of the "loud bikes" as he calls them, so he's been on a GasGas MC-E2 & MC-E5, so this is a huge step for us. He's been getting after it at some stacyc races and has taken home a trophy every outing, now is asking to race the P Dub. Shit that us moto dads live to hear!
I've been considering doing the Vurb 500 myself after seeing the videos from the last couple of years. The sand section is BRUTAL! I've raced WORCS in Lake Havasu, but the Mesquite sand looks even more unforgiving ! Are you planning on running in the Ironman class, or running it with a Team?
Bought myself two Yamahas last week !
Yeah 'Santa' bought this for my 4 year old.
Those Hondas are some good looking bikes!
Congrats on the new bikes fellas! that also includes “new to you bikes” re: Rupes score.
Went the opposite way from Honda to Yamaha
Incredible! I put a new bike on my Christmas list but don’t think Mrs. Claus will allow Santa to put one in his bag for me.
Just out of curiosity, if you downvoted this can you please state your approximate skill level and why you downvoted? I've heard plenty of pros even say the 450 is a different animal so I'm wondering who and how some of you are getting ahead of this machine cause I'd love to know some tips here.
All the people who downvoted you practice on 500cc 2-smokes during the week and race their 450s on the weekend for a easier ride 😂😂😂
I’ve got a 250t and just sold my 450f. 250t fun as hell to ride! BUT you have to ride fast and cannot be lazy. My 450 I can push to be smooth while being a bit “lazy” and I can put in better lap times and longer motos. VET-B rider.
Both bikes equally fun! Enjoy the new machine!!!
Pit Row
I've heard this kind of sentiment before and it makes sense on some level but when I ride, I cant find anywhere to be lazy. idk. maybe its me but I don't have a lazy setting i guess. Maybe im dumb lol. Thanks for the reply
I have a feeling its more vet and novice riders. Am I supposed to find it easier to wheelie through braking bumps, stand up for 2/3 of the track, or wide open throttle clutch dump on a 450? None of the above are valid lol. Not to mention simply trying to hang onto a 57 horsepower dirt rocket ): Then again, tracks by me are a little different than California where most posters seem to ride.
Probably because as someone already said, you can't be lazy on 250 smoker. You have to ring it out. They vibrate more, you have to shift and clutch more. The 450 you can ride smooth and still be fast. You don't have to keep it in the meat of the power and huck it over jumps.
This was similar to my reasoning, and I'm in a similar spot. (35yr old B rider). 250t requires a lot more engagement as there is more technicality to riding it well than a 450 I think - more shifting, braking, need to be much better with line choices, etc. When things are clicking and you are riding a bunch, I absolutely love it. I will keep the YZ, so I'll have both still. When I'm at the track I enjoy pushing myself, but doing so at a level where I can run 30+ min motos with minimal oh shit moments. I hypothesize a quicker/more consistent lap over longer motos vs the 250t.
@OwenJakes Lazy is probably a poor choice in wording...Nothing about riding a 250t around an mx track really allows you to be lazy. But I find myself sometimes taking longer to make passes than I should because I am too 'lazy' to dive into an inside, etc.
Dirt bikes are fun, and I'm splitting hairs at the finer end of them haha...
@Cayden Thompson Awesome dude...You are about to make a magical memory for a young lad.
@Rupert X What is the plan for these relics?
I didn’t downvote you but I share the complete opposite view on the subject, specifically with regard to the yz250. After 11 years on ktm 250’s and 300’s I switched to Yamaha and got a 24yz450 and 25 yz250. Not being on a 450 for so long I was blown away at how damn easy 450’s are to ride. I also was blown away at the reputation of the yz450 being “aggressive, abrupt, hard hitting” etc. That thing is the smoothest damn bike I’ve ever ridden. Long slow building power that is just so fun. Riding and racing a 450 felt like everything was in slow motion and I was barely even doing anything. While on the yz250 it feels like I’m sprinting the entire time. Coming off the ktm two strokes I swear the vibration alone of the yz250 wears me out faster. My list of easiest to ride race goes 450, ktm300 close to each other and then yz250 miles away from them. I pretty much race both the yz450 and yz250 same day and as different as they are, my laps times are almost always identical. I shared this in another thread but even at day in the dirt this year with a 5:40 second lap, road sections, hills, tight stuff etc I was legit identical on both bikes.
I’m 41 and race vet B and two strokes open at most races I go to. Here are two races on each bike from this fall. (The 450 video is taking a second to load on YouTube, I’ll post a link once it’s up)
Technicality - that was the word that caused me to understand the reasoning there. Yes, you do need to be tighter on the 2 strokes. You miss your line and you cannot simply twist the throttle and keep everything up. I gotcha now.
Crazy miss with that downed Kawi rider. gnarly blind spot!
Yea that def threw me off my rhythm for a good lap! Here is the 450 video.
Exactly what I do. When the 450 is having the suspension done or down for a week or two I ride my old 250t. Best of both worlds! One thing though is that I’ve never been disappointed to get the 450 back and put the 250t in the corner of the garage until the next time. You’re doing it right. 👍
Congrats on your new Honda and let us know how your first ride on her felt.
Merry Christmas ya all. Have a good safe one.
Haha the dude is hooked... something about kicking a bike and hearing an engine sing. I'm second hand happy for you...I can imagine a 6yr old pinballing out of bed and grabbing you so he can show you him starting his bike at 730am 😂.
That being said, I think I've asked my wife five times if she wants to come out in the garage and see and/or sit on the new bike and I'm 35... She hasn't bitten yet though. We grow older, but we do not grow up.
The sand sections were absolutely brutal, but super fun. We did a 3 man team last year and will probably do the same this year. Towards the end the long sand roller sections felt like what I'd imagine Lommel to be like. Rollers were as tall as I am and you're trying to skim across them, sweep a turn into more rollers knowing you will lower the front end at some point and likely quickly change lines unintentionally. I remember an abandoned rmz stuck in the sand for a while way in one of the back sections.The mx track sections were where you could catch a break. Had two buddies break collarbones last year who were on another team of 3. Basically passed each other to/from the hospital. Meanwhile we kept on racing while getting updates as it's 8 damn hours 😂. Good times, looking forward to the chaos this year.
Santa is for sure a Honda guy
Congrats on the new scoot. Merry Christmas!
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