Santa Showed Up Early

OwenJakes wrote:

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...

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. 
 

OwenJakes wrote:

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...

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.

T-MAC wrote:

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...

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!

OwenJakes wrote:

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...

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. 
 

OwenJakes wrote:

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...

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.

RightHookNoCandy wrote:

I'll give my input: I grew up on 2 strokes and raced 250 2 strokes when I was 17-20 competitively (Local A rider) and have had...

I'll give my input: I grew up on 2 strokes and raced 250 2 strokes when I was 17-20 competitively (Local A rider) and have had mostly 450s the last 10 years. Back in 2022 I got a hair up my ass to get a 2 stroke again so I built a mint YZ250. I rode it maybe 5 times and decided that I am over that life lmao. Its way harder to ride a two stroke at the same speed as a 450. You are shifting, clutching, trying to carry momentum through corners. Basically any stock 450 you can stick it in 3rd gear and be smooth around the track and achieve similar lap times with way less effort. 

450s are hard to hold onto when you are tired though and they can get away from you easy, i'll give you that. Most novice riders I think would enjoy a modified 250 or 350 more. 

Rupert X wrote:

Bought myself two Yamahas last week !

Bought myself two Yamahas last week !

9bro9 wrote:

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...

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? 

T-MAC wrote:

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...

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.

Rupert X wrote:

Bought myself two Yamahas last week !

Bought myself two Yamahas last week !

OwenJakes wrote:

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...

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. 
 

OwenJakes wrote:

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...

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.

RightHookNoCandy wrote:

I'll give my input: I grew up on 2 strokes and raced 250 2 strokes when I was 17-20 competitively (Local A rider) and have had...

I'll give my input: I grew up on 2 strokes and raced 250 2 strokes when I was 17-20 competitively (Local A rider) and have had mostly 450s the last 10 years. Back in 2022 I got a hair up my ass to get a 2 stroke again so I built a mint YZ250. I rode it maybe 5 times and decided that I am over that life lmao. Its way harder to ride a two stroke at the same speed as a 450. You are shifting, clutching, trying to carry momentum through corners. Basically any stock 450 you can stick it in 3rd gear and be smooth around the track and achieve similar lap times with way less effort. 

450s are hard to hold onto when you are tired though and they can get away from you easy, i'll give you that. Most novice riders I think would enjoy a modified 250 or 350 more.