2020 Vital MX 450 Off-Road Shootout 29

Beta 430 RR Race Edition vs. Honda CRF450X vs. Suzuki RMX450Z vs. TM EN 450Fi vs. Yamaha WR450F

In the US, the pinnacle of dirt bike racing is supercross and motocross, and we typically view bikes with lights, kickstands, odometers, big tanks and other conveniences to be trail bikes that have too much extra stuff to be performance machines. But that just isn’t the case in the rest of the world, and to be honest, it isn’t really the case in certain parts of the US. We are taking a look at five Enduro bikes that depending on your perspective are ready for the trails or the races.

Our test consisted of two days of riding. First we hit the trails on the Cahuilla Creek Motocross Park’s property. This was after a tiny bit of rain so the trails were in good condition. These trails are pretty tight, switchbacky single-track that are not technical or difficult, just mainly turn after turn after turn. Our second day of testing was in an undisclosed location that had a little bit of everything, including a wide-open sand wash, a rocky creek bed, an off-camber canyon trail, some flowy single track, fast whoops, and a hill climb to round it out. 

 

Off-road is a riding category that is much more varied than motocross. Meaning there are so many different kinds of trails and terrain that ONE bike that works in all of them is hard to find. What you want when you are fifth gear pinned through sand rollers is different than what you want when you are clawing up a muddy, slick waterfall. That being said, we did our best to keep all of that in mind when riding these machines in different terrain. 

 

If You Live In California…

In the Golden State, all dirt bikes are registered either green or red sticker. There are a lot of regulations changing right now in that regard, but for this comparison of bikes in 2020, the only green sticker bike is the Honda CRF450X. The Suzuki and Yamaha were also green sticker but recent changes to the law make them now red sticker, and we believe the Beta is in the same situation. Green sticker bikes are allowed to ride OHV (off highway vehicle) areas and US Forest Service land year-round. Red sticker bikes have a window of about six months or more that they are allowed to ride depending on the riding area (no riding in the summer months). We are not sure if the TM EN was ever green sticker. But any red sticker bike, that would include motocross machines, still needs a spark arrester and quiet exhaust (limited to 96 dBa).

 

Lastly, on both the Suzuki and Yamaha, there are throttle stops that limit the throttle pull to about half. While neither Suzuki or Yamaha endorses this, we did remove the physical throttle limitations to have access to the full throw of the throttle. In doing so, we made these bikes competition-only, not to be ridden on public lands. 

 

 


 

The Machines

Beta 430 RR Race Edition


Honda CRF450X

Suzuki RMX450Z

TM EN 450Fi 

Yamaha WR450F


Spec Chart

 

Specifications Beta 430 RR Race Edition  Honda CRF450X Suzuki RMX450Z TM EN 450Fi Yamaha WR450F
Green/Red Sticker Red Green Red Red Red
Displacement 430.9cc 449cc 449cc 449.4cc 450cc
Bore x Stroke 95mm x 60.8mm 96mm x 62.1mm 96mm x 62.1mm 95mm x 63.4mm 97mm x 60.9mm
Compression Ratio 12.33:1 12:1 11.6:1 N/A 12.8:1
Fuel System 42mm EFI 46mm EFI 41mm EFI EFI 44mm EFI
Starting Electric (kickstart sold as option) Electric Electric (kickstart backup) Electric (kickstart backup) Electric
Transmission 6-speed 6-speed wide ratio 5-speed 5-speed 5-speed wide ratio
Suspension Front 48 mm KYB AOS closed cartridge fork   49mm Showa coil-spring fork 47mm Showa coil-spring fork 48mm KYB fork 48mm KYB SSS fork
Suspension Rear Sachs shock Pro-Link Showa shock Showa shock TM Racing KYB shock
Brakes Front 260mm floating 260mm 250mm 270mm  270mm
Brakes Rear 240mm 240mm  240mm 245mm 245mm
Tires Front 21-inch Michelin Enduro Competition  21-inch Dunlop MX52 21-inch Dunlop D756 N/A 21-inch Dunlop MX3X
Tires Rear 18-inch Michelin Enduro Competition 18-inch Dunlop MX52 18-inch Dunlop  D742FA N/A 18-inch Dunlop MX3X
Seat Height 37 in.  37.4 in. 37.4 in. N/A 37.6 in.
Wheelbase 58.7 in. 58.8 in. 58.5 in. N/A 58.3 in. 
Ground Clearance 12.6 in.  12.7 in.  12.6 in. N/A 12.6 in.
Fuel Capacity 2.4 gal.  2.01 gal. 1.6 gal. 1.98 gal. 2.2 gal. 
Claimed Weight 239 lb (dry) 275 lb (full) 272 lb (full) N/A 265 lb. (full) 
Actual Weight Full 261 lb 274 lb 272 lb 260 lb 265 lb
Price  $10,699 $9,799 $8,999 $11,195 $9,699

Dyno

We took the bike over to Race Tech HQ to run each bike on the dyno on the same day in the same conditions. 

 

 

Dyno Numbers TM EN 450Fi Yamaha WR450F Beta 430 RR Honda CRF450X Suzuki RMX450Z
Max HP 50.48 @8200 rpm 44.94 @8500 rpm 44.82 @8000 39.72 @7500 rpm 36.98 @8600 rpm
Max Torque 34.5 ft-lb @6800 rpm 28.9 ft-lb @7350 rpm 30.1 ft-lb @7500 28.8 ft-lb @7000 rpm 26.1 ft-lb @6750 rpm

Results 

Yamaha YZ450F 

1-3-1-2-1-1


Honda CRF450X 

2-2-3-1-2-3

Beta 430 RR Race Edition 

3-1-2-4-3-2

Suzuki RMX450Z 

4-5-4-3-4-4

TM EN 450Fi 

5-4-5-5-5-5

 

Testers

Sean Klinger

Height: 5’9”

Weight: 195 lb

Ability: Off-Road Intermediate

Bikes: All of them


David Pingree

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 170 lb

Ability: Pro

Bikes: All moto bikes


Bryce Vallee

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 185 lb

Ability: Was professional up until 2012... had career ending injury and now washed up 

Bikes: 2017 husqvarna 450 FE


Bruce Marada

Height: 5’11”

Weight: N/A

Ability: Use to race pro but now would do vet 30 plus

Bikes: 2019 CRF 450/ 2003 CR 250 2 stroke


BJ Burns

Height: 6’3” 

Weight: 240 lb

Ability: Vet pro 

Bikes: Kawasaki KX450



Tristen Morts

Height: 6’3” 

Weight: 195 lb

Ability: Expert 

Bikes: 2018 Husqvarna FC 450


 Testing Notes

5th | TM EN 450Fi


Klinger’s 5th Place - The TM is just straight up a whole different animal than all the other bikes. TMs are handbuild in Italy to your specifications and their choices on how a dirt bike should look, work, and feel are just different. Now, this isn’t bad, it just takes some serious getting used to, and that was not practical in the two days we had with the machine. The motor has an old-school, slow-revving, luggy character that made it feel sluggish on the bottom and gave it what felt like twice as much engine braking as any other bike. But, as the dyno chart shows, this bike makes a lot of power, it is just way at the top of the rev range. And unlike other bikes that have power at the top (KTM/Husqvarnas) the TM doesn’t rev through the bottom and mid-range very quickly. It is just a little confusing to ride. Handling is pretty good and it doesn’t feel heavy or bulky like some of the other bikes. It wasn’t as nimble as the Beta, but similar to the Suzuki and maybe better than the Honda and Yamaha in turnability. The suspension is a good mix of comfort and performance, but more set up for faster, flowing trails than creek beds or extreme terrain. 

 

Ping’s 5th Place - My first impression of the TM is that it felt very big, it had the most vibration of all the bikes and the throttle was difficult to turn. As with all the bikes, I could get comfortable on the TM after a while and have a blast riding it. However, it took more time to feel comfortable on the TM than the other bikes. Some of it had to do with the larger feeling, and some of it was suspension; the firm feeling of the fork and shock transferred much of the surface bumps back to my hands. The vibration was prominent as well, especially when you got the RPM’s up. There is a bunch of horsepower way up high, but most folks aren’t revving the crap out of their bikes on a trail ride. I think these guys would benefit from bringing the power down lower in the RPM range and putting a softer valving setup in the suspension. I liked the TM, just a little less than the others. 

Vallee’s 5th Place - I was excited to try this bike out but wasn't very impressed after riding it. I felt like it was heavy and didn’t have much power. The engine braking was the most I had experienced on a 450, almost to the point where you didn’t have to use much brake. I also felt like it vibrated much more than the other bikes. The suspension was stiff but good for more aggressive situations. Overall my first TM experience was not what I expected.

Marada’s 4th Place  - The TM was an interesting one. It had good power but just felt heavy in the rear, not sure if this had something to do with the gas tank being in the rear of the bike? Also, I had an issue with stalling the bike due to it having aggressive engine braking which is not ideal for the tight off-road sections.

Burns’ 5th Place - I had never ridden a TM going into this so was excited to test it out. A couple things that stood out straight away that were unfortunately negative. The fork sticker was on upside down and there was a few wires unplugged and in the open, maybe for another accessory but still not very confidence inspiring. Getting on the trail the ergos felt good. A nice bar and lever set up made adapting to the bike easy. The power is soft off the bottom making it easy to maneuver tight and technical sections. I would like a little better response as it lacked that connected feel to the rear wheel. As I started to rev the bike it became clear it had tons of power. It was harder to get there, but it was definitely there. Going into corners or downhills I did encounter lots of engine braking which changed all my braking points from the other bikes, but learned to use that and became less of an issue the more I rode it. Intake noise is real similar to Yamaha so again that takes some getting used to. 

Morts’ 5th Place - This bike was different then what I am used to. With its unique style and odd characteristics. One thing that caught me off guard is the gas cap is on the rear number plate. I thought it would be an issue with my leg when I lean back but I didn’t notice it at all. I feel this bike was taller than the rest of the line up but when I took it out on the trail it felt OK. Nothing surprised me right away. It wasn’t the slowest bike but I noticed that it was definitely the quickest to stop. This was not because of the breaks but the engine braking. I’m still unsure how I feel about it. Maybe on a steep downhill section I could find some more use for it but on the open trail, as soon as you let off the gas you can feel the bike slowing down. One thing that bothered me was the kickstand. When riding on the balls of my feet I could feel my heel hitting it. I wear a size 11 boot so maybe if your boot is a bit smaller that won’t be an issue. Another thing I noticed was the front tire felt slick and kept wanting to slide and wash out on me rather than gripping the dirt.


4th | Suzuki RMX450Z 

Klinger’s 4th Place - I was actually really surprised with the RMX. On paper, it looks like it is far behind the rest of the group, but when riding it, I had a pretty good time. The power is definitely a couple notches behind the rest, yet in a way, it makes it easier to ride and easier to ride more aggressively. Just like a smaller displacement bike, the Suzuki needs you to twist the grip a little more, but you are definitely in control, rather than the bike controlling you. And with a few small changes that you can google on your own, the bike will make a lot more power. The bike has a more moto-y feel than some others because of the small tank and slim profile. This translates to a pretty agile feeling machine that worked the best in flowing, twisty single track. While riding technical stuff, the RMX’s weight shows up and the suspension, though a dated design, is more apt at faster paced trails than being plush for rough sections. Overall, there is a lot of potential with the RMX and for the average trail rider or even somewhat competitive Vet Enduro racer, this could be a good choice. 

Ping’s 4th Place - This old girl hasn’t seen an update in a while, but it’s still surprisingly good. My first impression is that the motor is choked up and slow and the front end has a heavy feel, making turns awkward. After some more time on the bike I came around to it. The outlet on the muffler is about the size of a pencil, making this machine about as loud as an electric toothbrush; this pinhole of an exhaust port also takes its toll on the power. While the Suzuki engine is definitely the most mellow of all the bikes, it still gets the job done on the trail. It chugs well in the tighter spots but will still rev if you wind it out going up a hill or down a long fire road. And unless you’re planning on racing, lots of horsepower is fun, but it isn’t necessary. The RMX actually handles well once you find the balance of it. The front end does have a heavier feel, so I had to shift my weight back a bit to lighten the load on the front tire. Once I got that sorted, I really had fun on the Suzuki. It’s not as serious as some of the others, but you finish your ride with a big smile on your face.

Vallee’s 4th Place - Initially I wasn’t super impressed with the Suzuki as it felt a little outdated compared to some of the other bikes, but as the day went on I started to enjoy it more and more. It was smooth and handled decently. It’s a little sluggish and felt heavy to me but for the average rider this bike will do the trick. 

Marada’s 5th Place - This bike was very hard for me to ride, the front end felt heavy and hard to steer. The sound of this bike is very restricted, and I almost felt it was down on power due to that. I also didn’t like how the head light always stays on when it's running; I just feel that they should make it an option to turn it off and on. Unfortunately I don’t really have anything good to say about this bike.

Burns’ 3rd Place - Jumping on the Suzuki I felt super comfortable as the bike felt much like a motocross bike with the smaller tank and slim body. The small tank may limit your ride time or distance but I felt it added big gains to comfort and cornering. I felt this bike's suspension suited me best of all the bikes being on the heavier side of average and the Suzuki coming with a stiffer set up. Coming off Yamaha or Honda you would notice this bike being down on power, but for the riding we did it wasn’t a bad thing. The fun factor came up for me on this bike because you could ride it really hard as opposed to having to tiptoe on some other bikes. Blasting up the hills I would have to rev this bike a little more but never had a problem with needing more power. 

Morts’ 4th Place - Overall this bike was alright. It got the job done and handled the task that was presented. I was most impressed with how smooth it was to shift. It almost felt like an automatic; you’d click the shifter and the transition to each gear was spot on and would keep on pulling without hesitation. On the other hand I had a difficult time putting this bike where I wanted it. It seemed to want to stand up in corners and tough to navigate in sections that were a bit more winding. 


3rd | Beta 430 RR Race Edition

Klinger’s 2nd Place - The Beta is a pure-bred off-road machine. It is obvious that this bike comes from an off-road only company and doesn’t have any ties to a motocross bike. The power is abundant and torquey, with a buttery smooth clutch to lay down smooth, traction grabbing grunt. The 430 encourages you to explore uncharted canyons and gnarly trails just because of how much control you have. Where all the other bikes, at one time or another, had some coughs or flame-outs, the Beta just chugged along and was sort of sneaky fast. But, when wound out, the bike makes more vibration and noise than power. Short shifting is key. The handling is super agile and nimble, with the weight feeling very low. I could put the bike anywhere I wanted and it was the most receptive to rider input out of all the machines. The suspension in stock form is very comfortable and plush, making technical riding a breeze, but didn’t want to be slammed through the desert wide open. Overall, I found with the combo of power, handling, and suspension of this bike that I could just flow through tight-to-flowy single track really well. 

 Ping’s 3rd Place - If this was a looks competition, the Beta wins all day, every day, and twice on Sunday. What a cool looking bike! My initial impression on the Beta is that it loved tighter, slower trails. You can make it weave through s-turns easily and the engine likes to be lugged along like a tractor. The suspension is on the firm side, but gives it a very race-y feel. Componentry and comfort are both great, and I had no complaints in terms of brakes or clutch. Because the suspension is on the firmer side, it made me want to ride it harder and faster, which was fun. A few clicks softer and I had it working really well in all conditions. As I mentioned, the motor didn’t like to be revved. The happy spot on the Beta is just off idle to the upper middle end. Once you get past a certain RPM it feels like the bike begins to vibrate and the chassis binds up. You end up doing a little more shifting on this bike, but it rewards you for it. This bike is really comfortable and fun to ride. It isn’t the fastest bike, but you don’t ever feel like you’re missing out.

Vallee’s 3rd Place - I really enjoyed the Beta and was very impressed with it. I could have put this 2nd as I felt that the Honda and Beta were tied. The beta would be the bike I would use in a hard enduro event. It feels light nimble, handles well and has plenty of power. It occasionally felt a little twitchy on the front when going through some of the faster sections. I had a ton of fun on this bike and not to mention I think it’s the coolest looking bike of the group.

Marada’s 1st Place - This bike was a huge surprise for me! The moment I took my first corner on this bike I fell in love with it! I was a huge fan of how narrow and nimble the bike felt. The power was good and easy to manage especially through the tight sections. I was really able to balance well on this bike which is key when it comes to the more difficult off-road sections, even on the high-speed stuff it handles very well.

Burns’ 4th Place - I went into this test never having ridden a Beta, but aesthetically from color to lines it checked all the boxes. This was the only bike we had in the shootout that wasn’t 450cc so I was unsure what to expect power wise. Starting our loop in a tight section the bike really shined, it felt so planted to the ground but nimble enough to carry the wheel over a bump or rock. I felt in the standing position on this bike most comfortable and really started to enjoy the bike. As I got into faster stuff I was riding the bike like the big horsepower bikes and felt it was a little slow, but then I started short shifting and started to trust the engine and had no complaints on power. The KYB suspension was soft in the fast, bigger stuff but in the slow technical I thought it was great. The brembo brakes were a huge plus had plenty of stopping power and control made attacking into corners a little more controlled. The only real drawback we had was going late into one of our loops the Beta did overheat and with no cooling fan and a weak radiator cap might be an upgrade to look into. 


Mort’s 2nd Place - This bike was a lot of fun to ride. Definitely the lightest feeling bike of the group. One of the main things I like is that hydraulic clutch making it easy to pull in even when the arm pump kicks in. Where I found this bike to be the best was in the slow rocky section, it was easy to maneuver, had good power on the bottom end to pop the bike up and get over whatever gets in the way of your path. The suspension handled nicely popping off some of the rocks. It would land smooth and not bottom out. This bike was more enjoyable in the enduro type riding rather than on the open trail. The overall power didn’t feel like it was there when riding this bike at faster speeds.  


2nd | Honda CRF450X


Klinger’s 3rd Place - It was a toss up between the Beta and Honda for me. They are on completely different ends of the off-road spectrum. While the Beta begs for hard enduro, the Honda is a desert racing machine. The power isn’t as aggressive as the CRF450R, but it has the same characteristic. It is quick revving and pretty snappy.The bottom end is a little lurchy and the motor didn’t want to stay lit when idling through slow trails. For me, it was the least agile in the tight stuff. I felt like I was riding a bull in a china shop. I kept blowing through corners and popping off the trail. The suspension is great for moderate to fast riding and does just OK in the small bumps. Overall, I really only liked the Honda the more open the riding was. Sand washes? Check. Whoops? Check. Big hills and jeep roads? Check. 

Ping’s 2nd Place - My first impression of this bike is that the motor is very mellow and friendly, the suspension is soft and the front end feels a little bit heavy. After spending some time on the bike, I found out there is more to the engine than I first thought. While it is a very linear power delivery, it works! You don’t get the quick rush of power like the Yamaha, but you’re never wanting more. The suspension is definitely set up to cruise the trails. If you are an advanced rider, you’ll immediately want to go in on the compression clickers and firm this thing up. The suspension componentry is good, however, so you can get it working well for almost any rider. The CRF is a very comfortable bike from the time you jump on. The position the machine puts you in is easy and natural feeling. My overall impression is that this bike does everything well, but nothing outstanding. It’s a fantastic bike, all-around. 

Vallee’s 2nd Place - To me this bike felt like anyone could get on it and feel comfortable. It was never overwhelming when referring to the power and the suspension was very soft and forgiving. It was soft so that can be a con if doing more aggressive riding and it felt a bit heavier than some of the other bikes. Overall you couldn’t go wrong with the bike.

Marada’s 2nd Place - I have a bit of a bias toward this bike because I’m a huge Honda fan! The thing that stood out to me the most is how well the handling was going through some of the big rollers, suspension settled very well and made me feel very confident in the rough sections. If I had to pick one negative thing, it would be that the gas tank felt wide which made it harder for me to corner.

Burn’s 1st Place - Starting off with the Honda the fit and finish is great everything has the quality we have come to expect from them. Right away the electric start worked flawlessly whether first start or after I stalled it on a trail it came alive quickly with little effort. Once riding the power was smooth and didn’t leave any more desired. First gear was surprisingly long for our goat trails and tight sections. As I got more comfortable on the bike the more it excelled. Similar to its motocross version I felt the more aggressive I rode the better it handled. The power was very smooth and somewhat deceiving with the quiet exhaust, I have often associated noise with power and that is not the case with this bike. On the tighter trails I did notice the weight in a few situations as well as the larger tank making it somewhat bigger in the front and making the tight and technical a little more challenging. As I got into some steep rollers the bike handled straight and reacted well to both jumping and staying on top. Going through our offload loop I did encounter some stalling but turned up the idle a little more and phased that out.  


Mort’s 3rd Place - Off the start this was definitely the nicest looking bike of the bunch. Overall the bike felt pretty mellow on the trail. The power was smooth when you got on the throttle and would gradually gain speed and from there the bike would take off with its top end pull. The suspension felt comfortable, and I didn’t notice anything too special or negative about it. A few things I struggled with on the bike was the clutch lever felt too far out of me and made it tough to reach when I needed it and was hard to leave my finger on the clutch while I rode. I would suggest an adjustable clutch lever personally. I also found this bike to be tough in the slower tighter sections especially when it was rocky. Trying to navigate in first gear the bike seemed to want to stall out and having the clutch lever in an uncomfortable position made it these tight rocky sections a bit more difficult.


1st | Yamaha WR450F

Klinger’s 1st Place - When it comes to an off-road bike, I guess I’m really looking for a bike that does everything well. Is the WR the best at the tight stuff? No. Is it the best at the fast stuff? No. But it is so close, and really good at both that I’d choose this bike over all the others as the most versatile, and the bike I would buy. Plus the bike is extremely predictable fast or slow; I had a very high degree of confidence. Power wise, it is my favorite, just in front of the Beta. Even though it is a quick, snappy motor, the super low first gear made it pretty easy to handle on technical trails. It also revs to the moon for fast stuff. It feels like there is power everywhere, with torque as well. The intake noise is annoying at first but you get used to it. I’ve been able to get Yamaha’s to turn well for me so handling is solid. Not the most nimble, but easy to turn and put where I want. The suspension is something magical, only because it can handle such a wide variety of trails. I could play around on rocks all day with plenty of comfort, or blast through high-speed desert trails with plenty of hold up. Overall, a great do-it-all machine. 

Ping’s 1st Place - My first impression of the Yamaha is that it had the best motor of the group. It felt a lot like the motocross version; it rolled on nicely and then really accelerated quickly. The motor was fun, quick and made the trails exciting to me. The sound from the air filter is quite loud and does take a few minutes to get used to. It isn’t louder than the moto version, but because the exhaust note is quieter, the gulping of air through the throttle body is much more pronounced. I also thought the suspension was the best mix of a plush initial for the small chatter on the trails, with a progressive firming as you started to go faster or hit bigger obstacles or bumps. Whether I was slamming into a big rock or accelerating out of a bumpy turn, I always felt like the fork and shock were up for it. The feel of the bike was great as well. The Yamaha had plenty of room but didn’t feel like it was a massive bike. Cornering was easy, sitting or standing, and the motor would chug along at a crawl in first gear, a nice feature if you find yourself in tight woods or trails. 

Vallee’s 1st Place - This bike felt the most like a true motocross platform and felt like I could accomplish any type of riding I’d want to do whether it be technical or wide open. It had the most power of all the bikes in the shootout and handled great. The suspension worked great with no adjustments and didn’t feel too soft. It does feel a little wide up front by the tank but that was my only real complaint. 

 Marada’s 3rd Place - This bike's cornering was good in the tight sections and power was never an issue! The way the power felt made it easier to get yourself out of the tight rocky uphill sections. One thing that I was not a fan about was how loud the bike sounds, I know this is a huge part of the intake being up front. I also do not like the shape of the front fender.

Burns’ 2nd Place - Fit and finish, much like the Honda, is very high quality. Yamaha wasn’t the easiest to get started both cold and hot took some time. Intake noise was the first thing I noticed, but once I got on the trail it became less of an issue. Power was no issue again the throttle had a very connected feel to the wheel twist and go. First gear was impressive for me on this bike it had the softness on the bottom for control but if a hill or rock was in your way the throttle could get you through it. The suspension, however, is a little soft for my size, but was well balanced and smooth. Getting into the rollers and whoops I was a little worried about the soft set up but the faster I went it held up and stayed straight unless I got off rhythm. Crawling through rocks or tight trails it wasn’t as nimble as some but out in the open I really enjoyed this bike. 

Morts’ 1st Place - After ripping one lap on this bike I was very impressed. Although the first thing I noticed that I wasn’t too fond of was a noisy ticking sound the whole time as soon as you start the bike. After a lap you soon forget it is there. This bike had some speed! As soon as you get on throttle it takes off. Definitely my favorite bike on the single track . Felt the fastest and the cornering felt the best. The suspension was the best out of the corner when it was super choppy. The bike rode ride over the chop and I barely felt the bumps. When it came to the bigger whooped out sections the bike felt heavy and the front end wanted to drop.


Conclusion

Just as there are a multitude of different styles of off-road terrain, there are unique bikes to match up with whichever style of riding you do. The TM definitely marches to the beat of its own drum and calls to the contrarian off-roader with deep pockets and a preference for the exotic. The Suzuki is the budget friendly, everyman’s bike with some hidden potential to be unlocked. The Beta is the east-coast, extreme enduro weapon ready for some tight trail riding. The Honda is ready for riders that want to find out what 100 mph feels like on a dirt bike. And lastly, the Yamaha is a little bit of all of these things, having the most versatility of the bunch. Any way you slice it, if you have one of these bikes in the garage, you win. 


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