Posts
9485
Joined
10/31/2009
Location
CA
US
Ok, first things first, yes as everyone knows I bled a little red (although rode a KTM in 2015 and Kawasaki in 2016/2017) and yes I have a new CRF450WE in the garage.
Yesterday I was handed a near new YZ450F by one of my mates who has just buggered his knee, so I took it out for the day, set it up and had a few motos on it.
It impressed the hell out of me, damn good bike, I could definitely race the thing and win on it. According to my wife, who was timing me, I was putting in as fast laps as i can on my CRF (although I wasnt swapping between them both on that day).
On the track I rode the suspension was a little plusher, chassis balance was very nice, smooth power...only downsides were I missed the extra power of the CRF (sorry, but the Honda is a flat out rocket) and in the air it didnt feel quite as light/flickable despite being close in weight to the CRF.
Still, I was very impressed! (no, I will not be asking for a free one from my dealer, for those who get that joke)
Yesterday I was handed a near new YZ450F by one of my mates who has just buggered his knee, so I took it out for the day, set it up and had a few motos on it.
It impressed the hell out of me, damn good bike, I could definitely race the thing and win on it. According to my wife, who was timing me, I was putting in as fast laps as i can on my CRF (although I wasnt swapping between them both on that day).
On the track I rode the suspension was a little plusher, chassis balance was very nice, smooth power...only downsides were I missed the extra power of the CRF (sorry, but the Honda is a flat out rocket) and in the air it didnt feel quite as light/flickable despite being close in weight to the CRF.
Still, I was very impressed! (no, I will not be asking for a free one from my dealer, for those who get that joke)
You forgot to mention them
Digging up at least 3 threads back to back just to call out kiwifan. Surely a PM would be more appropriate.
The Shop
It’s lame.
First things, first. All the new 450’s are just incredible. I’ve owned, or at least rode just about every Mx 450 since they came out.
I never thought I’d buy a new ktm or yz450 but was open minded and went for it.
My experience with the 20 yz450 wasn’t that great. I rode the ktm and yz back to back every time I rode. The bikes are literally 180 from each other and I’m used to honda platforms.
I’m 6’1 225lbs dry. Vet expert. My larger frame and body weight are always a huge factor for me on stock suspension. So taking that into consideration.
Yz pros-
-Very responsive power but very smooth
And of corse the tuner. I ran the TP3, Keefer, and exciting power maps the most.
-The mapping is very clean and crisp feeling ( I run VP T4 fuel )
-The suspension is very plush and bottoming is also plush as expected from KYB
- bike is pretty stable and frame has tons of comfort.
Now the Cons-
- With the bike being under suspended for me, I got way too much pitching. Coming down steep hills I got a lot of twitching which got sketchy.
- I had a hard time get the bike slowed down and settling into corners, especially compared to KTM. (This is my first KTM so not bias at all, just true testament ).
- the bike seemed vague and wanted to stand up in corners whether I was on the brakes or throttle.
-bike never really felt planted to me in corners, so when I think I’m just over reacting and push a little more, I’d lose the front or rear end unexpectedly.
- my biggest issue of all was that I couldn’t grip the bike with my legs and get serious arm pump.
- my knees was a good 2 inches higher then the seat. The width at the pegs seemed wide but up near the seat it was skinny which made it difficult to grip.
The clutch cover literally sticks out over a inch past the frame and was just annoying to me.
Now I thought about lowering pegs and getting fully valved and sprung suspension for me ( which I do on all my bikes)
But I held off because even though I done them mods and fix all my issues, I still don’t think I’d like the bike. To me, it just feels like a utility ATV and not a dirt bike. And the just kills the fun vibe to me.
It is a amazing motorcycle. People either love these bikes or hate them. It does seem like shorter people seem to like them more.
I traded in my 20 yz450f in on a 20 CRF450 works edition ( which I love ) but I’m a honda guy. Better then my KTM? No!
The KTM blows my mind how good it is. This being my first KTM, it amazes me the engineering put into the machine for performance and maintenance.
And also the 20 Kawasaki kx450 is amazing all around bike.
Between the ktm and Kawasaki, these bikes are insanely good stock.
The Yamaha is a good machine to just hope on and go Ride for average guys without touching a thing.
The honda is a incredible machine also but it’s a serious machine. Little ridged and stout engine directed toward A and pro riders.
I didn’t like the ergos as a bigger frame guy like you Im 6’1” @ 230 lbs.. The bike really didn’t impress me & maybe it was do to all the rave reviews & was expecting to be blown away. Instead I ended up walking away wondering what the big fuss was all about.
In my case I ended buying an 18 CRF450r & now also own a 20 WE model which are both excellent mx bikes.
Also considered a blue bike for 18.
I haven’t ridden a newer 18YZF450 +, but was told by a local that they still feel heavy & don’t turn well like you eluded to they still feel like they want to stand up in the corners.
Pit Row
Best advice I can give you is to test ride some bikes if possible. Look into test ride days from your local dealers.
Post a reply to: 2020 YZ450F ride