How to make your 2010-12 Yamaha YZ450 turn like its on velcro.

BAD10
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BAD10
Edited Date/Time 7/31/2012 1:41am
All this talk about the Yamaha 450 being way heavier than its competition, and horribly wide is B.S.. Its a great bike, but it is true that the front end has a light feeling, that makes the rider struggle to ride tight lines, as well as in ruts. In short, the front end always feels like its gonna slide out. Well, lightspeed is now selling these motor mount collars (the ones that the swingarm pivot go through) that position the engine 2 millimeters forward. This shifts 70lbs to the front wheel, which makes it stick like glue and turn like a Honda or Suzuki, with no loss in Stabilty. It took me about 30 minutes to install, and was the best $85 I've spent in a long time. Highly recommend for anyone with the new Yam 450[/img]
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Bruce372
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Bruce372 12/17/2011 12:28pm
12/17/2011 12:28pm
its amazing what a subtle change can make a big difference- very elegant fix.

still wouldnt get me to trade my RMZ though, LOL!!!
BAD10
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BAD10 12/17/2011 12:37pm
12/17/2011 12:37pm
mx317 wrote:
70 lbs?
That is what lightspeed claims. I didnt perform my own tests to support their data, but I can tell you that you can really feel the difference, so I dont doubt it at all. Changes the whole personality of the bike, for the better.......... All I could say was WOW!
Highsider
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Highsider 12/17/2011 12:38pm
12/17/2011 12:38pm Edited Date/Time 12/17/2011 12:40pm
Bruce372 wrote:
its amazing what a subtle change can make a big difference- very elegant fix.

still wouldnt get me to trade my RMZ though, LOL!!!
Oh, you mean the heaviest 450 made?Laughing

http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/MXA-weighs-the-pigs-uh-bi…

And thanks for the tip, Bad10. I will be buying a newer YZ450 next summer.

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look out below 12/17/2011 12:42pm
12/17/2011 12:42pm
Transworld said in the new shootout that 20mm offset triple clamps will help too. Anyone know about this?

I may look into the light speed things if they are as good as you say they are.
BAD10
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BAD10 12/17/2011 12:49pm
12/17/2011 12:49pm
look out below wrote:
Transworld said in the new shootout that 20mm offset triple clamps will help too. Anyone know about this? I may look into the light speed things...
Transworld said in the new shootout that 20mm offset triple clamps will help too. Anyone know about this?

I may look into the light speed things if they are as good as you say they are.
Forget about clamps and lowering links. Those are band aid fixes for what the real problem is. Try it.....its cheap and easy. And no, I have no affiliation with Lightspeed whatsoever. FYI.
look out below 12/17/2011 12:53pm
12/17/2011 12:53pm
look out below wrote:
Transworld said in the new shootout that 20mm offset triple clamps will help too. Anyone know about this? I may look into the light speed things...
Transworld said in the new shootout that 20mm offset triple clamps will help too. Anyone know about this?

I may look into the light speed things if they are as good as you say they are.
BAD10 wrote:
Forget about clamps and lowering links. Those are band aid fixes for what the real problem is. Try it.....its cheap and easy. And no, I have...
Forget about clamps and lowering links. Those are band aid fixes for what the real problem is. Try it.....its cheap and easy. And no, I have no affiliation with Lightspeed whatsoever. FYI.
I will give it a whirl, I have as much fun working on my bike as i do riding it. I think it is because im getting older. ha
Bruce372
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Bruce372 12/17/2011 1:00pm
12/17/2011 1:00pm
Bruce372 wrote:
its amazing what a subtle change can make a big difference- very elegant fix.

still wouldnt get me to trade my RMZ though, LOL!!!
Highsider wrote:
Oh, you mean the heaviest 450 made?Laughing

http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/MXA-weighs-the-pigs-uh-bi…

And thanks for the tip, Bad10. I will be buying a newer YZ450 next summer.
yep, heaviest, best handling and one of the best engines in the 2011! so its all relative i suppose

people spend all sorts of $$$$ on aftermarket stuff that mostly makes their bikes heavier.

Plus, ive met plenty of cyclists that spend thousands on carbon and Ti to shave ounces off their bicycles, but the rider might be 30lbs overweight.
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Rooster 12/17/2011 1:02pm
12/17/2011 1:02pm
mx317 wrote:
70 lbs?
It wouldn't surprise me. I've seen a quarter turn on a four link rear end in a drag car that moved 250 lbs to the front end.
Highsider
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Highsider 12/17/2011 1:02pm
12/17/2011 1:02pm
Bruce372 wrote:
yep, heaviest, best handling and one of the best engines in the 2011! so its all relative i suppose people spend all sorts of $$$$ on...
yep, heaviest, best handling and one of the best engines in the 2011! so its all relative i suppose

people spend all sorts of $$$$ on aftermarket stuff that mostly makes their bikes heavier.

Plus, ive met plenty of cyclists that spend thousands on carbon and Ti to shave ounces off their bicycles, but the rider might be 30lbs overweight.
You nailed it!
Faceaz
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Faceaz 12/17/2011 1:28pm
12/17/2011 1:28pm
Very cool, I was asking about this in one of the other threads. So, what did it do to the other motor mounts? Did you have to elongate the holes on the frame or something?
jtiger12
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jtiger12 12/17/2011 1:29pm
12/17/2011 1:29pm
Wait a second. If you are moving weight forward, you are screwing with your revolutionary backward swept engine's mass centralization design! Say it aint so!
Rewindcaz
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Rewindcaz 12/17/2011 2:16pm
12/17/2011 2:16pm
Interesting find -- thanks for sharing BAD10. Install was pretty basic and easy? I might as well order this and give it a whirl.
machine
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machine 12/17/2011 2:27pm
12/17/2011 2:27pm
That is pretty cool if it fixes the Yami, now if they could just fix ugly.......
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mxb2 12/17/2011 2:33pm
12/17/2011 2:33pm
machine wrote:
That is pretty cool if it fixes the Yami, now if they could just fix ugly.......
Bike cover at wal-mart,$10 should fix that,lol
machine
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machine 12/17/2011 2:33pm
12/17/2011 2:33pm
machine wrote:
That is pretty cool if it fixes the Yami, now if they could just fix ugly.......
mxb2 wrote:
Bike cover at wal-mart,$10 should fix that,lol
Smile
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Hank_Thrill 12/17/2011 2:43pm
12/17/2011 2:43pm Edited Date/Time 12/17/2011 2:47pm
mx317 wrote:
70 lbs?
BAD10 wrote:
That is what lightspeed claims. I didnt perform my own tests to support their data, but I can tell you that you can really feel the...
That is what lightspeed claims. I didnt perform my own tests to support their data, but I can tell you that you can really feel the difference, so I dont doubt it at all. Changes the whole personality of the bike, for the better.......... All I could say was WOW!
That really is amazing. I'm sitting here looking at 2-mm on my computer desk and blown away it makes a noticeably significant improvement. I believe you by the way, I just thing its amazing how big of difference such a small change can make. However, it is kind of funny that the solution goes against the purpose of the revolutionary design.

Do you guys think this design quirk is more noticeable for faster riders? It seems like the faster one rides, the more weight would be transferred towards the back of the bike, especially under high speed acceleration, making the front end feel even lighter? I have no clue though, just wondering.
zookie
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zookie 12/17/2011 2:52pm
12/17/2011 2:52pm
mx317 wrote:
70 lbs?
BAD10 wrote:
That is what lightspeed claims. I didnt perform my own tests to support their data, but I can tell you that you can really feel the...
That is what lightspeed claims. I didnt perform my own tests to support their data, but I can tell you that you can really feel the difference, so I dont doubt it at all. Changes the whole personality of the bike, for the better.......... All I could say was WOW!
The composite CG of the bike is barely going to be moved by 2mm of engine movement. Sorry, their claims are 100% BS.

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zookie
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zookie 12/17/2011 2:53pm
12/17/2011 2:53pm
I would really suggest that anyone interested in buying snake oil products learn a thing or two about physics and engineering before believing this crap
skidsteer16
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skidsteer16 12/17/2011 3:01pm
12/17/2011 3:01pm Edited Date/Time 12/17/2011 3:11pm
zookie wrote:
I would really suggest that anyone interested in buying snake oil products learn a thing or two about physics and engineering before believing this crap
X2

That is... ya know, unless the engine weighs a few thousand pounds...
BAD10
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BAD10 12/17/2011 3:10pm
12/17/2011 3:10pm
zookie wrote:
I would really suggest that anyone interested in buying snake oil products learn a thing or two about physics and engineering before believing this crap
Hey Zookie Skeptic, have you tried the Mod? Your comment is pure B.S.. Given your logic, how is it that a 2 Millimeter change in offset on clamps can change handling? Small changes in the chassis can make huge changes in handling. Merely changing tubing wall thickness will affect handling. 2 millimeters of anything chassis related is big. The mod works, and several people I know that have done this to their YZ agree. And I am sure anybody on this board that may try it will say the same. Its an inexpensive, real world mod that works.
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 12/17/2011 3:15pm
12/17/2011 3:15pm
Shifts 70lbs to the front wheel, riiiight. 2mm you say?

If you shifted 70lbs to your front wheel it would completely fuck up your suspension balance, significant changes in spring rates and valving would be required to make it handle correctly.

Want to move your CG farther forward in the chassis? Add 2 links to your chain and slide your axle back accordingly. The only way you're going to shift 70lbs to your front wheel is finding a way to mount the engine on the forks.
skidsteer16
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skidsteer16 12/17/2011 3:17pm
12/17/2011 3:17pm Edited Date/Time 12/17/2011 3:38pm
He's not questioning whether it may make a big difference or not, just their ridiculous claim of 70 lbs. more on the front wheel...there is no way that is possible unless the engine weighed a hell of lot more and was way closer to the front wheel from the center of gravity than it currently is. Not to mention, if it were true, it would make any bike handle like a penny-farthing or something.
Top End
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Top End 12/17/2011 3:22pm
12/17/2011 3:22pm
zookie wrote:
I would really suggest that anyone interested in buying snake oil products learn a thing or two about physics and engineering before believing this crap
skidsteer16 wrote:
X2

That is... ya know, unless the engine weighs a few thousand pounds...
Someone do a before and after test with two bathroom scales to see if more weight is transferred from the rear to the front. After all the scales don't lie right?
partialperson
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partialperson 12/17/2011 3:26pm
12/17/2011 3:26pm
Funny thing about bike guys, suspension companies. I've never ever heard any of them talk about roll center. Way back when on our sprint car we had an adjustable engine plate. By moving the engine up or down we could change the amount of forward bite. I am not skeptical about this product mentioned above and find it interesting that someone is rethinking how motorcycle chassis work. I would believe this would work before radiator lowering kits would, just saying.
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 12/17/2011 3:28pm
12/17/2011 3:28pm
It's more a matter of the rediculous 70lb claim than whether or not it actually works.
DownSouth
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DownSouth 12/17/2011 3:29pm
12/17/2011 3:29pm
MXA had a little blurb on these last month. The quote from Willy Amaradio of Lightspeed said "Originally I didn't make these to sell but because the bike needed it. When my pro testers tried them, we couldn't get them back."
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Regis 12/17/2011 3:36pm
12/17/2011 3:36pm
mx317 wrote:
70 lbs?
BAD10 wrote:
That is what lightspeed claims. I didnt perform my own tests to support their data, but I can tell you that you can really feel the...
That is what lightspeed claims. I didnt perform my own tests to support their data, but I can tell you that you can really feel the difference, so I dont doubt it at all. Changes the whole personality of the bike, for the better.......... All I could say was WOW!
work on the '10 as well?
BAD10
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BAD10 12/17/2011 3:37pm
12/17/2011 3:37pm
skidsteer16 wrote:
He's not questioning whether it may make a big difference or not, just their ridiculous claim of 70 lbs. more on the front wheel...there is no...
He's not questioning whether it may make a big difference or not, just their ridiculous claim of 70 lbs. more on the front wheel...there is no way that is possible unless the engine weighed a hell of lot more and was way closer to the front wheel from the center of gravity than it currently is. Not to mention, if it were true, it would make any bike handle like a penny-farthing or something.
To the naysayers. I know what you are getting at. I was just relaying what I was told. But I could care less whether its 70lbs or 7 ounces. The only thing that matters to me is that it works. And yes, the front forks will need to be stiffened up a little via compression clickers or oil height. I did both. The bike is so much more fun to ride I would have never believed it myself. If someone on here tries it, and dosan't think it works, then they can call me a liar, and easily put it back to stock.

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