Posts
2075
Joined
3/18/2017
Location
Boston, MA
US
I have the yamaha taking first place with the best suspension in the class, strongest motor, electric start, and multiple test riders saying the new weight bias towards the front makes the bike handle closely to a suzuki. The design has finally come into its own and this bike is going to be an absolute monster. KTM could of course come out on top but I dont see many changes if any coming this year, same with the Husky. The Honda is great as well but doesnt really come out in first place on anything it just kind of does everything well. The new suzuki is great but I dont think they went far enough yet with the design, its going to be great for zook fans though.
-Husky
-Yamaha
-Honda
-Susszuki. (for Tyler)
-Kawasaki
I'm a 17 KX owner but realize that warmed over models are well, warmed over. E-start will top the charts in my opinion. I don't mind kicking. But most do. So it seems. With that being said, I wouldn't trade my bike for any of the above. Just my pick and opinion.
The Shop
We shall see if I am right lol
Husky
Yamaha
Honda
Kawasaki
Suzuki
KTM/Hushy
Suzuki
Yamaha
Kawasaki
Husky
Yami
Zook
Honda
Kawi
The only possible flaw on the KTM, is the AER/AIR fork.
Order will be:
KTM/Husky
Yamaha
Suzuki
Honda
Kawasaki
KTM/HUsky: Air fork, but not performing badly
Yamaha: Heavy, nervous, not as good cockpit as winners
Suzuki: Heavy, No electric start. Poor fork performance
Kawasaki: Outdated, no electric start
Honda: Heavy, unbalanced chassi, poor fork performance
Trust me on the above.
Husky
Yamaha
Honda
Suzuki
Kawasaki
KTM
Honda
Suzuki
Kawasaki
Yamaha
Ill get one with a kickstarter.
Pit Row
Honda,
Husqvarna,
Suzuki,
Yamaha,
Kawasaki
I think the Suzuki will still be a better handling package than the Yamaha. No electric start can make up for that.
Ktm
Honda
Kaw
Zuk
Husqv
It seems as though they have become vindictive about judging a bike's quality based on weight. When in reality, any good/skilled rider doesn't see weight as a deciding factor.
suzuki
honda
yamaha
kawi
Shootout as a concept is dead to me in this day and age. None of the bikes are shit. It doesn't matter what you buy, you will probably(not guaranteed) be relatively happy with your bike.
With that said. All the bikes are different, even the KTM compared to the Husqvarna. I would not trust what someone else thinks about these bikes and what they think is the best one. As an example: In 2017, I rode the Yamaha and it had some nice features but it was wide, heavy and cornered like titanic compared to my KTM. Yet it won the dirt rider shootout if i remember right?. So a bike that i would never buy after my experience on it was supposed to be the best one? Same goes for all the other shootouts. Just because brand X wins doesn't mean that it is the best bike for you.
The only way to know is to ride them all or at least most of them so that you know what suits you and your riding style.
I feel like these shootouts are aimed to certain groups of people: Fanboys, people that like to argue, people that live in 1980(no offence to you older guys).
1998 Yamaha YZ400F
1999 Yamaha YZ400F
2000 Yamaha YZ400F
2001 Yamaha YZ426F
2002 Yamaha YZ426F
2003 Yamaha YZ450F
2004 Honda CRF450
2005 Honda CRF450
2006 Yamaha YZ450F
2007 Honda CRF450
2008 Honda CRF450
2009 Kawasaki KX450F
2010 KTM 450SXF
2011 KTM 450SXF
2012 Kawasaki KX450F
2013 Kawasaki KX450F
2014 Kawasaki KX450F
2015 KTM 450SXF
2016 KTM 450SXF
I like what Vital did with the shootouts the last two years. I especially like lap times of a range of skill level of riders. At the end of the day, that is the metric that matters most. Yes it's difficult to compare session to session, track to track, but you at least get an idea.
Post a reply to: Place your bets on 2018 450 shootout