Everyone who rides the dunes or desert knows that
sand can easily rob any machine of power, but
even with the power loss, the newYFZ450R still
had plenty to make it up even the steepest washouts.
The EFI made the throttle a lot less stiff and
very responsive, but the power band was smoother
than in the older YFZ. “It has a lot of
power, but the power and the quad itself seems
more controllable than a lot of other bikes,”
said McClure. The 449cc motor still maintains
the same mid-range power as in the older models,
and is more powerful, but would definitely benefit
from an aftermarket exhaust, such as the GYTR
system offered by Yamaha.
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The
YFZ450R seat & fender provides a dramatic
improvement over the YFZ450 with the new
seat shape making it extremely comfortable
and easy to reposition your body weight
with out any fender interference |
The ergonomics of the newYFZ450R are also something
that Yamaha has made noticeable improvements
on. “The seat is wider in the back which
makes it a lot more comfortable and a lot easier
to slide around on when you’re cornering,”
said Jarrod. The adjustable handlebars were
a definite bonus on our ride as well. “After
riding for a while, I didn’t really like
how they had the handlebars set up on the bike
so I made a few changes and set them up how
I wanted and once I did that they were really
comfortable and I felt like I really had a lot
of control over the bike,” Jarrod explained.
The new softer side panels of theYFZ450R are
also a nice addition and offer some flex and
a softer feel on the rider’s knees. The
front fenders are also well spaced and provide
an indent for your knees when cornering aggressively.
Yamaha also did their homework in reducing vibration,
which in turn helps to reduce rider fatigue.
“I didn’t feel any vibration at
all through the steering stem or handlebars,”
Jarrod claimed.
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Jarrod
McClure finished out day one on the
trails impressed with the new YFZ450R,
tomorrow he will find out how well it
works on the MX track
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Overall, we had a great time on Yamaha’sYFZ450R.
Everything on this machine seems to have been
improved. “TheYFZ450R is awesome. I had
a great time riding it today and I can’t
wait to get it out on the track!” said
Jarrod enthusiastically.
We have one more day of riding Yamaha’s
new race ATV and are looking forward to it.
We will be taking theYFZ450R out to a private
SoCal motocross track tomorrow to push it to
its limits and see how it stacks up against
the old YFZ and other 450 models. We will post
up our motocross ride review on this highly
anticipated machine when we return.
www.yamaha-motor.com
