Many manufacturers may have stopped there, but that wasn’t good enough for Yamaha. They also gave the YFZ450R a new throttle valve and revised fuel mapping. These improvements were meant to give the sport quad more of a hit feeling and improve overall power. We felt that the power had a smooth delivery, and wasn’t too jerky, which made for comfortable riding and less fatigue. Despite smooth acceleration, this quad still maintains its infamous mid-range hit that provides quite a rush when you really hit the throttle.
 |
The
front & rear shocks on the YFZ450R
were also updated for 2014
|
In order to handle the increase in power, Yamaha also made improvements to their suspension with longer shocks. The Kashima coated piggyback shocks provide 9.8 inches of travel in the front and 11 inches of travel in the rear. Being that our test rider weighs approximately 200 pounds, we were a little wary of what these stock shocks could take, but they soaked up bumps and provided a nice smooth landing on the jumps.
|
The new shocks did a great job of soaking up the rough bumps & landings |
Now that Dunlop is no longer making ATV tires, Yamaha has gone with all new Maxxis tires on both front and rear. We have always been fans of Maxxis tires and we really liked the ones that have been created exclusively for Yamaha.
|
|
New Maxxis Tires were specially designed for the 2014 Yamaha YFZ450R
|
The 21x7-10 fronts and 20x10-9 rears are light weight and provide excellent traction in both hard pack and sandy conditions that were present during our test ride. They performed well while cornering and improved bump absorption as well.
|
The
new Maxxis Tires hooked up in both hard
pack & sandy conditions |
As we mentioned earlier, the styling of the 2014 Yamaha YFZ450R is very nice. The graphics are sharp and the plastics come with quick release fittings. The quick release fittings are now standard on all YFZ450R models, which before were only available on the SE models. The Yamaha YFZ450R comes in both blue and red and it is most probable that Yamaha will do an SE model release later in the season. As always, Yamaha has a wide selection of genuine GYTR accessories to customize, protect, and enhance the already awesome performance of this sport quad.
|
|
2014 Yamaha YFZ450R ATV
Blaze Orange/ White |
2014 Yamaha YFZ450R ATV
Team Yamaha Blue/White |
Overall we were very impressed with the improvements that Yamaha has made to the 2014 Yamaha YFZ450R. The ergonomic changes are the most noticeable and really make this sport ATV comfortable and enjoyable to ride. We also commend Yamaha for bringing the assembly to the U.S. and for staying true to the sport ATV market. We can’t wait to see what more they will be improving on in future models.
