What has happened to all the YFZ's?

[T25]

It seems like 90% of the pros have changed to honda or suzuki. This has been buggin the He!! outta me. Is it that honda and suzuki give more factory support or what? Kory Ellis and Pat Brown are about the only top runners out there (mx series) still racing one.

I KNOW the problem surely can't be the bike?:huh

[440racer66]

i know and i havent seen many full blown yfzs as much as i used too

[motomanmike]

I've noticed the same thing with the pro riders. They all are pretty much top ten on hondas and suzukis but heres the thing. Its the rider, not the quad. If you are fast on a Yami, you'll be fast on a honda or Suzuki. The key is RIDE RIDE RIDE. Look at last year with Gust getting the holeshots on a Z400 with a slew of 450rs and YFZ's behind him. Its more in the rider more than the quad. It could be they have more factory support that i'm not sure of.

[tt racer]

Im a big yammi fan also, the support is slim on yamahas side wich surprises me with how many 450s they have sold. Hats off to suzuki for a race ready machine and honda with their contingency plan, but even the honda fans must be dissapointed with the new plastic colors and bold new graphics. I look for 08 to be the year for yamaha and honda to really shine with the tech side of things. Anyway yamaha sportbikes and quads are the best in my eyes, best looking by far also. :D

[ACEwrench]

YFZs are a great bike!!! we run them in our desert racing series as well as many events in the west....there is one major issue and two words..... "Contingency Money" honda, suzuki and even kawi again, throw millions of dollars at riders that win with their product. Yamaha just doesnt do buisness that way. they have sponsored a FEW individuals and seem content with thier GNCC wins. i dont understand yami's reasoning but i do know what "wins on sunday sells on monday" and as far as my dealer tells me honda out sells yami 2 to 1 (that is an average for all sales m/c, quads, minis ect.) and hes a yami dealer. i love our YFZs and have no real intention of getting rid of them. we as a team just get frustrated at times Pro racing, or any racing is expensive as hell and ANY help...well, helps a ton!

[Ride1Rob]

When it comes to dirt Yamaha doesn't throw money around like the others. I don't think there's even a Factory rig for any of the Yamaha riders??? But on the street scene, they've got all kinds of money tied into Valentino Rossi in MotoGP. Maybe that's why they can't pay anyone of the top ATV riders to ride the YFZ like Honda and Suzuki.

[Yamahauler_04]

Those are all good points. Also have to add that the competition is fierce.

The Honda has come around. It can be made as powerfull as the YFZ, and is for most, easier to ride.

The Suzuki is pretty damn good out of the box.

There are more options out there now.

[popo]

Originally posted by Yamahauler_04
Those are all good points. Also have to add that the competition is fierce.

The Honda has come around. It can be made as powerfull as the YFZ, and is for most, easier to ride.

The Suzuki is pretty damn good out of the box.

There are more options out there now.

Yamaha is doing quite well in XC racing.

[T25]

Yeah it does seem that yami doesn't sponsor much with our quads but they probably have the best factory deal in our sport with Bill Ballance. Athough it seems that J.Jones and D.Gust do have some pretty good help with suzuki.

[intruder]

Contingency Money I've said it all along. Even the GNCC pro row only have 3 riders The Ballance brothers and Kuhnle. Go to a local race around here and the top riders are all on Yamaha.

[markeg192]

Originally posted by popo
Yamaha is doing quite well in XC racing.

Not really. Go look at the point standing in the afternnon classes and you will find that Hondas are dominating the A and B classes.
That's the guys who are buying thier own Quads.

[intruder]

Originally posted by markeg192
Not really. Go look at the point standing in the afternnon classes and you will find that Hondas are dominating the A and B classes.
That's the guys who are buying thier own Quads.

I don't know what you consider dominating. But the A and B classes in the GNCC are not being dominated by Hondas go look.

www.gnccracing.com

Top 3 in these classes Looks like Yamaha might have the edge here.
open B: HYY 4stroke B: YHY open A : HHY 4stroke A: YYH

There are more hondas in the classes though.

[atva_63]

I have a 04 yfz and have raced it since it came of the show room froor and practiced on it 3-4 days a week. I freshen the motor once a year. I had minor problems with the motor but maintence is the key.

If you walk around the gnc pro pits just stop and ask them why they don't ride the yfz. They will first tell you the honda is more reliable, dnfs don't win races. Some of you may argue that one is more reliable than the other. But the fact is when you have a pro built motor pushing 60-70hp the honda is more reliable. I hate to say it but it is true. I like my yamaha and am going to stay with them till 08. On a national pro level you will see bigger hp numbers comeing out of a honda becouse they can.

If you look in the dirtwheel mag with all the gncc guys. you will notice Ballances's motor is reletively stock.not sure what issue

my .02

[SRH]

i love my yfz, but after riding the honda and suzuki i see why they switched, the power is so much more manageable (sp) that u can use it, now im mainly into sx style riding so i like the snap of a yfz in rythms and what not but the suzuki and honda are alot easier to ride and really i like the suzuki better than the yfz,overall my yfz has been a great quad and i love it but if i ever get another race quad it will be honda or suzuki, its the same with bikes tho, i mean look at the 450 class in bikes, not many yamahas

[wolffie]

well hopefully Yammi will put EFI on the YFZ for 08. that will probably push Honda to do the same. For anyone that rides sport quads, there is deffinetly alot to look forward to these next couple of years.

[T25]

I just found the answer to my question in the interviews section here. if you read keith littles interview and he pretty much answers it.