Horsepower
hero
Yamaha YZ450F
Sittinginsecondfor2018,butonlyjustover
theKTM,wastheYamaha.Thebluemachine
hasbeencompletelychangedandwasahuge
improver under our scoring system. The bike
feelssimilartoride,butitturnsbetterandhas
amuchbroaderspreadofhorsepower.This
bike scored very well with me and Lawson,
whocouldusethepowerbutthelightermale
ridersandourgunfemale,MegRutledge,
foundthegrunttobeabitofahandful.The
tuneabilityofthisengineviasmartphonewas
oneofthebiggestpositivesfromourriders’
pointofview.Everybodynoticedhowquickly
andeasilyyoucouldcompletelychangethe
power characteristics.
Praise the motocross gods, the Yamaha no
longerfeelslikeatank.Andthebiggestsurprise
formewasthatitwentfromoneofmyleast
favouritebikeswhentippingintoaturnlast
yeartooneofmyfavourites.Imustsaythat
someofthesmallerridersstilllookedlikethey
wereridingabigbike,forsomereason.
The power delivery of this bike was my
favouriteamongthefivebikesandtheelectric
startwasfaultless.Thesuspensionholdsupand
workswellprovidedyouareridinginatall
gear.Thereisnoexcuseforridingthismachine
intoolowagearunlessyou’vesnappedyour
gearlever.
ThereisenoughtorqueheretopullaMack
truckoutofaboghole.ThestandardYamaha
handgripswillstilltearyourhandsapartina
coupleoflaps.Andformethequoteoftheday
camefromBoppingwhosaid:“Thestock
Yamaha grips are made from house bricks.”
Yamaha has stuck with traditional KYB
spring-cartridge forks, but the 2018 model has
some space-age mid-valving internally that
may“confuseafewtechniciansoutthere”.
ThankstoCDRtechnicianGaryBennforthat
warning.WHERE I RANKED IT: 2NDNOTABLE CHANGES:- Basicallythewheels,includingrotors,spokesandrimsaretheonly
partstothisbikethatarenotchanged,apartfromtheblueanodising. - Majorchangesincludealighterandmoreagilechassisandachangeto
thesteeringoffsetfrom25mmto22mm - Electricstart
- Majorinternalenginechanges
- 20mmslimmerbetweenthelegs
- Dialmyride
- JennyCraigergos
2018 MX SHOOTOUT I 450CC BATTLE
66 | JANUARY 2018 http://www.adbmag.com.au