L
et’s shorten this process!
You’re asking, “Is it
good enough to buy?”
My answer: go buy one
today. Honestly, the new
2016 WR450F is loads
better than last year’s version; it’s
remarkable. The engine, the suspension
and the ergonomics are all so much
better than the previous model that
there’s no need to read any further —
reading wastes precious ride time!The WR450F is Yamaha’s rock in
its off-road range, topping the sales
fi gures each year. So in saying that,
you can imagine just how hard it
would be to replace such a popular
bike and bring a truly competition-
skewed version of this sales leader
to life. Imagine a boardroom fi lled
with people ready to appease the
average trailrider and not lose any
mass market share by introducing a
hard-edged motocross-inspired bike.All I can say is that those people must
still be trapped in that boardroom,
because for 2016 they have released
exactly that — but this one has a
great temperament.
The WR is basically a YZ450F but
with a few modifi cations to enduro-
ise it. Also, so as not to alienate any
variety of rider abilities, Yamaha
has been extremely smart with the
modifi cations to make it good enough
for a Josh Green or a Greg Smith. The2015 WR was slowly starting to lose
touch with the European competitors
even though sales were good, and on
the race track less and less riders
were seen on the WR and more
adopted the YZ450 or the competition-
derived WR250F if they needed rego.
I’m sure that 2016 will see more than
a few racers sell their YZs and turn up
on WR450s to the start line of natural-
terrain motocross, enduro and trail
bike events.FEATURE:
WR450F LAUNCH REPORT
Is it good enough to buy?My answer: go buy one today.