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112 |MAY 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
I AM ECSTATIC to be back on a
blue bike. The last Yamaha
long-termer I had was in 2014
and the experience was so good
I have been itching to get back
on another one. The last one
also was a YZ450F but the
model has changed drastically
since then.
The Yamaha YZ450F still
uses a reverse-cylinder engine
but the chassis has changed
quite a lot and that has
improved the overall feel and
handling of the bike immensely.
The YZ-F has been slimmed
down and had some weight
shaved but still uses the KYB
spring-cartridge fork which we
have all come to know and love
as well as a KYB gas-oil
monoshock.
The YZ suspension is a little
on the fi rm side compared with
other brands but it suits my
90kg frame quite well. On most
other bikes I have to go
changing spring rates to get
them to handle correctly but
there will be none of that with
the Yamaha.
My only job will be to fi ne tune
it until I am totally comfortable.
The engine is wild. It provides
enormous power and torque
right from the fi rst bit of
throttle. It is almost unbelievable
how much power this bike has.
You truly have to ride one to
believe it.
My plan is not to make the
YZ-F any faster but to tame it to
make the bike easier to ride fast
and smoothly. You might notMAT GETS TO SEE WHAT’S
CHANGED IN FIVE YEARSBACK
ON BLU
believe this but the fastest bike
doesn’t always win the race. It’s
the bike that can be ridden the
fastest for a sustained period.
The YZ-F is an arm-stretching
machine. It is a whole lot of fun
but my plan is to work out a map
using the Yamaha Power Tuner
app that is available on your
mobile phone to tame the power
and make it manageable. The
app is a really cool feature.STORE DATA
It allows me to store data as well
as monitor service intervals.
Over the next few months I will
explain and show you how it
works as I clock up some hours
on the bike and start getting
some data to report on.
My initial plans for the bike are
to get a custom sticker kit
organized and get the bike all
covered in ADB logos, because I
feel naked without them. I’ll also
get a custom seatcover to match
the sticker kit and really make
this thing stand out. But even
before I do that I will be cutting
off the standard half-waffl e
handgrips, throwing them in the
bin and replacing them with
something a little more
comfortable.
The stock ’grips feel like they
are made out of the same rubber
as the tyres and are going to
chew through the palms of my
gloves in no time. Check back
next month and I’ll let you know
how my plans are coming
together.
Technical Editor Mat BoydSOFAR
HOURS
2
MODSTHISMONTH
None
MODSNEXTMONTH
Handgrips,graphicskit,
seatcoverYAMAHA YZ450F
RRP
$12,399
WARRANTY
Three months parts only
DISTRIBUTOR
Yamaha Motor Australia
INTERNET
yamaha-motor.com.auMAIN. Boydy accepts an express delivery
from the boss man, Mitch Lees- He doesn’t want more power out of this
mill, just something a little smoother
2. Launch control calms this rocket - Dunlop MX3S is the standard tyre
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