Posts
2607
Joined
7/14/2011
Location
Valdosta, GA
US
Edited Date/Time
4/18/2019 4:20pm
I see on here quite often how people refer to the Yamaha 450 as a fat pig, etc... we don't see the same results from them as we do KTM and Kawi. However, the 250's seem to be very good bikes with top guys contending each week.
What's the difference? Is it the riders? Or is there something "wrong" with the current Yamaha 450?
What's the difference? Is it the riders? Or is there something "wrong" with the current Yamaha 450?
It seems to work very very well on the small bike (star racing bike are probably the most powerful 250 bike out there) but not on the big one.
However, it didn’t stop R.Febvre in 2015 to get a world title, nor Barcia to get few MX/SX wins. So maybe they just don’t have the riders right now to put it all together. We will see next year with A.Pless i suppose
The Shop
And it's a reverse cylinder, not the entire engine.
KRoc has had shit luck since he got on the Honda, but isn't word going around that HRC is going to give him a pay cut?
Everyone says how bulky the 450 is but the 250 appears to be the same. Maybe 250 handles way better due to the less HP.
TLDR: My opinion is that Yamaha's engine tuning philosophy is why their 450cc motorcycle feels heavy and slow.
When the 2010 YZ450 (first reversed engine model) came out, I rode one and it was a terrible chassis.
Any other motorcycle felt better entering corners than that model. Apparently Yamaha had the balance and engine position wrong and the guys with engine relocation kits (Dubach) were saying that was a major improvement.
When the second generation reversed engine model ( 2014 YZ450F) was allegedly "fixed", I bought one after riding the YZ250F which shares the same basic chassis and bodywork. I loved the YZ250F, it was a little fat at the gas-tank, but handled well and the engine was great.
The '14 model had a terrible transition from off throttle to on throttle, a ton of engine braking and a ton of sudden torque. It really upset the chassis in flat or off-camber low speed turns.
Also, that model felt like it was made of rubber under hard acceleration out of rutted corners. I believe the chassis was flawed and the extremely powerful engine exposed those flaws. I sold that clunker after 6 months of trying all kinds of stuff to make it work. Jumped on my buddy's '13 KX450F and felt confident immediately.
Even thought that previous model felt like a fat pig, if you measured the frame rails, it was actually narrow compared to other bikes that don't get those complaints. The trouble was with the shape of the shrouds and the shape of the fuel tank. Where your boots, knees, leg contact the bike that shape made the bike feel wide.
The '19 YZ250F feels amazing on the track and feels narrow to me. The suspension is almost perfect and the chassis handles great. I'm keen to ride the new model of the 450F, but I won't spend the money on another YZ450F until I've ridden one back to back with the Husky and the Kawi.
I rode the Husky Rockstar bike yesterday and it feels as narrow and light in the corners as my 250 two-stroke. It also has substantially less engine braking than any other 450F I've been on (without an auto clutch).
Knowing that the new generation of YZ450F weighs about 3000 lbs more than the Husky/KTM and Kawi and that Yamaha seems to have this low-end grunt / heavy engine braking feel to all of their 450cc motorcycles for the past 20 years, I cannot imagine their bike feels as light as the Husky/KTM and the Kawasaki. I really think Yamaha's engine philosophy is their biggest problem in the 450F model, engine braking makes a bike feel heavy and bad on/off throttle transition upsets even the best chassis.
Pit Row
You should stop right there.
I rode the 2017 YZF 450 and disliked it a lot. Then i rode the 18 and got blown away and ended up buying one a few weeks later. The current gen YZF is a huge step forward compared to the old bikes, especially for smaller riders like me (175 cm).
You might dislike the new gen Yamaha too. But the step they took was so big that i think it's BS to use the old ones as reference. I mean, nobody are using the 2014 KTM as a reference in 2019?
New team mate is possible, but there’s a few things that will determine this. Hopefully Cole can shake the bad luck and prove he can finish where he is capable !
There is nothing "wrong" with the 450, it's just not as good relative to other 450s and the 250 is to 250s. Moreover, I think 450's are harder to set up, and the Factory Yamaha team isn't known for being the best at this. I knew a factory Yamaha rider who tested suspension all week at Glen Helen and then the team left the final version at the race shop for the Glen Helen National...Solid bike + okay team = not up front a lot.
Post a reply to: Yamaha Question