2019 YAMAHA YZ450F
FIRST TEST
P74
peppier. Last year, a couple test riders com-
plained about getting their boots hung up on
the right-side number plate. Yamaha addressed
this with a retention tab at the lower front portion
of the plate. I didn't notice the tab while riding,
which is good because that means my boot
never got caught on the number plate.
Like it has in the past, Yamaha offers the
YZ450F in two colors: Team Yamaha Blue (with
flat-blue rims) and White (with black rims). Both
look sharp.
One of my absolute favorite features of the
bike is how easy it is to tune the engine. Yamaha
is the only company to offer a wireless Power
Tuning App and it is fantastic—not to mention
free. The app does the same things as your stan-
dard tuner, and a lot more. It lets you adjust fuel
and timing for different power levels, log settings
from track to track, log run time for maintenance,
diagnose codes, and even share custom maps
with your friends. Mapping adjustment is just
about limitless and you really do notice the differ-
ence on the track, even if they are minor adjust-
ments. There is a bit of a learning process that
goes with the app, but it's fairly easy to figure
out. The bottom line is that you have to just play
around with it.
The YZ feels well
balanced, which
helps the rider feel
comfortable on the
bike right away.
