2019 YAMAHA WR450F
R I D E R E V I E W
P100
The WR we rode came fitted
with Dunlop MX3X knobbies.
Our WR450F came sans throt-
tle stop and inner muffler, but
even without the internal muffler,
the WR is ultra-quiet. Quiet or
not, the WR is still a very power-
ful motorcycle—not scary power-
ful, just powerful. And once you
start heading down the trail, you
quickly discover that is bike far
less intimidating and aggressive-
feeling than the YZ450F and the
YZ450FX. Still, it pumps out a
ton of grunt that even kept our
expert off-roader test rider quite
happy. Of course, he would've
enjoyed more power way up top
(he always does), but he was still
overall extremely pleased with the
WR's motor, as was our vet tester,
who loved the way the WR pulled
hard but smoothly off the bottom.
The only time the WR felt a
little sketchy was on slippery
hard-pack. The WR has so much
torque and power that it doesn't
take much throttle to light up the
back end and for the rear wheel
to start spinning sideways; if
(Above) The latest WR450F is the easiest to ride yet. (Below) It's comforting to know this is
here when pounding through rocks. Even the kickstand got attention.
