hen it comes to the 450s, the competition is fierce.
You have the Yamaha YZ450F, the bike that pretty
much started the four-stroke revolution in 1998. You
have the Honda CRF450R that has since taken over
the reigns of the class and is doing every1hing possible to keep it that way. You have the KTM 450 SX, another big and powerful thumper that is keeping up with the times, much like the Husqvarna
TC450. And you have the new kid on the block, the long-awaited and
highly anticipated aluminum-frame Suzuki RM-Z450. And the fight for
supremacy will only get tougher next year with the expected release of
the all-new Kawasaki KX450F. Pretty exciting times, really.
Recently, we gathered up the Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, KTM and
Husqvarna and gave them a thrashing at some of our favorite local tracks.
We basically came to the conclusion that all five are outstanding
motocross bikes; there's no real loser of the bunch. But that doesn't mean
we didn't come up with a winner. Read on and find out which bike is the
top dog and what we did and did not like about them all.
CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 16,2005
27
