U
ncharacteristically, the Ya-
maha YZ450F finds itself
off the podium after two
years in first place. "When we
crunched our numbers, the YZF
actually tied with the Husqvarna
for third, but lost out on a podium
spot on a tiebreaker with the
Husky earning a higher "moto
score." This comes from, once
again, a split decision among
our testing group. The Yamaha
is unchanged for the new year,
save for the new blue plastics
and graphics. It is the heaviest
machine in the class but 249
pounds on the scale doesn't feel
all that heavy on the track.
By now we are familiar with the
Yamaha's capable powerband.
Riding it back-to-back with the
rest of the bikes reminds us just
how versatile it is. The motor is
strong from the get-go and carries
itself through the revs in a timely
fashion. It does require more shift-
ing than the KTM and Husqvarna,
but this isn't something we'd
knock it for because the power is
flat out more exhilarating than the
others. The YZ rivals the Honda in
its overall output and excitement
to ride. The ECU is fine-tuned
and features a mapping system
with a light-on or light-off feature.
A simple push of a button allows
riders to switch between two
user-uploaded maps on the fly.
Again, we are impressed with
the entire package of Yamaha's
Power Tuner smartphone app.
Blue bike owners can download
a map from the Yamaha website
or create their own and upload it
directly to their bike without wor-
ries of harming the engine. The
app itself definitely earned the YZ
points in the "reasons I would per-
sonally buy this bike" category,
especially when the KX requires a
$600 ECU tuner to adjust any of
the three preset couplers. Buying
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 8, 2020 P67
YAHAMA
YZ450F
4
th
Place
The YZ450 didn't win
this year (as it had for
the last two years),
but it still impressed
our testers.
