Cycle News

FIRST RIDE P76 2014 YAMAHA YZ450F SPECIFICATIONS more by getting it to slide how you want. It's not really anything terrible, just something you have to get used to. But, overall, the YZ still turns a whole lot better than it did last year but we were hoping for a bit more. We found the new motor to be improved, as well. Power isn't quite as abrupt and intimidating when you first twist the throttle and overall delivery is broader. There's tons of bottomend power that pulls much better into midrange. Plus, it also feels much faster on top, now that it has more over-rev, something it desperately needed. Yamaha claims 55 horsepower out of the new mill and we don't doubt them one bit. Not only is the YZ more powerful, like Yamaha promised, the power is a little more useable than before. On the same parts of the track, we found that we could spend a lot more time in second and third gears than we could with the '13 YZ. You can stretch out those gears much longer now on the '14, which translates into less shifting per lap, which certainly adds up to a lot of energy saving in a 30-minute moto. Yamaha's GYTR Power Tuner, which alters the ignition-timing maps and fuel delivery to change power characteristics, still works with the new YZ, but we didn't feel any need to make changes right away and have so far left the Tuner in the toolbox. Throttle response from Yamaha's 42mm Mikuni FI system is crisp and clean and we detected zero bogging, though we did notice some deceleration popping when daytime temperatures climbed into the 90-degree range. But it never seemed to affect performance. The YZ shifts well, even under a load, but clutch pull is a little on the heavy side. Plus, the new transmission ratios work well with the motor and we felt no immediate need to mess with different sprocket sizes. Final drive on the '14 sees a one-tooth larger rear sprocket (49T) and a taller primary ratio (23/60 from 23/61). Like before, the YZ has outstanding brakes – very strong but not touchy – and we liked the new under-the-seat fuel cap. Yes, popping off the cover adds another step to the refueling process but it's no big deal whatsoever. Overall, we love what Yamaha has done to the new YZ450F. It has retained the best of the old YZ and made improvements to just about every area that it might've been lacking in, for us, most notably in the ergo and power areas. In our opinion, though, there is still room for improvement in the turning department, but Yamaha certainly made steps in the right direction, so we're happy about that. And we're also happy that Yamaha managed to keep the same MSRP at $8490, which is pretty amazing when you consider how much was changed. And all for the better. CN 2014 Yamaha YZ450F ENGINE TYPE: ...... Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve, 4-stroke, single DISPLACEMENT:.......................... 449.7cc BORE x STROKE:............. 97.0 x 60.8mm COMPRESSION RATIO:.................... 12.5:1 FUEL DELIVERY:...........................Yamaha Fuel-Injection (YFI), Keihin 44mm IGNITION:............................................. TCI TRANSMISSION:.Constant-mesh 5-speed, multi-plate wet clutch FINAL DRIVE:.................................... Chain FRONT SUSPENSION:.........................KYB Speed-Sensitive System, fully adjustable fork. FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL:.................12.2 in. REAR SUSPENSION:....................... KYB s ingle-shock, fully adjustable REAR WHEEL TRAVEL:...................12.4 in. FRONT BRAKE:........Single disc, 250mm REAR BRAKE:.......... Single disc, 245mm FRONT TIRE:......... 80/100-21 in. Dunlop MX51-FA REAR TIRE:.......................... 120/80-19 in. Dunlop MX51 SEAT HEIGHT:...............................38.4 in. WHEELBASE:.................................58.3 in. GROUND CLEARANCE:...................13.2 in. FUEL CAPACITY:...........................2.0 gal. CLAIMED WET WEIGHT:.............. 245 lbs. WARRANTY:.................................. 30 Day (Limited Factory Warranty) COLORS:................. Team Yamaha Blue/ White and White/Red MSRP:............................................. $8490

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