VOLUME 59 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 25, 2022 P95
only one real shift point. If you really
wanted to push it and have no regard
for rebuilds, you could leave this bike in
second for the entire track. And that's
on a fast outdoor layout. We can only
imagine what this bike would be like on
a shorter, tighter layout.
It's hard to keep the front end down
with all this power. The throttle is ultra-
connected to the rear wheel, and the
slightest movement in the rider's wrist
results in forward acceleration. We
played around with the maps, and ended
up staying with the more linear map early
on and still pulled wheelies in most areas
on the track. Part of this, we agreed, is
due to the opened-up rider triangle. The
pegs further back create a slightly more
upright position and puts your butt right
over the rear shock. The front wheel
wants to lift under power, so sitting for-
ward is even more critical on the YZ-F.
But sitting forward on the bike is
easier than ever, thanks to the new
seat and airbox design. The seat is
flatter, rounder, and extends up to the
bars. This allows the rider to get way
up on the tank and lean the bike into
those tight ruts. Previously, the Yamaha
required more rider input to lean and
turn, but this bike feels skinny and light
between the knees.
Yamaha pretty much
left a good thing alone
when it comes to
the YZ's suspension.
Shock settings
have been revised
somewhat and the
fork now has hand-
operated compression
adjustment knobs.
That's about it.
