P90
RIDE REVIEW I 2026 YAMAHA YZ450F
baffle. The overall length of the
muffler has also been shortened.
These changes are once again
geared toward reducing sound
while still maintaining power.
Up front, the YZ now comes
standard with a Nissin hydraulic
clutch. Previously, the Yamaha
rolled off the lot with a cable
clutch, but you had the option
of switching over to a hydrau
-
lic unit courtesy of the GYTR
catalog. Now,
the Nissin is the
sole option, as the engine cases
are specifically designed for the
hydro clutch. Yamaha engineers
stated that their goal was to
maintain the same lightweight
which is ready for sound tests
whenever they are imposed.
To comply with the forth
-
coming rules, Yamaha added a
resonator
and a duct inside its
forward-facing airbox to reduce
extra noise. This works with the
updated throttle body and intake
ports to give the air a straighter
path into the engine. In short,
less air tumbling at the front of
the bike means less noise.
The exhaust system features
a new design with an additional
resonator on the header pipe,
tucked neatly behind the frame.
The rear muffler is angled down
-
ward and features a redesigned
The Yamaha
is a front-runner
in the pro ranks and in every 450
shootout, so why change it? To
make a long story short: sound
regulations. With the AMA and
FIM implementing new sound
restrictions in the near future,
manufacturers are being forced
to modify their bikes to comply.
The idea is that you could buy a
stock bike on Friday and line up
for an AMA/FIM-sanctioned race
on Saturday without modifying
the exhaust and still pass the
sound check. Even though these
rules were pushed back another
year in the U.S., Yamaha stayed
the course with their '26 model,
An easier-to-ride YZ450F was high on Yamaha's priority
list when designing the 2026 model.
