W
hen racking my brain for
all the bikes I've ridden
this year, the 2026 Yamaha
YZ450F sticks out. This bike was
already a shootout-winning machine,
so how would Yamaha make it any
better? Instead of leaving it alone,
Yamaha brought out its 2026 model
with a surprising number of changes
for a mid-generation machine. Mak
-
ing this bike easier to ride all around
did the
trick for me and landed it at
number one for 2026.
The 2025 YZ450F is a race bike in
the fullest meaning, but it was hard to
control. The all-out power felt hard to
ride for more than three laps, and the
nimble frame felt twitchy at the high
-
er speeds that the engine demanded.
For
2026, the bLU cRU smoothed out
the power curve without giving up too
much of its trademark engine charac-
ter. Instead of immediately choosing
a mellow
map on the Power Tuner
app like in years past, I chose a more
aggressive option. This time around,
I felt like I was riding the bike rather
than the bike riding me.
The relaxed chassis and class-
leading suspension further rein
-
forced my decision. The updates for
2026
felt like splitting the difference
between the stability of the previous
2022 model and the agility of the new
2023+ generation. In short, I felt like
I could ride this bike all day without
putting a wheel wrong.
RYAN
NITZEN
FAVORITE: 2026
YAMAHA YZ450F
VOLUME 62 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 16, 2025 P179
