Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542268
Main let. 165 Pilot ,et - 42 Needle - NFPR (4) FueVAir Screw - 2 l/8 turns Aluminum frame DOHC s-YalYe valYetrain Titanium valves Five-speed tranimission Dry sump Suspension - l(ayaba Fork - 48mm Spced-sensitive system Titanium shock spring Aluminum ProTaper tapered handlebars Tires - Dunlop Nonslip seat Otrered in two colors (blue or yellow) Recommended Ride Height - 95mm FEATURES IETTING: (WHAT WE LIKED) a YamahaYZ450F l.lSRP ..........$6899i$7099 (Anniversary) ENGINE ........449cc liquid-cooled single- cylinder live-vaive DOHC four-stroke BORE & STROKE ......95mm x 63.4mm col.tPREsstoN RATto..........,.., I 2.3r I CARBURETOR-..........---.---Keihin 39mm FCR w/ TPS IGNITION ..................-.--.....-DiSital CDI CLUTCH ........................Cable operated TRANSMISSION..................Five-speed Fll{AL IXI\rE ........-.#520 ctEh (non-sealed) FRONT SUSPENSION,,,,.,,,,,,,KEYAbA, 48mm Speed-Sensitive System, w/ comprcssion and rebound dampin8 adj. REAR SUSPENS|ON,...Kayaba, link-type w/ compression and .ebound damping, and separate hi/low-speed compression damping adj. FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL.......... I 1.8 io. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL ............ I 2.4 in- FRONT BRAKE ..Single 250mm floating disc Vtwin-piston caliper REAR BRAKE............Single 245mm disc W single-piston caliper SEAT HEIGHT ----,..,-,..................38.8 in. GROUND CLEARANCE .......... 14.6 in. WHEELBASE .-,-..........................58.9 in. CLAIMED DRY wE1GHT..........220 lbs. FUEL C4PACITY..............-....--- 1.85 8al. FRAME .Aluminum YAMAHA YZ4sOF Overyiew The '06 )'2450F is pretty much all new from the ground up. lt Eets its first alu- minum frame, which bares little semblance to the Honda's frame, or the Kawasaki's and Suzuki's for that matte[ afld the Yamaha has a number of features unique to itself. The YZ is the only bike that comes with a titanium rear-shock spring, a five-valve motor, and a speed-sensitive dampin8 sys- tem in the fork, where the speed of the piston conrrols damping forces rather than the position of the fork. lt's also the only bike that utilizes a dry-sump lubrication rystem, with the oil tank loca(ed within the trankcases. After dabbling with a four-speed trans- mission for a while, Yamaha went back to the five-speed, making it and the Honda the only five-speedsters of the group. Yamaha traded in the Renthal cross-bar- type aluminum handlebars for ProTaper aluminum bars, which are now attached to new adiusable mounts on new anodized triple clamps. The YZ450F is also the only bike avail- able in two color s(hemes - traditional blue and white, and now limited-addition yel- low and black, to commemorate Yamaha's 50th anniversary Good luck finding the bumblebee \.zs, though, as the "vintage" edition is already sold out. Supposedly, Yamaha is goint to make another produc- taon run of theyellowY , but, either way, you can still buy the yellow plastic and graphics separately. Too Much And Not Enough? ln the '70s, Yamaha motocrossers were notorious for having tons of power wrapped in dubious chassis. ln the '80s, that balance switched to ques- tionable engine potency plugged into rock-solid chassis. ln the'90s. Yamaha seemed !o get the balancing act down pat. Just a half decade past through the new millennium. its four-stroke class- originating YZ450F appears to be listing slightly - toward the '80s. After coming in from their test motos, our pros described the motor as snappy, but they also noted that it doesn't come on all that strong down low and through the lower midraoge. Heck, even some of our non-pro riders were looking for a little more grunt out of the corneE - so lonS as it doesn't harsh the YZF'S smooth feel. Some also complained that the motor noise emanating from the fZF is a bit rat- tlelike. On the flip side, once the Yamaha gets chu.ning, it does exhibit a fairly exhil- arating top-eod rush, and several testers felt that the Yamaha would be the easiest bike to ride for the longest. Most felt that the YZF was the only bike that could match the Honda in terms of smoothness of the overall package. That's a Eood thing. Ditto for the YZF's five-speed gearbox, which definitely 8ot rowed more than the trannies on the others, Even better, most of our crew felt that there isn't another bike in the shootout that could match the confidence-inspiring feel impaned by the YZF's chassis. Almost everyone noted that the Yamaha tracks as strajght and true as a carSo ship, perhaps with the penalty of being iust a tad slower in the turning department than the rest of the Japanese bikes, though some did ray that it corners a lot like the lqwasaki, and the YZF is certainly more stable on bumpy high-speed straights than the "green machine-" A lot ofthis, we feel, has to do with *le YZF's excellent front and rear suspension, While one ofour pros feh that he would've started with heavier for springs, ever),one said that the Yamaha's suspension action stands out among the crowd. You can flat pound the fZ through big bumps like a wrecking ball and not receive a hint of harshness or shake. Among our pros, one said that it felt like the YZF is lower to the ground (it isn't) and has less travel than the others (it doe5n't), but he didn't really say that was a bad thing. ln the smaller stuff, on,y one non pro complained that he felt a touch of spiking through the front end. Overall, the Yamaha rocks when the going gets rocky. The majority of our testers also felt that the Yamaha's brakes complement its awe- some chassis, exhibiting excellent power with a solid, linear feel. One tester summed it up besr when he said, "The Yamaha's brakes feel like the Honda's brakes, only more dialed in." The strenSth of the Yamaha's brakes was greater than that of its Asian counterparts. Only the KTM can drive into the corner deeper. Most felt that the YZF'S unflappable chassis also offeB great comfort. The bar bend feels right, the seat feels good and allows the rider easy movement fore and aft. Overall, the YZF is really plush feeling. At least two testers mentioned the YZF'S bar bend as being their favorite, and almost all noticed that the YZF had a really light, smooth clLrtch feel through the lever- CYCLE NEWS . JANUARY I I, 2006 2I SPECIFICATIONS t\l 3'" ,4 A ,-- -/ 2 I ((t tg i '';T - -/ -1 .{