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/374548
2015 YAMAHA YZ450F FIRST RIDE P64 fitted with MX51s. The YZ450F is a looker and should stay that way. It again comes with new wear-proof in- mold graphics (introduced last year) and now has black-colored Excel rims and a gold D.I.D. chain with corrosion resistant plating. Another nice plus this year is that the airfilter box is now attached via Dzus fasteners for tool-less entry. It makes getting to the foam filter that much easier. Overall, we are again im- pressed with the YZ450F. The new year sees the YZ450F get- ting a more controllable and less fatiguing (to the rider) mo- tor and compliant suspension. This comes on top of what the YZ450F already has: a solid chassis, excellent suspension, comfortable ergos and excel- lent turn capabilities. Tack on four-position offset handlebar mounts with a generous 36mm adjustment, tapered aluminum handlebars, fully adjustable sus- pension, adjustable ignition/fu- eling mapping capabilities and a choice of colors (Team Yamaha Blue/white and white/red) and you have one solid and outstand- ing package. And it gets better. At $8590 (which is up $100 over last year's), it is still the least ex- pensive bike it its class—so far. (Honda has not yet announced an MSRP for its 2015 CRF450R; the '14 model sold for $8699.) When you add it all up, you have a bike that is well worth con- sidering as your next new ride at the races. CN Pros: •Powerful yet controllable motor •Stable handling •Suspension (excellent forks) Cons: •Semi-wide midsection •Requires separate tool to alter mapping •No launch control device SPECIFICATIONS 2015 YAMAHA YZ450F ENGINE TYPE: ........ Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve, 4-stroke, single DISPLACEMENT: ........................... 449.7cc BORE: ............................................ 97.0mm STROKE: ....................................... 60.8mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................... 12.5:1 FUEL DELIVERY: ... Yamaha Fuel-Injection (YFI), Keihin 44mm IGNITION: ................ Transistor-Controlled Ignition (TCI) TRANSMISSION: Contant-mesh, 5-speed, multiplate wet clutch FINAL DRIVE: ......................................D.I.D. FRONT SUSPENSION: ............ KYP Speed- Sensitive System, spring, inverted fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: ..... Monoshock, fully adjustable FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ..................12.2 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ....................12.0 in. FRONT BRAKE: .........Single 250mm disc, dual piston caliper REAR BRAKE: ........... Single 245mm disc, single-piston caliper FRONT TIRE: .......... 80/100-21 in. Dunlop MX52-FA REAR TIRE: .......... 120/80-19 in. Dunlop MX52 SEAT HEIGHT: ................................38.4 in. WHEELBASE: ..................................58.3 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: ....................13.2 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ............................ 2.0 gal. WET WEIGHT (claimed): .............. 245 lbs. COLORS: ....... Team Yamaha Blue/White, White/Red MSRP: .............................................. $8590 (Top) It isn't air but the KYB SSS fork is still darn good. For 2015, it gets new fork tubes, stiffer springs and updated valving. (Bottom) New mapping and gearing do wonders for the YZ's power delivery.