2014 CYCRA RACING YAMAHA YZ450F
CYCLE NEWS PROJECT
P82
plastic looks pure factory. The fit
and finish of the Cycra plastic is
just as good as the stock plastic.
Since we went with the yellow
look, the blue and black coloring
of the stock seat simply wouldn't
do, so the folks at Motoseat came
to our rescue with its all-black
Yamaha Ribbed Traction Fortify
cover ($64.95) CLICK HERE 3.
We simply slipped it right over
the stock cover and stapled it into
place. Done.
Since our bike had a few laps
on it, it was ready for a new set
of rubber, and we went with Dun-
lop's new MX32 knobs, front and
rear. CLICK HERE 4. The MX32
is Dunlop's replacement for its
MX31 tire and is an excellent all-
around tire.
And what's a project bike with-
out an aftermarket exhaust? Not
quite finished. We capped off our
'14 YZ450F with a GYTR Titanium
RCT Factory 4.1 complete ex-
haust system ($599.95), which
is built by FMF. CLICK HERE 5
With the pipe, we really weren't
looking for more power but less
weight. Six-hundred bucks is a
lot of money, but it's the easiest
way to shave off pounds, about
four pounds in this case, plus the
pipe just looks "works" and gives
the YZ that factory race-bike
sound.
But the reason why this project
got started in the first place was
because of the Cycra one-piece
shrouds, which we found to be
well worth the money. "It definite-
ly makes the YZ feel less bulky
and gives the bike a much better
feel in the corners," said CN test
rider Jason Abbott. "I find that it
makes it easier to move around
on and gives the bike a less-
bulky, slimmer feel. As a result,
I feel I have more control of the
bike overall in all situations. In my
opinion, it's a major improvement
for the YZ450F."
As far as durability, we've had
no problems at all. All of the plas-
tic is holding up well and so has
its shine, though it scratches
about as easily as the stock plas-
tic, which is to say about normal.
In case you're wondering,
all of this also applies to the
2015 YZ450F and the 2014-'15
YZ250F when it comes to the
Cycra plastic. (The 2015 version
can be installed using either the
stock Dzus clips or bolts via a Cy-
cra bolt kit.) The kit we installed
can also be slipped right onto the
YZ250F. We have also ridden a
2014 YZ250F with the one-piece
Powerflow radiator shrouds and
the benefits are the same: excel-
lent. CN
For more information, visit:
www.cycraracing.com
(Above) The stock shroud/airbox cover
area isn't as smooth…
(Top right) …or as narrow as the Cycra
one-piece unit.
(Middle) There is enough width left to
give your legs something to hold on to.
The MotoSeat cover makes things even
better.
(Bottom right) We splurged with a lighter
and better sounding pipe from GYTR.
CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE
