Cycle News

2015 450 MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT P68 SHOOTOUT end, aggressive mid, and impres- sive top with plenty of over rev. We love this motor. Period. The only thing we miss when it comes to the YZ's powerplant, however, is that there is no easy way to change fueling/mapping— at least compared to the other bikes. Yamaha does offer its own GYT-R Power Tuner for the YZ, which is actually a pretty slick de- vice that offers a wide range of ad- justability, and you can save up to 10 maps for a variety of tracks (and it works on all EFI YZs!). But, like we said, it's a separate purchase and is a little pricey (over $200). We also love the YZ's suspen- sion. Overall, it's the best of the six bikes, and the forks aren't even air! It's Yamaha's already-proven KYB Speed Sensitive System fork, and it's just plain good and is easy to tune. For the '15 model, Yamaha put in stiffer springs and did some revalving, which really put the YZ's suspension, as a whole, over the top. Air forks, we have found, tend to take away some front-end rider feedback you need, especially in corners, but the SSS spring fork feels connected to the ground, and you know always know where the front tire is at all times. That's not always the case with air forks. Both the front and rear suspen- sions compliment each other very well on the track, too. And once you find a setting you like, the SSS fork will continue working well at a variety of tracks; you won't have to spend all day re- tuning them. Usually nothing more than bleeding the air and making a click or two will do the trick from track to track. Simply put, we like the SSS fork for both its perfor- mance and simplicity. The Yamaha is also a solid-han- dling bike. It might not be as ag- ile or as sharp-handling as some of the others, like the Suzuki or Honda, but it's close enough. Ya- maha redesigned the lower motor mounts for 2015, which our tes- ters said actually gives the YZ a more compliant feel on the track. Sometimes something as seem- ingly minor as a motor mount can really make a difference—it did in this case. Other small changes that make a big difference with the Yamaha include a lighter throttle and clutch pull. The addition of the new Dunlop MX52 tires make a dif- ference, too, especially up front, where the old MX51 would wander in the first part of the corner. The new MX52 have excellent bite. The YZ does feel a little bulky but it really isn't much wider in the ra- diator area than some of the other bikes. There is, however, a some- what wide area near the bike's up- per midsection that makes the YZ a little hard to grip with your legs, which we think gives it that bulky feel a lot of people talk about. Oth- erwise, the Yamaha is comfortable in the cockpit. What didn't we like about the Yamaha? Compared to the Husky and KTM's Brembo brakes, and the Kawasaki and Honda's larger front rotors, the Yamaha's binders don't seem as awesome as they used to be. After all was said and done, most of our testers—but not all— thought the Yamaha was the best bike of the six. We heard argu- ments for the Kawasaki, KTM and even the Honda, but when we asked the all-important question: which one would you actually buy with your own money? It was an al- most unanimous decision—the Ya- maha. All of them said the Yamaha was an awesome performer on the track, and when you factor in the YZ's reputation for being ultra reliable and nearly unbreakable, and when you consider that the Yamaha is also the least expen- sive bike of the six, our 2015 450 shootout winner was, for all intents and purposes, a no-brainer.

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