VOL. 52 ISSUE 28 JULY 14, 2015 P47
eventually switched to primarily
white coloring (like they already
were in Europe and Canada
and nearly everywhere else in
the world for that matter) for
the YZs before switching again
to all-blue in 1996 to go along
the company's new corporate
look. The 2016 Limited-Edition
60
th
Anniversary Yellow version
looks sweet but sells for slightly
more than the traditional blue
version, $8690 (yellow) versus
$8590 (blue). What's a hun-
dred bucks when it looks this
pretty?
Yamaha made a number of
revisions to the 2016 YZ450F.
We're glad to see that they
have finally incorporated launch
control that Yamaha simply
calls its Launch Control System
(LCS), which alters the en-
gine's ECU (mellows out initial
throttle input) for better traction
and rear-wheel control off the
gate. You'll notice that the LCS
button on the handlebar looks
identical to that on the Kawa-
saki KX450F, the bike that got
the launch control ball rolling
a while back. The YZ's LCS
works in the same manner as
the Kawasaki's: you press and
hold the button until you see
a red light start to flash—LCS
is now engaged. The system
remains engaged until you click
into third gear, that's when
the ECU mapping returns to
normal. We tested the system
on a concrete pad and found
that it works quite well. You
still have to do some throttle/
clutch work yourself, but the
LCS certainly makes it easier to
get that just-right throttle/clutch
combination and helps you get
consistently off the line quicker
and smoother.
To celebrate Yamaha's 60
th
anniversary in the motorcycle
business, the new YZ450F is
offered in this limited edition
yellow and black coloring.
