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/643722
2016 YAMAHA YZ450FX FIRST TEST P84 (compared to MX that is) and we're impressed by how well the Yamaha handles the crawling speeds. You can just leave it in a tall gear and let the motor do most of the work while you con- centrate on the important things like just having fun. The clutch is very strong and never com- pletely lost its poise when things got warm, nor did our bike ever turn into a geyser. (But we have yet ridden it on a 90°-plus day.) The FX rarely stalls, but when it does, it's usually rider error and not the fault of the bike. And, like we already said, just hit the switch and it fires right back up before you even roll to a stop. Yamaha was smart enough to leave the manual kickstarter for back up, just case the electrics go heywire. Thank guys. Suspension is very good right out of the crate. It defi- nitely feels plusher overall than the YZ's suspension, though heavier riders might feel that the front end is a little too soft. Easy fix, though. There is plenty of adjusting abilities with those awesome KYB SSS forks, which just might be the best fork in the business. The FX is a solid-handling machine and really doesn't take a lot of muscle to make it do what you want it to do. However, in general, the FX is a big-feeling bike and it's, well, unfortunately, very heavy. It's about 15 pounds heavier than the YZ450F and that's not good news for the FX, since the F is already one of the heaviest bikes in its class. And it gets worse. The KTM 450 XC-F is a good 20 pounds lighter (and trimmer) than the FX! We found that as easy as the FX is to ride, it'll still wear you out because of its sheer weight and bulk, and let's face it, the FX is a power- ful motorcycle and still requires some muscle and endurance no matter what, especially if you plan on riding the FX for any length of time on challeng- ing trails. Luckily (well, that's one way of looking at it), the small-ish gas tank will force you into pits more often for a quick breather. We say "small-ish" be- cause it still holds two gallons, which is more than any other 450 MX bike; the KTM 450 XC- F, however, holds 2.2 gallons. Despite its weight and size, the FX is still really fun to ride and is surprisingly easy to control on the trail, and even on the MX track. Yeah, it might be a little on the hefty side, but the FX makes a great practice- day motocross bike. Heck, we wouldn't even hesitate to line it up behind the gate just to get our MX fix every once in a while. Besides, passing your friends on a bike with a kick- stand is always gratifying, and this bike can do some passing. Overall, we love this motor- cycle and appreciate Yamaha not forgetting about the off- road enthusiasts and develop- ing bikes like the YZ450FX and the other eight bikes in its off-road fleet. CN 2 0 1 6 Y A H A M A Y Z 4 5 0 F X ENGINE TYPE: ...... Liquid-cooled, 4-valve, DOHC, single-cylinder four-stroke DISPLACEMENT: .............................. 449cc BORE X STROKE: ............. 97.0 x 60.8mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................... 12.5:1 FUEL DELIVERY: ... Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI) Keihin 44mm IGNITION: ....... TCI (Transistor Controlled Ignition) TRANSMISSION: ... Five-speed, wide-ratio CLUTCH: ............................Wet, multiplate STARTING SYSTEM: ............. Electric/kick FINAL DRIVE: .......................... O-ring chain CHASSIS: ......... Bilateral beam aluminum frame FRONT SUSPENSION: ..........................KYB Speed Sensitive System (SSS), spring fork, fully adjustable, 12.2 inches travel REAR SUSPENSION: .. KYB, single shock, fully adjustable, 12.5 inches travel FRONT BRAKE: .......... Single 270mm disc REAR BRAKE: ........... Single 245mm disc FRONT TIRE: ..... Dunlop AT81F 90/90-21 REAR TIRE: .........Dunlop AT81 120/90-18 SEAT HEIGHT: ................................38.0 in. WHEELBASE: ...................................57.7 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: ....................12.8 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ............................ 2.0 gal. CLAIMED WEIGHT (WET): ............262 lbs. WARRANTY:...... 30 Day (Limited Factory Warranty) COLOR: .......... Team Yamaha Blue/White MSRP: .............................................. $8890 S P E C I F I C A T I O N S