Yamaha WR450F
Before it does anything else, and this impresses the hell out of us, Yamaha's new thumper proves that 400cc dirt bikes can be much easier to ride than 250cc four-strokes, and especially battle-weary 250cc four-strokes of the old XR/DR/KLX brigadeA 400-450cc engine will get your front wheel over ruts, logs and dead Republican Guards quicker and with less effort than any 250 around, and for that reason the larger bikes are easier to ride - if you know how to ride. They're also faster, though not necessarily faster in tight scrub, so for anyone who can handle the extra grunt they're always a lot more fun. And on the Yamaha, all this comes with electric-start.
It would be an interesting exercise, and we might just do it one day, to pit a WR450F against a WR250F so we can find out which bike the average trail rider is likely to prefer, and for what reasons. No doubt about it though, the one thing that struck all the guys on the dirt bike caper was how much easier the bigger bikes were to get up hills and over trail obstacles, and how much less physical effort was required to get where they wanted to be. Where a typical 250 requires plenty of revs to achieve just about anything, a 400 or 450 will lift the front wheel with a quick blip of the throttle.
Much to the surprise of riders who know how brutal the WR426F was, the new WR450F has a smooth, progressive power delivery with no nasty spikes or midrange explosions. Everyone can ride the 450, and on our caper everyone did. From rank amateur to the more experienced among us, everyone liked its predictable engine, and the power it's capable of churning out. The 450 gets a lot of power to the ground without traction-wasting wheelspin too. And although it's the most competition oriented bike of the three we took away with us, the WR is deadset easy to ride.
What we actually have here is a nice compromise between useable grunt and horsepower. Fast riders will say the suspension is too soft, and for them it probably is, but for anyone who can handle a 450 four-stroke this one is as good as anything the opposition can offer. The bike suits anyone who rides reasonably well. It has the kind of power delivery that allows non-experts to learn at their own pace. That's not only a brilliant marketing strategy that attracts new buyers to the F-bike, it's a likeable personality trait.
What we liked:
- light,
- fast,
- easy to ride.
Not so much:
- price,
- daggy bars,
- colour.
SPEX:
Displacement: 449cc;
Transmission: Five-speed;
Final drive: 0-ring chain;
Claimed dry weight: 112.5kg;
Claimed seat height: 998mm;
Fuel capacity: 10 litres (incl reserve);
Price: $12,480.
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