Yamaha WR450F 2024 Review

Motorcycle manufacturers will often tell you a new model has been forged and developed in the heat of competition, however few have gone as far with that rhetoric as Yamaha with the new WR450F enduro bike.

The 2024 WR450F arrives in Australian showrooms boasting several years of local development, led by the likes of enduro legend Josh Green and fellow decorated Aussie rider, AJ Roberts. The development team’s primary objective was to take Yamaha’s race-winning YZ450F motocross machine and tailor it to enduro applications.

The finished WR450F product is an impressive one, reaffirming itself as the bike of choice if you want an enduro machine that covers almost every discipline.

What’s more, it is effectively a production version of the race-spec bike that powered Green to the outright 2023 Australian Off-Road Championship.

The new WR450F lands in Australia priced at $17,999 ride-away. That figure continues incremental price increases since 2018, when the WR was about $5000 cheaper.

Even so, the outright execution of the eighth-generation model is hard to deny.

The Aussie touch

When the recent COVID-19 pandemic brought travel and regular development for Yamaha internationally to a standstill, officials turned to Yamaha personnel in Australia.

Some of the Blu Cru’s most experienced campaigners, headed by Roberts and Green, played an integral part in the development of the new WR450F, testing freighted parts and providing feedback to engineers back in Japan.

The resulting Yamaha WR450F is arguably the most Australian bike you could buy.

Much like the YZ450F on which the WR is heavily based, the 2024 model focuses on stripping weight and offering more useability through slimmer ergonomics and a broader powerband.

Two kilograms worth of weight has been stripped from the predecessor, at 117kg. A 7.4-litre fuel tank is slightly more compact than before, too, and based on our loose calculations on this first ride, we estimate a projected fuel range just shy of 100km.

The same venerable KYB Speed Sensitive System (SSS) 48mm coil-spring fork and KYB shock fitted to the YZ450F also feature in this application, though with softer springs and settings better suited to enduro.

The forks feature a new hand-operated compression clicker adjustment and tweaked damping characteristics, while the rear gets revised internal valving to match the chassis changes. It begs the question, if you get tool-less compression adjustment, why not tool-less rebound adjustment (ala KTM Group)?

The aluminium bilateral beam frame is lower and sports WR450F specific engine mounts for bush work, with 10mm lopped off the fork bodies for easier mounting and dismounting on the side of a hill. In effect, the chassis is more compact than before, too, with a 10mm shorter wheelbase, a 15mm lower headtube, 7mm less trail and 10mm additional ground clearance.

Meanwhile, the engine features dry sump lubrication, new exhaust and intake port shapes, a new crankshaft and balance assembly, larger diameter titanium intake valves and a new piston and cylinder – changes which shed 1.1kg alone.

Yamaha has fitted an enduro-specific ECU and a bespoke traction control suite to the WR450F, as well as an ADR-compliant exhaust which is said to mellow out power at low speeds.

A wide-ratio five-speed gearbox slots in place of the YZ450F’s transmission, offering unique ratios and wider main-shaft gears for reduced weight and increased strength.

The WR450F continues with a cable clutch system – said to be fitted in the name of longevity. Yamaha also offers an optional hydraulic clutch kit from its GYTR catalogue.

A very basic multifunction display resides in front of the handlebar pad, and is very much oriented around robustness and longevity rather than presentation. The LCD display offers dual trip meters, a digital speed, clock, timer, fuel lights and engine lights, but nothing more.

Last but not least is Yamaha’s smartphone-based Power Tuner app functionality, which has been enhanced once again for 2024. Owners can effectively tailor the intervention of the bike’s traction control as well as the mapping of the power to their ability and the terrain their riding. It’s all very clever.

The WR450F comes compliant for ADR use in Australia, and includes an off-road kit for closed course competition, bringing an LED tail-light and licence plate holder, a brake snake cable, braided steel front brake line, off-road brake light switch wire harness, Barkbuster hand guards, original front and rear brake line Banjo bolts, original tail-light undercover, original engine stop switch, engine start switch and Communication Control Unit and map switch.

Greeny’s patch

The national launch of the 2024 Yamaha WR450 was recently held at the home of reigning Australian enduro champion Josh Green, located in Stroud, NSW.

The sprawling property offers up a mix of grass tracks, enduro loops and standalone obstacles that would keep even the most seasoned trail rider on their toes.

What’s more, the region was lashed by rain in the days ahead of the launch, punctuated by a big downpour upon our arrival. Just to keep the entire experience interesting!

Nevertheless, the Yamaha support team helps us get comfortable on the WR450F, adjusting levers and ‘bars, and helping us pick the most suitable electronic settings for the conditions at hand.

Upon first sitting on the refreshed WR, it is immediately clear just how slim the newcomer is. Much like the YZ450F, the seat is flat (enabling seamless weight transitions over the bike into and out of corners) and the middle of the motorcycle is much narrower. This much is reflected in the 50mm narrower shroud width, but the sleekness of the bodywork and the finish of the plastics is noted as well.

At 175cm tall, it is very easy to get comfy with the WR450F’s ergos. Moving the clutch perch inwards on the handlebars helps make the lever action much lighter, while the cockpit itself feels spacious and comfortable irrespective of whether you’re standing up or sitting down. Think broad footpegs, a slimline seat and relatively grippy plastics.

The wet conditions on launch day immediately require some added restraint out on the open grass circuit, but even so, the basic balance and communication of the WR450F shines – and builds rider confidence as a result.

Much like the YZ450F, the engine is the big talking point of the WR450F. It has an innate ability to provide immediate go-forward whenever you require it: no hesitation, no bogging and yet, no overbearing moments either.

On the other side of the coin, the engine is surprisingly resistant to flaming out on low speed sections of trail, even for the heavy rear brakers among us (yep, guilty as charged!).

The precision isn’t by accident: Yamaha officials say they worked hard on the throttle action, particularly between one-eighth and one-quarter opening. It shows, because the WR450F is very articulate with the way it distributes its power, especially as you begin to screw the throttle on.

It means the WR450F provides perfectly metered power on all surfaces, particularly on second- and third-gear trails where the response feels immediate and the synergy between right wrist and rear wheel perfectly gauged.

The one exception to the rule is sections of the muddy grasstrack, where the FIM-compliant rear tyre (which features shorter 10mm-long knobs compared with traditionally knobbies) doesn’t quite yield the desired traction, causing the rear of the motorcycle to squirm as it scrambles to move forward.

In any case, it’s clear that Yamaha has done its homework on providing a tractable engine, and one serviced by a decent spread of ratios and an almost imperceptible electronics suite. In fact, there isn’t a single occasion on the launch where we feel the traction control intervening; but a quick field test of turning the system off reveals it is actually doing quite a lot of intervention and heavy lifting in keeping proceedings tame.

Elsewhere, the new WR shows off its motocross origins with an initially firm but controlled demeanour on all surfaces. In short, if you consider enduro bikes as spongey and soft MX alternatives, the WR450F will seriously challenge your perception: you could turn up to most MX club days with some electrical tape as numbers and be competitive.

The slimness of the chassis and middle section is quickly evident in the way the WR450F rotates and attacks changes in direction. It feels way more nimble than it ought to, and with far less engine inertia than you’d expect.

Granted, it isn’t going to be mistaken as a Euro two-stroke in hard enduro, but the WR feels more manageable and easier to navigate in tighter situations than ever before.

As ever those KYB forks and shock live up to their reputation, offering great initial compliance, loads of feel yet excellent, linear damping through the stroke over larger obstacles including jumps. The inherent firmness brings control over braking bumps or unexpected trail obstacles alike.

Furthermore, the fitment of softer springs up front means there is none of the headshake reported by many on the stiffer YZ450 at speed.

Braking performance from the Yamaha is strong, but not segment leading. We reckon the Austrians still hold a slight edge where stopping power and lever efficacy is concerned.

For all the hype around hydraulic clutches, the traditional feel and ease of ownership afforded by the WR450F’s cable unit makes a compelling case, too.

The verdict

For all the hype and marketing rhetoric, the new Yamaha WR450F does exactly what it sets out to do as an enduro bike.

It is a doyen of just about every off-road condition – the exception being super-tight, hard enduro sections – and it feels more complete and more rideable than ever before.

The steeper purchase price is probably the biggest bone of contention, but one could very quickly argue the WR450F adds value with a broader skillset and greater electronic brains than ever before.

ENGINE
Type: Four-stroke, single-cylinder
Capacity: 450cc
Bore x stroke: 97/60.8mm
Fuel supply: Mikuni EFI, 44mm throttle body

TRANSMISSION
Type: Five-speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multiplate, cable

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Bilateral beam aluminium
Front suspension: KYB SSS spring fork, 300mm travel
Rear suspension: KYB single shock with linkage, 306mm travel
Front brake: 270mm disc
Rear brake: 240mm disc
Tyres: Dunlop Geomax EN91F, Front 90/90-21, Rear 140/80-18

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed kerb weight: 117kg
Seat height: 955mm
Ground clearance: 330mm
Fuel capacity: 7.4 litres

OTHER STUFF
Ride-away price: $17,999
Colour: Blue, white