Gorman, CA - In 2003, Yamaha
was the first manufacturer to step up to the plate
and produce the 450cc race quad, the 2004 YFZ450.
Now that most manufacturers are producing 450cc
race quads, the stakes have been raised and Yamaha
has come out swinging once again with its newYFZ450R.
We made the trek out to Valencia, CA for Yamaha’sYFZ450R
press intro and test ride that is taking place
this week. With all the hype surrounding this
new machine, we were very eager to check it
out and see how it stacked up against the old
YFZ450 and today, we had our chance.
Yamaha made arrangements for us to test out
the newYFZ450R at Hungry Valley just outside
of Gorman, CA. The scenic high desert terrain
provided us with miles of wide open sandy trails
and steep washouts that would challenge theYFZ450R’s
power and handling abilities.
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| In
preparation for the YFZ450R test ride,
GNCC Top 10 Pro ATV Racer, Jarrod McClure
put in some laps on a brand new stock
2008 YFZ450 over the past month, so he
would be familiar with the handling and
power characteristic of the YFZ450 before
making the trip out to California to ride
the new 2009 YFZ450R |
Once we hit the trails, one of the first things
we noticed about Yamaha’s new race machine
was the handling. “It handles a lot better
than the ’08 YFZ450 I have at home,”
said ATVRiders.com test rider Jarrod McClure,
who was getting his first taste of riding in
the sand. This was Jarrod’s first time
on the newYFZ450R also and he had plenty of
good things to say about it. “The turning
radius is a lot tighter and the steering is
really responsive. It goes exactly where you
point it,” he said. “I always felt
like I was in control of the bike.”
Yamaha has equipped theYFZ450R with new Dunlop
tires as well. “On the older models, the
stock tires have a lot of roll to them when
you’re cornering, but the new ones are
a lot thicker, have less roll and seem to hold
up pretty well. There were even a few times
I hit some rocks out there and thought I was
going to have a flat for sure, but that wasn’t
the case,” stated McClure.
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| Unlike
other 50” wide 450cc based ATV racers,
the YFZ450R comes stock with 20”
rear tires instead of 18” tires,
but the 20” tires are the perfect
size for trail riding where the extra
ground clearance makes a big difference
especially when riding over rocks and
obstacles on the trail |
Intended for the motocross track, theYFZ450R’s
suspension comes standard at almost 50 inches
wide, which makes it seem very stable when cornering,
but being a motocrosser at heart, the shocks
of theYFZ450R seem to be a little stiff at first,
but they can be easily and noticeably adjusted.
“With just a few clicks you can soften
them up quite a bit and it seems that they have
more room for adjustment than the older models,”
McClure said. Once adjustments were made, the
ride was a lot more plush and was quite suitable
for the desert trails.
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Jarrod
McClure hit a few natural terrain jumps
to test of the long travel suspension
on YFZ450R, and it passed with flying
colors as it soaked up the impact without
any noticeable bump steer or harsh response |
