Heavily updated for 2024 , it turns out that Yamaha ’ s WR450F is a very important ( and popular ) model for Yamaha Australia . This is mainly because it can be road registered , which allows the real bonus of legal riding access to their state forests – which are huge and have fantastic riding . New Zealand is also a strong market for the WR450F , but for different reasons – mainly because they are stone reliable and a bloody great offroad / enduro bike and legal trail bike . These reasons and the fact the 2024 model is completely updated meant KR needed to be at what was , in essence , the world launch , just out of Newcastle , NSW , Australia . Down below the equator , we ’ re not used to having big sales numbers compared to America and Europe , but the WR450F is different . You see , Yamaha Australia sells some 1500 WR450Fs . To put that into perspective , Yamaha USA only sells 150 WR450Fs and Europe is a little better at 300 per year . It ’ s because of those numbers that Yamaha Aus gets decent input into the bike ’ s design and final set-up – not just the superficial stuff ,
but important things like suspension settings , power deliver , ergonomics and keeping it road legal with the minimum amount of dross . A true Enduro race bike that can be road legal . At the WR450F presentation briefing , Yamaha quietly let slip that AJ Roberts and Josh Green had a lot of personal input into the bike ’ s final setup . These men need no introduction with multiple off-road championships between them . It shows ... the 2024 WR450F feels like a true race bike .
ALL NEW Definitely not a graphics update , the YZ450F has an all-new engine with larger 39mm intake valves , new piston , new conrod , big end , revised bearings , changed crank inertia and a dry sump . The gear shafts are lighter and stronger . Everything inside is lighter , giving the engine a total weight reduction of 1.1kg compared to last year . That ’ s just the motor . The muffler is shorter , there ’ s a lighter feeling disc-spring clutch ( with a new cable adjustment system ), the frame is new with a 15mm lower head tube and the fuel
36 KIWI RIDER