concerned - Yamaha wanted their bike to remain looking new . No pressure ... The bike slides well in and out of flat turns , I was not going to lean this thing down too much or I ’ d have been laying down in the mud , but the damp did give me a quick idea of how it moves and flexes - and it felt very manageable . We are Kiwis so can expect to ride in the wet - and the 450F is not going to vanish from under you , which is important . The seat and narrow radiator shrouds let you position yourself anywhere on the bike and it ’ s easy to move about without any drama or effort . There were some patches on the track which were incredibly slick , which had the front sledging like it had 40psi in the tyre , but it didn ’ t try to tuck , so I ’ m going to say it was the conditions and a bit more seat time to get the feel where I would solve this . Also , the bike feel might change a bit with some more use and minor tweaking . Testing the bike ’ s crash durability was frowned upon by Yamaha , so I ’ ll just put a pin in that comment at this stage . Suspension wise , I really loved it and , if I bought this bike , I wouldn ’ t change anything in terms of components . Under or over-jumping doesn ’ t intimidate either as it proved itself very forgiving . The bike ’ s comfort and ability to take on a wide range of riding straight out of the box , while being setup for no one in particular , is a huge plus .
YZ450F - ELITE RIDER VIEW
This model has been out for a year now , but it ’ s still a good looking bike , it looks sharp . When Yamaha released this model , everyone seemed to like it . It ’ s fast . The motor has very useable power and it really does get up and go if you ask it to . There ’ s also the option of dulling down the power with the engine maps and electronic tuning . I found the suspension on the 450 better than on the new 250 , possibly because this bike had been ridden a bit more and bedded in . It was certainly nice and plush , even when overjumping a few jumps - it soaked that up quite well , and even the smaller choppier bumps around the corners . It ’ s a really settled bike . On the braking side of things , the front and back are good . They ’ re not Brembo ’ s , but they ’ re good and I think they perform just as well . Handling-wise , it ’ s a balanced bike , very planted , with a nice rider triangle giving plenty of room with ergo ’ s which make it easy to move around on . The seat is pretty flat , allowing you to get forward more coming out of turns when getting on the gas . 450s tend to want to throw you to the back of the seat and that flat seat lets you get up the front and helps you stay there . The 2024 YZ450F is an awesome bike to ride , with great handling and lots of power - which can be mellowed out a little if you want using the electronics . I think it would suit almost anyone who ’ s thinking of jumping on a 450 . BRAD GROOMBRIDGE
54 KIWI RIDER