First Ride-04YZ450F-Me Likey!

FINALLY got to ride my new bike after building and polishing on her for four weeks and two days and dodging weather and closed race tracks for harescrambles, etc...

The major performance mods are a Dr. D complete exhaust with lowboy headpipe and JD jetting kit (custom needle taper). Besides that, there are just some ergo mods, Emig clamp, Pro-Taper CR High bars, etc.

Pic here.

The first thing I noticed coming off my 01 426 was the weight difference. I could feel how much lighter the 450 was when I rolled it out of the back of the truck at the house the first day.

At the track, I notice the power delivery down low is is slightly smoother than the monster torque hit of the 426, but still very respectable. She winds out faster, too. I took her to the practice area, which is a flat circular area with a few jumps and several S-turns through the middle. The ergo's are very similar to the 426. Nothing majorly different in that department, which was very confidence-inspiring for me, and probably for any blue riders. The Dr. D pipe has a very agressive but pleasant exhaust note. There is a "quiet" logo on the silencer can's badge. The sound is very low and deep, and not sharp or ear shattering. I let AgentOrange take it out for a few laps and was very pleased with the sound of the bike. Sounded great but not obnoxiously loud, which I'm sure many will appreciate.

So after a few laps in the practice area, and a couple laps on the big track, she was ready for her first oil change and then time to open her up. The headpipe requires loosening to access the oil filter cover. This may be a downer for some, but I will say that the fit and finish of the Dr. D pipe are flawless. I've never had an easier pipe to install than this one. Granted, a lot of that is due to the cleaned-up design of the 450 compared to the other 4-strokes I've owned. So after a quick oil change and the addition of my blue-annodized Zip-Ty Racing magnetic drain plug (*Bling!), I was off to wring her out for all I was worth...

First thing I noticed was the new 48mm front forks, up from the 46mm of the 426's and the 03 450's. They are unreal. They are not soft, but feel so much more compliant in all terrain types. I was fast through the whoops, and came up short on everything I landed and they just soaked it all up. No headshake, no harshness, simply incredible. Definitely the best suspension I've ever been on. The rear was very capable as well, although I didn't notice any major difference as compared to the 426.

The motor-Hard to describe. Where the 426 has a brutal off-idle punch to it, this motor is a bit smoother, but just pours the power to the ground and keeps on revving. I practiced some starts, which I was very good at on my 426, and expected I would suffer a steep learning curve on the new bike. I was partly correct... First start, the bike launched way harder than I expected and I actually pulled a fairly good start. The next couple of tries I was a bit timid and pulled out slower, but the over-rev on this bike let me carry the front wheel at will down the chute. A little work on getting the initial jump down, and I will have my "start mojo" back!

I also noticed that it lugs much smoother than the 426 did when you might be a gear high. Pulling hard even at low rpm's while rolling it on coming out of a corner. Where the 426 seemed to chug just a bit, the 450 rolls the power on strong and smooth.

Handling-All things relative, I was carving a couple of the corners so well I surprised even myself, especially since this was my first day on the new blue piggy. Going into a wide, sandy sweeper, I just laid her over and rolled it on. The back end whipped around and she punched straight out the other side. While I didn't see it, I envisioned that gigantic rooster tail of dust flying out of the turn as I was hauling up the big uphill after the turn.

The bike is just a fantastic progression of Yamaha's big 4-stroke technology. It's lighter, turns sharper, feels better underneath you, takes less work to ride than the 426, and rev's to the moon-and it pulls hard all the way to the top. Keeping the front end down takes some attention at times.

There is a reduced oil capacity, roughly 50% less than the 426, so keeping up on oil changes will be important. Also, "the drill" has changed dramatically. I stalled it once in a tight corner and got her relit in about 5 kicks with the handlebar-mounted hot start pulled. However, where I could almost always start my 426 1st-2nd kick when cold, this one is taking me 6-8 kicks. She seems a bit finicky at times, especially when she's in between hot and cold somewhere. She seems to like the hot start pulled more often than I would have thought, and I have started to adjust for this (pilot screw back in to 1-1/4 turns out compared to 2 out as she was delivered to me).

Also-This bike has a four-speed tranny. I've heard complaints about it, but hardly ever from those who have ridden one. The gear spread is perfect for MX-which is what this bike is purpose-built for. The track I ride at mostly is an outdoor national-type track, and there is plenty of leg in this four speed to pull even the longest of straightaways. First gear is just a tiny bit taller than 1st was on the 426, and fourth is kinda like "4th and a half" on the 426. I NEVER found the top of fifth, and rarely the bottom of it, on the 426 on any track I ever rode, including Cooperland. Four is more than enough for any mortal.

Overall, I give the new ride two snaps up in a circle! :aj: :thumb:

A couple afterthoughts: I mentioned the ergo's being very "familiar". One big difference, and improvement, IMO, is the super-flat seat to tank transition. It's almost completely horizontal compared to the 426. And trust me, you'll want to be up on the gas cap when you launch a start on this one (I need to remember that...). The stock gripper seat keeps your butt planted, too.

I mentioned the low-end power. I should note that the Dr. D lowboy headpipe is designed to increase low-end power and smooth out the transistion to midrange. I can't comment on that other than to say the low-end power felt stronger than the 03 blue 450's I have ridden. I've never run the stock pipe on this bike other than firing it up at the dealer and in the garage.

The one "complaint" I could add is that the front brake seems a little below par to me. Yamaha's aren't known for their front brakes, and this one is no exception. Stopping power feels like about 90% of what the 426 had. I did overshoot a couple of inside lines I was aiming for on a downhill-to-left hander which caused me to have to straighten up and roll over the grooves to the outside, then turn back into it and roll the power back on. That would ruin your day, and might cause a little swapping of plastic, come race day.

I should also add that the track conditions were just brutal. Hard, dry, dusty, blue groove, combed-out corners and some serious jack hammer braking bumps. I was so sore I could hardly move after 5 hours of that!

I was asked to compare this one to the red 450. I'd say they are equal in the power department, on my level, at least. The ergo's are much different, though. The red bikes have a slightly shorter seat to peg distance. With stock seat, the cockpit feels noticably tighter than the Yamaha to me. The CRF also passes more of the engine vibration to the rider, where the blue bike dampens them more. This has to be due to the different frame materials and design.

VK-I can't make a decision for you, but I don't think you'd be disappointed in the improvements. Just standing there looking at the bike, every aspect of it is cleaner. It may not be obvious at first, but the mechanics of the way everything is laid out is amazing. The feel of the bike will be familiar, but better. Amazing, broad power delivery.

I was just reading about that. I might give myself a little more seat time to get used to it first though. :)

Brian-It's supposed to be pretty straight forward from what little I've read so far. Just unplug the connector at the carb and tape off both sides and ride it. There are dyno charts posted over on TT. That thread should still be on the first page in the YZF400/426/450 forum.

All rumors so far on the Al frames from Yamaha. I have heard that the 2-strokes get them first, then the 4's next year (2006 models). But who knows...

Yeah, Those four gears will stretch far. I only touched fourth a couple times, and it was only briefly. Third stretches out pretty good. And the low end pull is very smooth and not notchy at all. I should note that I have a one tooth larger rear sprocket than stock-49 vs. 48. I think I am going to change that out before too long. I was initially worried about second gear being too tall for starts, but find myself starting in first. I just need more time on the bike to sort that all out and decide. We also race a very tight, mini-SX style track through the summer, and slightly lower gearing is a benefit there. I'm lazy too, I hate changing sprockets. Always seem to impale myself on them one way or another!