Indepth look at the Australian 2012 WR450F

iKapture

So how does the all-new fuel injected 2012 WR450F stand up on the trails? After two days in the saddle riding the premium trails of Dorrigo with Coffs Harbour’s Detour Tours for the Australian launch of the WR450F, Transmoto’s Ollie Sharp was overflowing with info…

If you’ve been hiding in a cave for the last six months then this will be news to you; the WR450F has fuel injection, which is adjustable via the compact YZ Power Tuner that can hold nine maps. The WR450F’s frame is based on the 2012 YZ250F, which means some of the dimensions have changes, including the peg and bar height. It has a stronger big-end, a power bomb in the header pipe, twin chamber front forks, cable clutch and comes with $650 worth of Race Kit to convert it from ADR to race mode. It has no ignition key (even in the ADR models); it’s a push button ignition. Wet weight is a claimed 129kg with a full fuel tank, all oils and includes full ADR spec.

When Yamaha released details that the new WR450F would use the 2011 engine – not the reverse YZ450F engine that many speculated – with bolt on EFI, many were sceptical. But Sharp confirmed Yamaha have done a really good job integrating the two, “It may seem like they just bolted on an EFI unit to the previously WR-F engine, but they have made changes to make it work,” said Sharp. “The bike is really crisp and responsive off the bottom, it produces excellent power from the bottom through to mid range, and even with the five-valve head it produces really good top-end power. The bike doesn’t cough or splutter, and there where no flame outs. The ability to change maps with the Power Tuner is unreal and it really helped tune the engine for the bush.”

The Power Tuner is the size of the original iPods (albeit thicker), is weatherproof and feels strong and durable. With the ability to store nine maps and change them at the push of a button, it makes it very easy to alter the engine characteristics on the go.

With the addition of twin chamber forks, Sharpo says it makes a huge difference to the bike’s performance on the trail, “Its ability to soak up the small choppy bumps coming into corners, as well as the larger braking bumps and square-edges was remarkable. It’s a confidence-inspiring bike, which is what I really loved. You could tip it into a corner and it would always track straight and true and hold its line. There was a lot of front-end feel and you could really push the bike and feel when it was starting to slip; it wouldn’t just let go.”

And how do the ergos feel with the new 2012 YZ250F-based frame? “The seat and footpeg ratio made the bike feel a lot like the YZ250F. The bike feels small and nimble between your legs but there’s still enough room for a tall person to fit comfortably in its current trim.”

Look out for Transmoto’s May issue (on sale April 4) for an in depth look into the 2012 WR450F.