Geoff Ballard & His Yamaha WR450F

Geoff Ballard isn’t one to offer hollow praise. In fact, when it comes to rating motorcycles, the timeless Aussie enduro icon is about as understated as they come. So when Ballard started lifting eyebrows and banging on about how much he liked the 2021-model Yamaha WR450F that he’d bought himself earlier this year, we figured it was time to pick his brains about the thing. For example, where does he reckon it most improves on its predecessor? What did he do to customise his bike, and why? What’s it like to ‘live with’ and maintain? And does he have any complaints about its component spec or performance?

Armed with those questions, we cornered GB after he spent the day aboard a 2022 WR450F (which is basically a 2021 model with fresh graphics), stuck a mic up his shirtfront, and pressed ‘record’ on the camera. Here’s a snapshot of that candid conversation…