Ride Impression: 2016 Yamaha YZ450FX

We get our first real-world taste of the all-new 2016 YZ450FX – the hybrid of Yamaha’s new-generation motocross and enduro models.

Yamaha Motor Australia sure isn’t mucking around at the moment. Hard on the heels of releasing several new off-road models in the past couple of years, the company has now added the flagship of their race-ready off-road range, the 2016 YZ450FX, to their large model line-up. It’s clear that the FX is designed specifically for cross-country/enduro racing in the Aussie bush, but how does this hybrid model compare with the 450cc motocross and enduro models it sits somewhere in between? And who will this bike appeal to?

To find out, we sent Pro off-road racer, Stefan Granquist, to Yamaha’s media launch for the all-new model in New Zealand. Seeing as Stefan has raced both the previous-model WR450F and the new-generation YZ450F to top-10 Outright positions at the AORC and A4DE in recent years, he was the perfect guy for the gig. Here’s what the likeable big Swedish-Aussie says he discovered about the new model at the recent launch in NZ…

WHAT IS THE YZ450FX?

The easiest way to think of the YZ450FX is as a hybrid version of the YZ450F and WR450F. It’s a WR450F with firmer suspension settings, a YZ450F exhaust system (with mapping to suit) and no lights or hand guards. Or, if you’d prefer to compare it with the motocrosser, it’s a YZ450F with an electric-start, wide-ratio transmission and an 18-inch rear wheel. Whichever way you look at it, the FX sits somewhere between its enduro and motocross cousins. The YZ450FX (which, confusingly, is called the WR450FX in the USA) will only come in the blue colour scheme with silver rims and comes with an aggressive MSRP of $12,499.

Yamaha has also released YZ450FXR model, which comes with a lighting kit (designed to allow Victorian riders to obtain Recreational Registration), bashplate, handguards, headlight assembly, braided steel front brakeline, tail-light and licence-plate holder and a few other practical wiring additions – all for an extra $500.

Both machines use the same 7.5-litre fuel tank, but Yamaha Genuine Accessories now offers a 15L tank (in either clear or grey) for $649.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Based out of the most epic locations – Queenstown, New Zealand – the Dirtbiketours NZ crew put on a great couple of days’ riding for the launch, with a wide variety of terrain giving us the opportunity to put the new YZ450FX to the ultimate test. Before the launch, I wasn’t sure how well the development team was going to go in making a bike specifically for competition enduro racing. Obviously, it was important that the machine should be distinctly different from both the world MXGP-winning YZ450F and the recently released WR450F enduro bike – because, what is the point of this machine otherwise?

After riding the hybrid FX machine, I can say I think the design team has done a great job of customising and tuning this bike to suit the targeted racer market. The engine has an enormous amount or torque, which makes it very controllable in off-road terrain, and yet it still transitions into high revs so effortlessly. And aside from making the lever-pull super-light, the YZ450FX’s clutch mods helps make getting that power to the ground – especially in really tight and technical terrain – even easier.

“The YZ450FX is a super-versatile, lightweight, race-ready weapon that can be used for everything from motocross to enduro, trails, desert and supermoto.”

The chassis feels similarly dialled-in to the wide variety of terrain you tend to experience in cross-country and enduro racing. Right from the first couple of laps around the special test, the versatility of the YZ450FX’s suspension settings meant the bike was happy to take on all types of obstacles without getting unsettled or deflecting. On small bumps and rocks, where a YZ450F will deflect, the FX offers a much more compliant ride. And instead of bottoming out like the WR450F would on really big hits and jump-landings, the FX’s suspension remains much more composed and resistant to bottoming.

In fact, I would go so far as to say the FX could be a real contender for the motocross market, too. With its broad and super-usable power delivery, versatile suspension package, and electric start, this bike would have to appeal to guys who ride both in the bush and on the MX track – especially those older guys who’ll love the idea of a MXer with a ‘magic button’.

DRIVING FORCE

The YZ450FX shares the same wide ratio five-speed gearbox as the WR450F, and this works really well in conjunction with the cross-country model’s extra-torquey grunt. Apart from a couple of longer straights, I found myself riding all the way around the launch’s several special tests in third gear. As these loops were very similar to a majority of special tests used in the AORC series in Australia, I can’t wait to see how much time I can save by minimising gearshifts while racing and focusing on my lines instead. To me, this bike feels very close to the mark for what racers will want.

With most enduro bikes, racers will have to fine-tune the gearing, power delivery, suspension settings and other personal preferences (such as bars, seat height, levers and so on) before the bike is 100% race-ready. With the YZ450FX, pretty much all that is already done for you. And that’s a major convenience for the customer.

For a few of my mates who are less experienced, the YZ450FX may actually be a little too powerful, especially in tighter terrain. But that’s where the beauty of Yamaha’s Power Tuner comes into play. Through quick and easy mods to the map’s fuel and/or ignition settings, you can tame the beast down significantly. As Yamaha’s Peter Payne pointed out, “Yamaha would rather the customer had the option to tone down the power delivery from stock with the help of the Power Tuner, than having to go out and spend more money on a performance pipe or engine work after purchasing the new bike.”

FINAL VERDICT

In recent years, Yamaha’s YZ-F models have enjoyed a lot of off-road success, and won multiple national championships. But to adapt these MX bikes to the diverse and unpredictable terrain a rider encounters while racing off-road, these machines had to be heavily modified. That’s fine for professional race teams, but for the average customer, it’s not an easy process. Aside from the cost of modifying the bike, customers would also need a detailed knowledge of what changes to make and how they’ll affect the bike’s performance in various sorts of off-road terrain. With the 2016 YZ450FX, Yamaha has done all that for the race-oriented customer already.

While targeting the racer market with this FX might sound like a pretty narrow marketing focus, I hope Yamaha manages to convince consumers that the bike is more than that. To my way of thinking, the YZ450FX is a super-versatile, lightweight, race-ready weapon that can be used for everything from motocross to enduro, trails desert and supermoto.

JOSH COPPINS’ INPUT

World MXGP vet, former MX Nats champs and now team manager, Josh Coppins, has been heavily involved in the development of both the YZ250FX and YZ450FX. At the launch, I had the chance to sit down with Josh to chat about the process of developing this new model for Yamaha. Here’s what he had to say:

“We approached the testing and development of this YZ450FX model in a similar way to what we’d do when I was setting up a bike for myself as a factory motocross racer. That said, I had to be mindful that we were setting this production model up not just for me, but in a way that’d suit a broader racing customer. We did a lot of testing in a wide range of locations to ensure the bike works well in the diverse terrain a cross-country racer is likely to come across. And I can honestly say that if I was purchasing my own motorcycle right now – and I could only buy one bike – I’d buy the YZ450FX. I could race the FX for arenacross, motocross, enduro, cross-country or supermoto. It’s a full-blown race bike with the edges taken off so you can also trailride it.”