WR 450 on the MX track

[David_Gronlund]

Charlieb brought the new bike out to the track (ET Motopark, Mesa Arizona) yesterday and invited me out for a test ride. It was awesome to say the least. I made a few carb and suspension adjustments and the blue beast came alive. A little richer pilot jet would of really helped on the jump faces but I forgot to bring out my parts box, didn't think I needed it. The over-40 button was very nice also. I don't really think it is necessary though with the new auto-decompression deal on the cam. The thing kicks over nicely and starts right up, kinda like a 250 2-smoker. Something else I could remove to save weight in the far future if I wanted, then again.

Right out of the truck it felt comfortable. No bar or lever adjustments needed, and the tank/seat junction was perfect. I really didn't like the kick stand though. It gave me an uneasy feeling in the air. I have fairly big feet and my heal kept rubbing up against it an making me think about it. I really don't need a concentration breaker in mid-air. Sure is nice to not have to pick the bike up and put it on a stand at the truck though.

I told a few people this including Charlie, and I mean it, the WR450 has the best stock suspension that I have ever ridden. I may not change the valving at all. I definitely need stiffer springs (6'-3", 220), but the action and balance of the legs felt perfect for me. It feels like what I have spent hundreds on in the past to obtain. Charlie asked who I should have do his suspension, and I said NOBODY. Don't give any body the chance to screw it up.

I must of done 20-30 laps on that thing. A big thanks to Charlieb for letting me get my fix on his bike. I really want my bike now. I couldn't wait to get home and get in bed so I could dream about it.

I was told that my bike finally showed up on the delivery schedule last week. So now I know it exists and it's in route. He told me Feb-5 at the latest. Exactly a week later than I need it to get it ready for this weekends race. I'm praying hard to the bike delivery gods to speed it up a little, but I think I'm just over hopefull.

[ddialogue]

Thanks for the ride report! The suspension quality doesn't suprise me a bit as my 02 WR426 suspension was perfect. This is the MAIN reason I decided to stay with Yamaha instead of switching to a KTM.

Other than the kickstand, did the overall feel of the bike inspire confidence in the air over jumps and on the rest of the track?

[David_Gronlund]

Absolutely. I had no problems at all on the track I had to be really carefully not to over jump or under jump the doubles because of the softer suspenders. Thats my problem (too many silver bullets, and not enough gym time) not the bikes.

I really felt like I could get into the grooves better without as much work as my old 400. The bike felt a lot more maneuverable which made line selection much easier. The bike also felt a lot lighter in the air than I'm used too.

The bike is much more tractable, even right after they watered the track and it got slimy. I could go from the outside of turns and dodge to the inside without the bike feeling like it wanted to slip out from under me. The power output is smooth and controlled. Not a lot of wheel spin, just pure drive. I hadn't really rode hard since last November and I woke up this morning after a full day of MXing yesterday and I'm not sore at all. That is huge for me.

[beezer]

Nice report!

But what about the clutch?

I'm about ready to have a panic attack about the clutch. The clutch, the clutch AHH THE FRIGGIN CLUTCH!

Sorry about my outburst, I have to get a hold of myself.

[David_Gronlund]

Don't worry about the clutch. Just drill the oil passages out like has been described and ride.

I rode all day and didn't have any problems, then again I never rode it at a steady speed in one gear for any length of time. I think thats when the problem accures.

Any quality shop can perform this fix. It's fast and easy.

[beezer]

Everyone was bloviating about the YZ450 clutch of the YZ450 board.

I got the bike and it was fine.

It sounds like the WR450 is a really neat bike.