450 F for a newbie

[Akrapovicky]

Hello TT'ers!

I'm 6"2/209 pound and I have some experience riding trails on 250F's. riding conditions around my home are a lot bette for motocross so getting a mc bike seems to make more sense than a trail bike.

How do you guys see YZ 450F for my kind of riders? Of course I understand that it's a matter of right wrist control but what I'm really interested are the effects of (higher than 250F) gyro-forces and the character of the motor in terms of power output.

In other words - do you see YZ 450F as a great bike for developing riding skills or as a too much of a handful for a beginner?

Any first-hand experiences on the new 2010 YZ 450F are highly appreciated.

Thanks for your opinions!

[whiplash433]

i have a 250f and rode my uncles 450 and the biggest difference that i noticed was that the front wheel does not like to stay on the ground. To account for this you have to have great throttle/clutch control.

[Lankyrider]

I think you'll be ok with a 450. You are big enough to handle it and the YZ is a very user friendly bike. You will get used of the power in no time don't worry about that, just ride safely.

[Just_a_trail_rider]

Hello TT'ers!

I'm 6"2/209 pound and I have some experience riding trails on 250F's. riding conditions around my home are a lot bette for motocross so getting a mc bike seems to make more sense than a trail bike.

How do you guys see YZ 450F for my kind of riders? Of course I understand that it's a matter of right wrist control but what I'm really interested are the effects of (higher than 250F) gyro-forces and the character of the motor in terms of power output.

In other words - do you see YZ 450F as a great bike for developing riding skills or as a too much of a handful for a beginner?

Any first-hand experiences on the new 2010 YZ 450F are highly appreciated.

Thanks for your opinions!

After several trips to the ER when I was learning to ride dirt, I am now an advocate for taking it slow. So here goes...

A 450 race bike is not exactly a learning tool. Many of your lesson will be "what not to do". Many people do buy a 450 before they are really ready and they do just fine... but why risk it.

A 250f is a better learning tool and you can be surprisingly fast and capable on it while being just a little safer I think. One day, you will realize that you absolutely need more power and then you should get the 450.

good luck with your choice

[husqy360]

it will probebly take longer for a beginner to feel "right at home" on a 450.

[kingzero]

I am a beginner as well.... I always rode quads and got the itch to get a bike when I rode my buddy's YZ250f in Glamis last year. I picked up a 99 KX250 for pretty cheap and started on that. It was a blast but I wasn't a big fan of how twitchy the bike felt.....i'm not too big on 2 strokes. I rode that bike for about 5 months and decided to put my quad up for sale....I am done with quads. I had it for sale for about a month and I didn't get one call. Then I got a call from a guy with a 2006 YZ450 that wanted to trade. I wanted a 4 stroke bike but was afraid a 450 would be too much. I said screw it and traded him.....I couldn't be happier! The bike is freakin' blast, it hasn't put me on the ground yet...but i'm sure my time will come. I am 6' and 195lbs........I say if you wan't a 450 than get one.....just stay on the tank if you really want to hammer down.

[DaJudge]

I am a beginner as well.... I always rode quads and got the itch to get a bike when I rode my buddy's YZ250f in Glamis last year. I picked up a 99 KX250 for pretty cheap and started on that. It was a blast but I wasn't a big fan of how twitchy the bike felt.....i'm not too big on 2 strokes. I rode that bike for about 5 months and decided to put my quad up for sale....I am done with quads. I had it for sale for about a month and I didn't get one call. Then I got a call from a guy with a 2006 YZ450 that wanted to trade. I wanted a 4 stroke bike but was afraid a 450 would be too much. I said screw it and traded him.....I couldn't be happier! The bike is freakin' blast, it hasn't put me on the ground yet...but i'm sure my time will come. I am 6' and 195lbs........I say if you wan't a 450 than get one.....just stay on the tank if you really want to hammer down.

Good trade.?

[OneShot2146]

When i got my 06 450 I gave my son my 05 450 he is 5,8 and 155 lbs and he does just fine it took him a couple weeks to not be overcome by the power difference but he does just fine now.

[theduck007]

you'll be just fine. just take your time and get a good feel for the bike. you'll love the power for when you need it. i bought a 450 this winter and it is my first bike ever. im 5' 11" 200lbs. i rode a 250f 4 times last fall and i was a little leary about getting a 450 but im so glad i went that route.

[FiremanKay]

no first hand experience on the 2010 but I traded my 2009 kx250F for a new 2008 YZ450f last year. The KX was my first bike and I found that I was just to big for it (5'11" 210lbs at the time). I'm sure that I could have made the 250 work for me but I was really making that bike work hard at my local track, which is open and hilly. I got the 450 out there and it was smooth and easy to ride, I could jump things much easier and found myself just having more fun. After my 2nd time to the track on the 450 (5 time overall) I was able to clear the 90ft table. It was a big deal for me as I had not been riding very long, but I was just so confident in the bike. I still am, and now I am fast as or faster then many of my riding buddies who have been riding since childhood. When I got to the track I practice turns, over and over. To me it is the best place to risk it on the track because most times you can fall in the turns and not get to roughed up.

So there are a few points here. One, the power for our weight is very nice, I rather have to much then to little. Next, a lot of people say a 250 is a great teaching tool but how long are you going to ride the 250, is it worth the money you will loose to get a 450 ( I lost money). Also we weigh more and can us our weight to move the bike around, I had a YZ250 two stroke for a little while as well. That bike did not feel any lighter to me to ride, thats just me but i was much faster on the 450. The last point is that here is different maps you can get for the 2010 YZ450 so you can start with a nice smooth maps. Also they say that bike turns very light. Go with the 450, just remember to focus on the basics of riding and not getting lazy with the power. I have gone from 20ft jumps thinking it was the coolest ever to doing 90-100ft jumps and not ever thinking about it. I cant say it was all because of the bike but I think it has a lot to do with it, and I ride ALOT. Hope it helps

[bpamato]

I just recently got back into motorcycles after a 12 year drought. The last bike I rode was a 94 yz80. I was tired of not being in the dirt so my brother and I both got 450's. I am 5'8" and only 175 lbs and my YZ450f is extremely fast but I know my limits and every time I ride it I have a great time. As long as you dont think you are a pro you will be fine.

[Polar_Bus]

The question of weather or not a 450 is the right "beginner" bike all boils down to the specific mentality of the rider. If you are a beginner with a Johnny rev limit throttle wrist type attitde, you're gonna' get hurt bad, simply put. If you have an honest respect for your beginner abilities, and simply take it easy, AND on easier terrain, a 450 is fine for learning. My son is 15, has a fair amount of novice skills (KX65, and a TTR125) and about 125 lbs. He has been becoming acclimated to my 450, but only on dirt roads, and very basic, beginner trails, and under my strict guidance ! He's doing fantastic. We have a saying every time after we throw a leg over a dirt bike "Head up, LOOK ahead, THINK ahead" . The biggest challenge for my son is getting enough leverage on the kick lever to spin the 450 over to start. Thank god for a ditch to sink the rear tire into for a little help ! LOL

[Akrapovicky]

Thanks a lot for your opinions guys - you really confirmed my thoughts. Especially FiremanKay, you really nailed my idea on getting a bike not just for the first start-up summer but for years and years on. I think my instinct to protect my health is adequate enough for 450 as well.

Once again, massive thanks for all.

Stay safe and Enjoy!

Akra-man

[grayracer513]

Hey, PB! When are you going to get the kid some real gloves? ?

Comparing an adult novice to a 15 year-old has as many differences as it does similarities. I know that my son at almost 14 was not at all ready for a YZ450, and at that time ('04) wouldn't have liked one, anyway. But he was way too big for his CR80RB anymore, and wasn't learning anything on it, so I stuck him on a YZ250F. The results were spectacular. He learned more in the next 6 weeks than he had in the previous year and a half, and just kept getting faster and faster as he went. The little YZF was so easy to ride and so forgiving that it would almost always save his butt from disaster, and he was smart enough to learn from it. Then, at 16, when he got his new '06 YZ450, he was ready for it, and never looked back.

But here, we have an adult with some prior experience with larger bikes already, and I have to agree that overall, I think he'll just be happier in the long term with a 450 than a smaller bike.

[Polar_Bus]

Hey, PB! When are you going to get the kid some real gloves? ?

Good eye, my son at that time of the pic had been suffering from "yamma-thumb" and some other multiple blisters. So a nice thick pair of sweaty gloves served the purpose until the blisters hardened up ! ?

Fear not he's back into MX gloves now !

[jerrman29]

I used to ride a xr 600 and quit riding for about 9 years, and got the itch again, and I went right into a yz 450. I had buddies telling me to get a 250f cuz they thought the 450 wuz gonna be to much, and I wouldn't listen. I'm extremly glad I didn't listen, cuz I'd been very disapointed. I tear it up on the 450. They all just can't believe how I fly thru the trails on that beast. My advice, go with the 450.