Steve Matthes view of the "bad bad YZ450F" !?

[HRC]

Previous Yamaha mechanic , Tim Ferry mechanic and these days running the pulpmx.com effort has made and article of the current 2010-2012 YZ450F.

Read it and tell me what you think ...

http://www.pulpmx.com/stories/blue-crew

[1nd1anajones]

Sure doesnt sound good for Yamaha in my opinion. I think all manufacturers get their time in the spotlight, Kawasaki seems to be stealing the show right now but I think Yamaha will bounce back, or at least I hope. I think if smaller manufacturers like ktm, husaberg, and others can survive than so can Yamaha Motors.

[Yamaryder29]

That article is so true. Yamaha needs to support it's riders and give them the best equipment possible. People want the winning brand, and if Yamaha can't run with the top guys, then people won't wanna buy Yamaha.

[crf450319]

One thing to keep in mind is that contingency programs will have a huge impact on what brand privateer racers run. I don't know what's out there now, as far as which companies are offering $$ but I've had personal experience with that when I was road-racing. Suzuki had the best program, so that's what I bought.

Just because there aren't a bunch of riders on brand "X" but there are a lot on brand "Y" doesn't necessarily mean that one bike is better than the other.

On the other hand, the new yz450 might not be the bike of choice for a top Pro these days... and that's fine. If I hadn't bought a new '09 two months ago, I would've bought a new '11 yz450 for my own personal reasons.

[Gunner354]

I believe there may some truth regarding the front end being light and effecting turning and handling. I also believe that Stewart and crew figured this out early on. It's not the bike it's Stewart where the problems are. If it was truly the handling then James would not get the fastest laps times and would not walk away and win most heat races. It's not the bike! James can not and does not handle pressure well.

[magiksc]

Matthes has some bitterness towards Yamaha, just listen to his pulp show but it's his opinion. Editors and pro riders really shouldn't effect bike choice. Before I bought my 2010 yz 450 I rode a the Yamaha, Honda and kawi. I didn't like the kawi that much but liked the Honda and Yamaha alot. I decided to get the bike that was the better deal and due to rebates the YZ came home with me. Since buying my yz I've heard all the negative talk but the only thing that matters to me is the first time out a few of my friends (some of which are faster than me) told me I was alot faster on my new yz. I was on the 06 yz 450 with suspension, so the fact that I'm faster on the 10 is the only thing that matters.

Whatever feels best for you.

[Stu2]

I was going to post something similar after I watched the supercross when Stewarts team changed from their sponsored tires to another brand to try fix the bike, they must have been desperate to do something like that!!

And just watching Stewart talking in interviews, he does not seem happy with the bike at all, as stated in the article it could be his state of mind and not so much the bike

There obviously is a slight issue with the new Yz, but I find it very hard to relieve that a team like Stewarts team cannot sort it out!

The front is light, too light IMHO, I have ordered the DrD engine collars, hopefully they will help

All in all, for a pro racer or anyone for that matter that blames the bike for lack of their performance is looking for an excuse

There is no bad bike made these days, all can win and all can win championships, you just need to set it up for your liking

[magiksc]

I believe its all in Stewie's head. This past weekend he was turning the same lap times as Villopoto and he was coming through the pack. This has been the case for the past 3 races. He is fast, but wreckes doing something small (front end wash in a berm), Chad Reed commented on Stewart and Millsapps going 1-2 in the Heat at Atlanta saying you don't get a bike and rider that performs much better.

[corndog]

I don't know why so much stock is put into this. Stewart is the only one that has problems and the magazines love to jump on the Stewie chassis hating bandwagon. Stewart loved crashing his brains out before the Yamaha, and guess what, he does it on the Yamaha too...there's some headlines for you! Watch Davi MIllsaps, he's smooth as silk on the the same bike. I spoke with Albertson when he first hopped on the Yamaha and he genuinely enjoyed that bike, it wasn't just the 'I'm only saying this because that's who my sponsor is right now' kind of a thing. Go to the MXA site and read the individual reviews on each 2012, they're all piles of crap (i.e. not actually piles of crap). Reviewing motorcycles in the twenty-first century has turned into a contest of who is able to notice the highest quantity of imperfections, making everything but potential buyer seat time void imo.

[Gunner354]

I believe there may some truth regarding the front end being light and effecting turning and handling. I also believe that Stewart and crew figured this out early on. It's not the bike it's Stewart where the problems are. If it was truly the handling then James would not get the fastest laps times and would not walk away and win most heat races. It's not the bike! James can not and does not handle pressure well.

I stand by this post!

James is his own worst enemy.

[KUSTOMZMAN1]

I have been on my 12 yz450f for a couple weeks now and until this last weekend I was everything but sold on it. The first couple weekends were spent really getting used to the way the bike handled and making adjustments. Having done my suspension for my skill and weight (30 years old 165-170lbs, fast intermediate rider) was the first step in the right direction, but still took some fine tuning just to get settled in (and still needs work).

I’m running the Marmont map with a FMF 4.1 slip on with a 50 tooth rear sprocket.. nothing special. But back to my story, this past weekend I was able to run the whole practice moto 20-25 minutes (about 15 or so laps) at a pretty aggressive pace.

That being said even on my best day on my 07 yz450f (with a couple years to get everything done and tuned to perfection) I was only ever able to turn maybe 8-10 laps at a aggressive pace before things got scary. I have not changed anything in my routine to warrant that much of an improvement. And it wasn’t a fluke since I did this both Saturday and Sunday on 2 different moto’s each day. I felt on top of the world! So if it’s not me it must be the bike, which I feel takes less effort and is less tiring at full speed. Just my 2 cents.

But I do agree that Yamaha need to offer better support in order to get more top level riders on these blue machines (or white in my case..lol)

Edited March 6, 2012 by KUSTOMZMAN1

[James Moore]

Stewart has crashed out on every brand hes been on, he constantly set fastest lap times and millsaps came 2nd so the bike cant be that bad!

[mx4life421]

you guys are so far behind, especially if you are on vital

[HRC]

VitalMX is on a total other level than TT ! :-)

[Quernix]

Nice that Honda Factory Team is on top of all the issues. But, what is my benefit? Will I get a hydraulic Hinson clutch, a free revving engine, individual triple clamp offset, shock length and factory suspension support for the price of the stock bike? Let's see 2013 models!

I have test ridden a few other brands lately and realized how tall the YZ compared to CRF, '12 KX and according to the charts, also to the RMZ is. I came from KTM, so it wasn't that obvious, because only KTMs have similar seat height and ground clearance (999 vs 955mm, and 385 vs. 330mm).

Most pro racers are short dudes (except Millsaps). Myself, at 5'10", I am not sure if the height/ high center of gravity of the bike causes issues for me...but, I also remember struggling with deep ruts (mostly straights, not corners) on my 09 Honda.