YZ 450 vs Cr 450

[RF1]

I am thinking about buying an '03 YZ 450 or an "03 CR 450. What do you guys think. What are some of the pro's and cons of each? I am just going to use it may be 5-10 hours a month and I do not want to spend time fixing them.

[XT2YZ]

I do not want to spend time fixing them.

Get the YZ. They are very reliable. Many factors need to be taken into consideration to determine which bike will best suit you. Ex: Ability, height, weight, type of riding etc. Even then you can do modifications and adjustments to any machine to make it more to your liking. They are both good machines with minor differences. Although, Yamaha stands above the rest in the reliability/durability category. So, get the one that will keep running long enough for you to get to know it and decide what you need to do to make it the best machine for you. YZ450F

[gchprime]

02 yes, the Yamaha, but anything newer is CRF territory.

[flintlock28]

gchprime,

Better read all the outstanding reviews of the 06 Yz450f before stating that the crf is the way to go. Looks like Yamaha corrected the few negatives the 05 and older bikes had. I think the crf's have been placing like third place and worse in overall reviews.

[johntt4]

Honda was 3rd in Racerx shootout. That's the omly shootout done so far. Yamaha was 2nd. This is for the 2006's though.

[new2blue450]

in all reality, what color do you like? i ride blue, and only because i have heard horror storys about the valves on the honda's.....but then again every one has there own opinions....

[gchprime]

gchprime,

Better read all the outstanding reviews of the 06 Yz450f before stating that the crf is the way to go. Looks like Yamaha corrected the few negatives the 05 and older bikes had. I think the crf's have been placing like third place and worse in overall reviews.

Yes, in fact the Kawasaki fairs better then both of them but this guys was asking about 03 models not the new stuff, CRF. Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to.

[fastbyfrank]

imho the yamaha is a better bike i have owned a 2000yzf 450 and have sold it to a friend of mine, i rode the snot out of the bike never broke once, still the factory clutch and no valve adjusts. my friend is ridng the snot out of the bike and it is still going strong, no problems whatsoever.

another friend of mine owns a crf and 6 mos after he bought it he had to spend 600 bucks to rebuild the motor.

my 2004 yzf450 is running strong and never gives me a problem.

[Reyndogg]

Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to.

or not

[SureBlue]

or not

And please note that the red line = Yamaha, not Honda curves

[Reyndogg]

Aww come on man, reading comprehension is for suckers

[BIGBLUEKNIGHT]

crf are poosy bikes with to many valve problems

[gchprime]

imho the yamaha is a better bike i have owned a 2000yzf 450 and have sold it to a friend of mine, i rode the snot out of the bike never broke once, still the factory clutch and no valve adjusts. my friend is ridng the snot out of the bike and it is still going strong, no problems whatsoever.

another friend of mine owns a crf and 6 mos after he bought it he had to spend 600 bucks to rebuild the motor.

my 2004 yzf450 is running strong and never gives me a problem.

Though I know you mean a 2000 YZ426 (no 450 until 03) they do have bulletproof motors. However, IMO the YZ's just don't handle as well as the CRF. All of my buddies ride blue bikes ranging from an 02 426 to an 05 450 and they all handle like shopping carts (well not that bad actually) compared to my 04 CRF.

BTW, Dynos tell you nothing about the motor of any use on an MX track.

[SureBlue]

BTW, Dynos tell you nothing about the motor of any use on an MX track.

But was it not you who earlier said

"Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to"

So, what in the almost identical curves makes the Honda motor so much better? The valve issues dynos don't tell?

[gchprime]

But was it not you who earlier said

"Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to"

So, what in the almost identical curves makes the Honda motor so much better? The valve issues dynos don't tell?

If you ride them on an MX track you can easily tell which one has a better motor. Once again, Dynos don't tell you anything about how the motor is on an MX track. Take a look a KTM 450SX Dyno run for example and come back to this thread.

That being said I cannot say anything about the 06 models since I have only ridden the CRF (and the KXF) 450. However, every test that I have read claims that the 06 CRF motor is still the best. Sure there are some that may say the YZ or the KXF is better but I haven't seen them yet.

[SureBlue]

I cannot tell you about the 06 Yamaha motor because mine is not here yet. But I can come back to this thread with experiences on my '03 525SX, and if the new Yamaha motor is better than earlier 03-05, there is no question about which motor is "the king" in every aspect. But as you said, motor is not the decisive factor on a MX track. But to me a king does not drop his crown jewels like Honda toasts its valves.

I like the the way CRF handles on a track, but that is not because of its superior motor. And once again, your words were: "Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to".

You added the track stuff later.

I respect your opinions and I just gave mine.

[gchprime]

I cannot tell you about the 06 Yamaha motor because mine is not here yet. But I can come back to this thread with experiences on my '03 525SX, and if the new Yamaha motor is better than earlier 03-05, there is no question about which motor is "the king" in every aspect. But as you said, motor is not the decisive factor on a MX track. But to me a king does not drop his crown jewels like Honda toasts its valves.

I like the the way CRF handles on a track, but that is not because of its superior motor. And once again, your words were: "Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to".

You added the track stuff later.

I respect your opinions and I just gave mine.

The 525SX would not factor in to this thread given its displacement advantage. Nothing I have said has shown a lack of support for my statement "Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to", it is still a true statement. The dyno stuff was secondary to that comment. If you in fact ride any year CRF back to back with any year YZf (save the 06) the CRf motor is just plain better and only stubborn blue bleeders would say otherwise. ?

Thanks for the back and forth, work is boring today.

[Reyndogg]

It is entertaining...Im cleaning my house today, and yes, it is boring as well

[gchprime]

Reyndogg, dig the avatar, does mine look familiar?

[SureBlue]

The 525SX would not factor in to this thread given its displacement advantage. Nothing I have said has shown a lack of support for my statement "Motorwise the CRF is king no matter what year you are referring to", it is still a true statement. The dyno stuff was secondary to that comment. If you in fact ride and year CRF back to back with any year YZf (save the 06) the CRf motor is just plain better and only stubborn blue bleeders would say otherwise.

Thanks for the back and forth, work is boring today.

Well, it's already night here so the boring work is over and I have plenty of time...

My statement about the 525 was only to reply to your comment on 450SX.

And I really am talking about the new 06 Yamaha, even though comparisons were wanted between 03 bikes. But you too said no matter what year...

and to me that is 06 included. I may be a stubborn old blue bleeder, but I don't post around red forums with my stubborn opinions because it only leads to flaming wars when younger fanatics take over, but don't worry, welcome back. Nice to have these discussions in a sarcastic manner.