YZ450 @ European Motor Show Brussels

[Deere Power]

I had to be at the European Motor Show for work today and as soon as I had some free time I went to check out the bikes. I passed the new aluminum frame YZF's and checked the bike out. The 450 was the yellow anniversary edition which looked awesome to me. Then, while looking down, I saw this:

I didn't know the Yamaha's had such funky headpipe's this year?

Do they all come with this pipe? The 250F had a normal heapipe on it.

This bike was completely stock on the yamaha floor so I'm wondering what's going on.

PS: the bike looks and feels great, if it weren't for dealer issues, I'd might be changing back to blue....

PPS: If anybody needs more pics fore investigation, let me know, I'll be there often the next week.

[XT2YZ]

From what I have heard they come like that stock everywhere but the U.S. Everyone knows we have money to burn!

[CycleWriter]

From what I have heard they come like that stock everywhere but the U.S.

That probably has more to do with FMF owning the U.S. patent on that headpipe design.

[Ga426owner]

No typically the differences are emission based usually jetting/timing changes.........this is very curious. Why would they have 2 different headpipes? And what advantage would the bike have? I want to know - someone get Mr Yamaguchi on the phone now dammit!

[grayracer513]

It could be a sound issue. Apart from the performance benefits of the "PowerBomb", which has the effect of making the header behave as if it were not a fixed length, the FMF version also causes a 1-1.5db drop in noise levels. The Enviro-Nazis are a little more powerful in Europe than they are here.

Then, too, maybe it is a patent thing. Seems like Yamaha could afford licensing from a small company in California, but who knows?

[CycleWriter]

Then, too, maybe it is a patent thing. Seems like Yamaha could afford licensing from a small company in California, but who knows?

Skinflint Yamaha doesn't have a history of paying royalties for the use of someone else's technology on their bikes. Case in point: the front brake line routing. Rather than pay Honda so they could provide their customers with a superior way to run the brake line, Yamaha chose to wait until the patent expired and save a few bucks. Yamaha also has a history of being very tight with their own technologies. It's probably more about corporate ego than money, though.

[DPW]

Yamaha should include the Euro' header in the states GYTR catalog.

[grayracer513]

Then FMF would have to cut their price. No, wait....Hinson hasn't, have they?

Point taken on the brake hose, Rick.

[Ga426owner]

It could be a sound issue. Apart from the performance benefits of the "PowerBomb", which has the effect of making the header behave as if it were not a fixed length, the FMF version also causes a 1-1.5db drop in noise levels. The Enviro-Nazis are a little more powerful in Europe than they are here.

Then, too, maybe it is a patent thing. Seems like Yamaha could afford licensing from a small company in California, but who knows?

GreyRacer do you really think this is a sound thing? I thought we (USA) were more consequence of the sound issue than the FIM...I thought this was a power making feature more than a sound deadening thing...

[grayracer513]

I believe the original idea behind the Power Bomb was to improve the power curve by widening it on both ends, which it does. The chamber within the wide part of the pipe is said to have damping effect on the shock and pressure waves in the pipe that makes the exhaust efficient across a wider RPM range by making it seem to the engine as if it is a "variable length" pipe. The fact is, that it also reduces sound, albeit very slightly. My point was that Yamaha could have decided to use it for either reason, or both, for that matter.

[falshh]

Ive got a megabomb header with a pc pipe on my yz and it isnt much louder than stock, it must be because of the megabomb,peformance gains were big also.

[Gizabious]

just saw one of these headers today and they are huge, a lot bigger than the fmf power bomb and mega bomb range. pretty sure it has nothing to do sound levels as the US has some of the strictest db limits around -- think it's for more of a performance gain, but i'd guess that patent regulations are the reason why they're not on the new 450s in the US -- All good for the rest of us though

[aford541]

Skinflint Yamaha doesn't have a history of paying royalties for the use of someone else's technology on their bikes. Case in point: the front brake line routing. Rather than pay Honda so they could provide their customers with a superior way to run the brake line, Yamaha chose to wait until the patent expired and save a few bucks. Yamaha also has a history of being very tight with their own technologies. It's probably more about corporate ego than money, though.

The patent was not on the brake line routing but how it attached to the lower fork leg protector that is why they had that bogus plastic thing that guided the old style protector, that is also why the new yamahas 05 and 06 have that gnarly steel thingy that holds the brake line.

[CRFThumper]

I wonder what the chances are that that header will fit a US spec bike?It would be pretty cool to have if it does!

[mitocross]

I wonder what the chances are that that header will fit a US spec bike?It would be pretty cool to have if it does!

If the EU and US silencers have the same part number than you know that the header will fit. I think it will fit anyway, the mounting points are the same.

I have an opposite problem. I am from EU,have the header on my bike, want to keep it, but wonder when I buy only a carbon fiber slip-on silencer from a US company (e.g.FMF 4.1C) if it will do the same difference/power gains, since it was designed to be for the US model. Anybody has a knowledge about this?

[CRFThumper]

OK,tell you what.Send me your header and i'll let you know if it fits!That way you can be sure that a us spec pipe will fit!!!I'll send your header back.....no really I will, I promise!

[yz_anders]

Hmm, I didn't know that the header in Europe looked like that.. VERY nice, hope I will have one!

Hope it is on all, not only the SPECIAL EDITIONS??

[mitocross]

OK,tell you what.Send me your header and i'll let you know if it fits!That way you can be sure that a us spec pipe will fit!!!I'll send your header back.....no really I will, I promise!

oh yes,of course. you are a big thinker indeed ?

send me a new 2006 FMF 4.1 Carbon slip-on and I'll order a new header for you in the local dealership ?

[eric roman herbertz]

GreyRacer do you really think this is a sound thing? I thought we (USA) were more consequence of the sound issue than the FIM...I thought this was a power making feature more than a sound deadening thing...

The french federation seems very concerned about noisy off-road-bikes. several statements about "to-much sound" also in last years french enduro press. perhaps yamaha is making a step towards a "still powerfull low-noise bike". that would be great! it's very important to cut off one of the valuable arguments against off-roading here in france.

Since the "quad hipe" we have a rough time over here. so bikers should come to the insight, that less noise leads to some more acceptance.

[Matty05]

double post