Yz 450f Stock .. ? NEED MORE POWER ?

[alinanjeff]

I have a 2005 yz 450. At first I was a little shy about buying such a big bike.I am 42 and My previous bike was 15 years ago and was a yz 250. After now about 10 or so rides getting used to the bigger bike. Im actually wondering if I need more horsepower. My friend says im just imagining things. But I think I might need more power. Somebody told me the benefit of having a new pipe is that I can go into the corners in a higher gear cause I have more torque and therefore gain time. I mostly ride motocross tracks and about 40% sand motocross tracks. Im shure some of what I am feeling is being on the sand is robbing power. But im not clearing some of the jumps I would like to clear. Im just missing that rocket power of the 2 stroke. I also weigh 250 lbs. I might start racing old timers classes. Any thoughts ?? Gearing change ? Race fuel ? A aftermarket pipe ?

[Lankyrider]

It's all in your mind. The YZ 450 has plenty of power no matter what year/model it is. Sure there's a lot modifications and upgrades you can do to make it a little bit faster but i don't think that any of us here is so fast that can use the power of the bike 100% and needs more...anyway it's up to you.

[yamaha racing 230]

x2 it doesnt sound like ure riding that 450 to its fullest potential id take a look in the '' MX RIDING" part of the fourm , if its not enough power u could get a cr500 af and im sure u would have enough

[CR14]

Try carrying more speed through the turns and grabbing more throttle leading up to the jump. Watch other guys hitting the jumps. How many are clearing them on 250s(and maybe 125s)? You have more power than anyone short of a pro could ever fully use. My 250 2-stroke has more power than almost anyone short of a pro could ever fully use.

If you do ever get a pipe, though, please get one that is quiet.

[alinanjeff]

I hear what your saying but perhaps a combination of the sand and my weight may rob 20-30 % of what the average joe would expiernce. Im shure being 250 lbs on a 230 lb bike.....vs being 180 lbs on a 250 lb bike would make a big difference. In watching a video of me riding I am having to sit way back on my seat on the sand mx track trying maximize drive out of the corners. Ill try to post a picture on my profile.

[TIM696]

If you want a quicker hit go up 1-2 teeth on the rear sprocket but you will lose some top end I usually go up a tooth or 2 on my bikes but I ride motocross very few trail rides that 450 has plenty of power just tune your bike to put the power where you want it

On another note it is an 05 maybe a fresh top end will bring the bike back to life again:thumbsup:

[KJ790]

First thing is first. Is your jetting right? If your jetting is off then the engine could be way down on power. If you never bother to adjust your jetting then don't waste the money on a pipe, as the benefits of that are only obtained with jetting.

[CTMX]

Definitely check the jetting like those guys said and make sure it's perfect. I found re gearing can make a really noticeable difference and sprockets are cheap. Then I'd do the suspension if you haven't already? before you do anything to make more power. You said you're in the sand and I was wondering what rear tire you're using? I would think that could make a huge difference in sand

[alinanjeff]

Ive been reviewing this video of me. And while it can be argued that I could ride better. and that I could take the corner faster to carry more speed, and that I could the throttle on all the way till I launch off the jump. I would argue that coming out of the corner I have the throttle pinned. and that since im not looping out like I would exspect or even coming close to looping that I can use more punch. would someone with knowledge watch this video and tell me what you think ? I remember this day and I know the throttle was pinned.

[erickdj]

Ive been reviewing this video of me. And while it can be argued that I could ride better. and that I could take the corner faster to carry more speed, and that I could the throttle on all the way till I launch off the jump. I would argue that coming out of the corner I have the throttle pinned. and that since im not looping out like I would exspect or even coming close to looping that I can use more punch. would someone with knowledge watch this video and tell me what you think ? I remember this day and I know the throttle was pinned.

I'm sorry, but that bike sounds far from pinned in the videos, specially the first video. Maybe you needed to be in a lower gear for that corner. If you were in 4th gear for that corner, even if you "pin" it, it will only bog down at that speed. I'd try downshifting, a bit of clutch feathering, and giving it more gas.

[ncfmx]

If its pinned then you need to ride a gear lower than you have been, your lugging the crap out of it.

[motodreams]

Just an observation from one older mx riding fan (40 master class racer) to another. Possibly hone your cornering skills a little more, i.e take a couple of riding classes, money well spent... Looks as though you are waiting almost until you are all the way through the corner before accelerating making most obstacles difficult to clear coming out of a corner. IMO I don't see anything close to a pinned throttle, but I wasn't their... I did some testing with my 08YZ 450 and did some hop up stuff, thought I would be faster, WRONG... For me my fastest lap times are from a stock motor, as very few of us can use the power available. It gets to hard to ride with a lot of power on an mx track, and to much thinking, and hesitation as to throttle control. As the other guys mentioned, get the suspension dialed, and the correct tires for your conditions, then you'll be pinning the throttle.

Good luck, and enjoy...

[geshields]

Neither video was pinned. You were definitely lugging the bike. I have a 2007 YZ450F and I went up to a 50 tooth sprocket. Helps on the tighter tracks as well as speed coming out of the corners.

[FinchFan194]

I have ridden at Longview before too and you need to hold that thing wide open to get around in that track. By watching your videos seems you need to ride the bike a little higher in the RPM range.

PM me if you wanna talk more about Longview and your bike.

[alinanjeff]

OK ok I feel like a total dorfus now. I guess what I meant was not pinned. I dont have audio on my computer for some reason. So I dont know if the clips were when I was experimenting with higher gears or not. I guess what I meant was in certain situation i feel I could have used more power. Doesnt mean I know I need to learn to ride a 4 stroke (cause I know I do). Somebody told me that with 4 strokes you need to lug them and you actually do faster lap times cuase youll exit in a higher gear. I guess sometimes I feel that the power band is peaking at the wrong times. I feel it needs to peak as im approaching the jump. I am used to the 250 2 stroke with more need to shift faster. I will try to gear down and see if I can get that powerband to feel more right. Thanks for your help and thanks for saving me money on a pipe. (for now !)

[Joe_Jet]

OK ok I feel like a total dorfus now. I guess what I meant was not pinned. I dont have audio on my computer for some reason. So I dont know if the clips were when I was experimenting with higher gears or not. I guess what I meant was in certain situation i feel I could have used more power. Doesnt mean I know I need to learn to ride a 4 stroke (cause I know I do). Somebody told me that with 4 strokes you need to lug them and you actually do faster lap times cuase youll exit in a higher gear. I guess sometimes I feel that the power band is peaking at the wrong times. I feel it needs to peak as im approaching the jump. I am used to the 250 2 stroke with more need to shift faster. I will try to gear down and see if I can get that powerband to feel more right. Thanks for your help and thanks for saving me money on a pipe. (for now !)

Jeff:

What class r u racing? From the vid it looks like you would be in the Amateur class here in SoCal. That is the class between beginner and Novice. Yes, based on your vid you can improve your corner speed by 1. Setup for the turn before the entry, ie get forward on the seat and get ur rt foot up near the front fender like 30' before the turn. don' t worry about looking goony as you'll fine tune your timing with practice, 2 once you get setup for the turn, early, try looking as far ahead toward the face of the jump as you come around the turn; this will auto make you twist the throttle sooner, and 3 At the speed you are currently going try a tighter inside line; this will also give you more room for error as you improve throttle control, and, GET THAT PIPE, I recommend FMF factory 4.1 with megabomb. at 250 lbs you'll see benefits in your starts, and the improved bottom will let you get lazy with the clutch. yes your bike will go faster now if you rev the beans out of it, but it's less controlable.

And, have fun!

[alinanjeff]

Well gueez thats for the head inflation comment about being in the amauter class in so cal.. I grew up in so cal and I raced back then for a while as a teenager. I did get some 2nd's in the 250 beginner class (full class). but that as I was peaking right before I broke my wrist..( which is still broken 20 years later). Now I dont know where im at I was thinking about trying racing in some of the 40 plus class's and was worried If I was even competitive in the lower class. But thanks for the advice. I dont think people comprehend what 250 lbs can do to a 230lb bike. Your thoughts mirrored what I was thinking in the back of my head. Yes true I can go faster with the existing power I have, I know that...but the question was can I benefit from more power with my current abilities.

[Grizzalo]

I have a 2005 yz 450. At first I was a little shy about buying such a big bike.I am 42 and My previous bike was 15 years ago and was a yz 250. After now about 10 or so rides getting used to the bigger bike. Im actually wondering if I need more horsepower. My friend says im just imagining things. But I think I might need more power. Somebody told me the benefit of having a new pipe is that I can go into the corners in a higher gear cause I have more torque and therefore gain time. I mostly ride motocross tracks and about 40% sand motocross tracks. Im shure some of what I am feeling is being on the sand is robbing power. But im not clearing some of the jumps I would like to clear. Im just missing that rocket power of the 2 stroke. I also weigh 250 lbs. I might start racing old timers classes. Any thoughts ?? Gearing change ? Race fuel ? A aftermarket pipe ?

Hi there. I watched your vids. Definitly looks like your in a too high a gear or not gassing it hard enough. That right hander shouldnt be in anything higher than 3rd Id say. Looks like your sitting on the left edge of the seat ok but a little too far back. You need to move forward more and ATTACK the corner. Be more aggressive and you should be able to take a corner like that much faster with practice. Im not expert man but I hope that helps you out.

[Grizzalo]

but the question was can I benefit from more power with my current abilities.

If in those vids you are going as fast as you can Id say keep it as it is for now until you can go faster. But then again, everyone likes to always have more grunt hehe. Up to you. One more thing I forgot. Press down as much as you can on the outside peg when going around a corner too. That helps.

[WB450]

There are some examples of attacking a corner in this vid.