2010 YZ450 Review: Mass Centralization is Good!

[mxengineer4]

Well I have put about 6 hours on my new 2010 YZ450 the past few weeks and thought I would share my observations. I am a vet intermediate moto guy and weigh about 190 lbs and stand 6' 2" tall. I ride mostly moto buy also do some trail riding. I have not had the chance to get the new YZ450 on the trails yet but will soon. Here are my observations so far:

Engine:

++ very quick and precise throttle response, needed to add some slack to the throttle cable to feel more comfortable on the first rides

- stock map is too abrupt off idle can upset chassis mostily in tight corners, not so bad when upright and kind of fun in loam, easy to fix with EFI map changes

- still has "on-off" jerkiness when riding slowly in first gear (little less severe than 09 CRF450) but just retarding the ignition -3 and -1 degrees at the low engine speed really helps smooth this jerkiness out

+ strong low to mid power, revs quickly through powerband so feels somewhat flat up top (airbox seems restrictive) May try to add some slots to the upper radiator shroud and also change the fuel map up top a little

++ smooth and strong power feeling especially down low

- kick effort is high

+- starting is good (usually 2~3 kicks cold) but best when positioning engine just past TDC, and can take 3~4 kicks when warm

+++ very user friendly and self powered EFI mapping tool: can change maps in less than a minute, simple 9x9 matrix for fuel and ignition.

- shift effort is high at gearshift lever, neutral is hard to find

- intake noise is loud and can be bothersome (I normally ride with ear plugs anyhow so not a big deal)

Chassis

++ very agile and light steering, feels like not much weight on the front wheel

++ overall weight feeling in motion is lightweight (lighter than actual machine weight)

++ mass centralization very good on braking bumps: little pitch feeling or front end dive feeling

++ suspension plush and controlled: front somewhat softer feeling than rear, good traction on acceleration bumps

- chassis feels tall and bike feels like it rides high in corners

- overall weight is up ~6 lbs over 09 model

+ good straight line stability

Ergos

- cramped layout for taller riders (handlebars low, pegs high). Much better after I installed Pro Taper RM Mid/Windham bars with 5mm spacers under the clamps

++ (4) position handlebar mounting clamps allow easy and quick bar position changes

++ 57mm wide footpegs feel very good on jumps and provide excellent traction

+ overall bike is thin were you grip bike around seat and tank

- air inlets for air cleaner (upper radiator shrouds) are wide and give the bike a wide feeling (you do not feel these when riding - just visual when sitting on the bike)

+- stock grips have large diameter, standard Yamaha grips that have not changed in over 10 years

+- Overall the bike has a big feel up front from the wide air inlets (upper radiator shrouds)

Misc

- must remove (6) bolts and use wire to hold tank up to get access to the air cleaner

+ air cleaner simple flat piece of foam for easy cleaning and low cost ($14.95 MSRP for optional Uni GYRT air cleaner)

- underside engine oil drain bolt has difficult access (too close to frame rail)

-+ clutch pull effort is high but clutch feel and engagement is good

- Dunlop 742FA front tire is marginal (I have replaced with Dunlop MX51 front tire - much improved traction)

- no o-ring stock chain has a very short life. Installed a DID X-ring

- stock 13/48 gearing is a little too high (I have installed 50T rear sprocket and feels much better)

+ anodized matching color on triple clamps, side engine covers, and axle mounts on forks has nice appearance

+ black Excel rims

+ textured black plastic on lower radiator shrouds and rear side panels should resist scratches better

Overall

Mass centralization brings a new level of agility and quick turning to the YZ450 and helps hide the increased weight of the 10 model. The stability on rough straights seems good. The stock KYB suspension feels plush and controlled and has good bottoming resistance with the front feeling a little softer than the rear. The new chassis has good bump impact: small chatter and hard pack bumps on the track are not transmitted to the rider even with solid handlebar mounts. The engine has great throttle response but is a too abrupt with the stock ECU map and perhaps a little more flywheel weight would smooth out this response. EFI map variables can change the character of the engine and the hand held mapping tool sets a new standard for ease of use. Maps can be changed in less than a minute. The ergos are still Yamaha style - as in a little small for riders over 5'10" but the (4) position handlebar mounts help. The 2010 YZ450 with its new reverse head layout does not obsolete other 450F's. However with its revised chassis and mass centralization along with excellent stock suspension it is a very effective 450F motocross bike.

Here are some pics of my YZ450 (just ordered some graphics to liven it up a bit).........

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[Ga426owner]

nice review - your attention to detail is obviously a "Engineering" thing....

and your bike looks nice also ?

[Drfletcherdc]

How did you get the yellow Dunlaps?

[ReedRulz]

How did you get the yellow Dunlaps?

they are stickers

[DPW]

How did you get the yellow Dunlaps?

tire pen is another way, motosport.com carries them

To the OP...nice review appreciate the detail.

[CaptainKnobby]

I thought it was just me that thought it was hard to find neutral. what race sag are you running?

I too thought the 48 tooth was to tall and I myself went to a 50 and it works out nice.

However i do not like the plastics (especialy the rear fender) because The bolt that is at the top on the right hand side of the bike (exhaust side) came loose on mine and I lost it.

which in return is the reason I think that caused my rear fender to split at the bolt hole that is at the bottom left hand side. I guess all the mud that was under the fender the last race put to much weight on the fender and when the top bolt came out of the fender it caused the fender to weigh itself down on the right side and put a lot of pressure on the bottom left bolt and split the plastic where the bolt goes in at the bottom left.

I did just put the bolt back in and tighten it against the plastic but dont know if it will hold or not.

Heres a pic

[norcal_hoss]

Nice detailed review I agree on everything you said. Ive gone back and forth on maps from smooth to less hit to snappy. I installed the Jay marmont map on my buddy bike yesterday and he said it was like getting his head ported and exhaust.. Im runnin 108mm of sag and akro exhaut..I put the Marmont map in today hopefully the rain stops and can ride Sunday.

I agree on the front end it feels light I still have the pos stock tires on it but have new ones in the garage just gonna wear them out and put 756 front and 403 rear on and should be good!

Thanks for your review.

[CaptainKnobby]

Nice detailed review I agree on everything you said. Ive gone back and forth on maps from smooth to less hit to snappy. I installed the Jay marmont map on my buddy bike yesterday and he said it was like getting his head ported and exhaust.. Im runnin 108mm of sag and akro exhaut..I put the Marmont map in today hopefully the rain stops and can ride Sunday.

I agree on the front end it feels light I still have the pos stock tires on it but have new ones in the garage just gonna wear them out and put 756 front and 403 rear on and should be good!

Thanks for your review.

any paticular reason you are running 108mm sag? I would think that would be too squashy for MX.

[norcal_hoss]

Well I have a super stiff shock spring (6.3) and if I go anymore with sag to 104 or something my free sag is about gone so all I did to compensate was raised the forks up like 1/4" in the triple clamps to level it out and help turn. So far so good no complaints. My buddy is running 110 on stock everything and hes a vet pro and loves it and his forks are flush.. Just one of those things you get used to I guess. There is no magic sag number for 20 years everyone says 100-104 or something but where is it written in stone? Its really what you feel while riding imo.. I dont ever go off the "norm" I just get it to wear it feels good and leave it.

[mxengineer4]

Well I have a super stiff shock spring (6.3) and if I go anymore with sag to 104 or something my free sag is about gone so all I did to compensate was raised the forks up like 1/4" in the triple clamps to level it out and help turn. So far so good no complaints. My buddy is running 110 on stock everything and hes a vet pro and loves it and his forks are flush.. Just one of those things you get used to I guess. There is no magic sag number for 20 years everyone says 100-104 or something but where is it written in stone? Its really what you feel while riding imo.. I dont ever go off the "norm" I just get it to wear it feels good and leave it.

I agree - people should try lots of different sag settings and slide the forks up and down also...doesn't cost anything and you might be surprised how much better (or sometimes worse) any bike will perform. I have run 110mm on my 10 YZ450 it with the stock 742 front tire and it pushed a bit. I just put it at 100mm when I installed the MX51 front tire and it is working really good now. In fact the bike is working so good now I am not so motivated to change anything...I am just enjoying riding it now!?

[grayracer513]

... the stock 742 front tire ...pushed a bit.

The fact that it only pushed a bit is a solid testimony to how well the '10 really does handle. I had one of those on my '06 and it felt like the front end was sliding around on a trash can lid.

[gfmoto]

I ran the jay marmont map with the stock pipe and It worked great, still had enough low end and way more top end. I put the same map in my buddies bike with the dr.d pipe and it had no low end at all, way to soft, but it seemed to work well with the stock pipe...... I liked it so much I may not buy a pipe after all.

[mxengineer4]

I ran the jay marmont map with the stock pipe and It worked great, still had enough low end and way more top end. I put the same map in my buddies bike with the dr.d pipe and it had no low end at all, way to soft, but it seemed to work well with the stock pipe...... I liked it so much I may not buy a pipe after all.

gfmoto: Thanks for the feedback. I have heard the bike is a little rich stock and will pull better with some leaner fuel settings and a little advance on the ignition timing. I will try the Jay Marmont settings....just wanted to make sure these are the numbers you are using.....

Race Map (Jay Marmont)

TP FI

4/4 -1 +3 -2

1/2 +3 +4 -3

1/4 -2 -3 -2

TP IG

4/4 +2 +2 +2

1/2 +2 +4 +2

1/4 +2 +4 +4

[CaptainKnobby]

Well I have a super stiff shock spring (6.3) and if I go anymore with sag to 104 or something my free sag is about gone so all I did to compensate was raised the forks up like 1/4" in the triple clamps to level it out and help turn. So far so good no complaints. My buddy is running 110 on stock everything and hes a vet pro and loves it and his forks are flush.. Just one of those things you get used to I guess. There is no magic sag number for 20 years everyone says 100-104 or something but where is it written in stone? Its really what you feel while riding imo.. I dont ever go off the "norm" I just get it to wear it feels good and leave it.

I might try some higher sag settings just to see what it feels like.

[gfmoto]

gfmoto: Thanks for the feedback. I have heard the bike is a little rich stock and will pull better with some leaner fuel settings and a little advance on the ignition timing. I will try the Jay Marmont settings....just wanted to make sure these are the numbers you are using.....

Race Map (Jay Marmont)

TP FI

4/4 -1 +3 -2

1/2 +3 +4 -3

1/4 -2 -3 -2

TP IG

4/4 +2 +2 +2

1/2 +2 +4 +2

1/4 +2 +4 +4

yeah that is the map I used give it a try