On Test: 2016 Yamaha WR450F
By Team TMX on 16th Dec 15
THE 2016 Yamaha WR450F is an eagerly awaited model as the latest enduro offering from the Japanese giant finally catches-up with its innovative, highly developed, popular and successful YZ motocross cousins.
So, the biggest WR now sports the equally new, and launched earlier this year, WR250F chassis and of course it now finally gets the awesome reverse cylinder motor. This gives it the advantage of the electronic fuel injection and the straight inlet tract at the front of the motor. In fact the cylinder head with titanium valves, cam timing and electronic fuel injection (efi) with 44mm throttle body is identical to the MXer.
The motor features that distinctive rearwards slant of the cylinder – all to do with centre of mass – while the rear exit exhaust front pipe does a cheeky lap of the barrel in order to achieve the required tuned length.
The engine performance is tamed via a modified ecu and has been treated to an enduro specific wide ratio five speed gearbox with the transmission handled by a clutch designed specifically for endure which we would assume means not quite as vicious take-up as MX demands.
There's also now electric start as well as kickstart back-up, a larger radiator with cooling fan, a plastic engine skidplate and other enduro kit – like lights!
MARTIN CRAVEN, who has tested (and crashed!) all makes of enduro machine from racy little 125s strokers to rorty 450 thumpers - and who was a class winner in the recent Fast Eddy Indoor event at Stafford County Showground - barely had time to place his latest silverware in his already stuffed trophy cabinet when he was dragged-off to Spain (yes, it's a hard life) to get first dibs on the all-new, mighty WR...
A trip to southern Spain in December is always something to smile about, especially when the reason for the jaunt is to blag a ride on Yamaha's radical, new WR450F Enduro bike.
After testing its little brother earlier in the year, which incidentally was a massive success, I was really eager to chuck my leg over its bigger brother.
For its WR450F, Yamaha had opted to go down quite a different path for test day. With the 2016 Dakar Rally fast approaching and with Yamaha having a big presence this year in the South American epic with factory rider Frans Verhoeven (who incidentally but not coincidentally was our guide for for the test day) imagine my delight when reading the itinerary at dinner, the night before, that we were all going on a desert-like rally stage in the Andalusia mountains – the distance totalling around 200km. Wow! That's probably more riding in one day than all the previous tests put this year put together!
I was super excited on the morning of the test and I got lost in myself just watching the mechanics prep our bikes for the big adventure.
Then, it was only ten minutes into the ride when my excitement turned to, ''Bloody hell, I really should have put a jacket on! It's cold in the mountains at the crack of dawn.
First things first. Clearly the WR450F has a boot full of power, and this shows on the early stages of the day. Initially the WR responds superbly to the fast, flowing fire road type going. Only when things got a bit tighter did the WR bite back a little, wanting to drift out on corners. Now, before I start blaming Yamaha or indeed myself (Never – Ed!) this skittishness could be down to the brand new mousses fitted for the test or then again it could be the Warp Factor seven that Frans is travelling at (probably a bit of both) so either way I'm giving the big WR the benefit of the doubt for now.
The engine felt really good, it chugged patiently over light rock sections, pulled strongly across short straights, muscled manfully through deep sand holes and of course had great top speed.
It was, however, obvious that the pea-sized silencer choked up the engine like an all female audience at Fifty Shades of Grey. But remember, the WR450F is made for Enduro not motocross! And it was nice not having my eardrums blown away by an exhaust note more annoying than David Milliband's voice!
Saying that, there was a WR on the fleet fitted with a full Akropovic pipe on which we made sure we all had a blast on through the day. All I can say is: Night & day! What a difference a pipe makes! Interestingly though, the difference was most marked on the tight, rocky boulder sections where the engine seemed a lot crisper and sharper.
Electronic fuel injection (EfI)is here to stay, and the all-new Yamaha WR450F proves that point. It is must-have technology on any off road four-stroke. This is mainly because off-roaders are like Billy goats, they love climbing over stuff instead of going around it. Instantaneous throttle response is imperative, and shouldn't be affected by heat or elevation.
The WR450f's efi system worked flawlessly and never loaded up the engine when transitioning from a tight section to an open desert section.
In the run-up to the lunch stop the going was fast and free flowing in light sand. I was tickled pink how the Kayaba suspension tackled it, it's probably one of the best stock suspension set-ups I've ever ridden on!
Interestingly however, the WR front forks were slightly on the soft side for me, they went through the initial part of the stroke too quickly, causing the front to dive and dig in the sand.
I had the Yamaha guys do a spot of fine tuning at lunch to stiffen them up in the second half of the stroke. Yes, it sacrificed a bit of feel in the low-speed situations, but it was worth the trade off.
Yamaha's engineers made a brilliant decision in deciding to sandwich the WR450F engine into the YZ250F chassis. Having ridden a few off-road bikes in the past that cornered like tankers, I can say with confidence that the WR450 is an excellent handling machine.
Given more time on familiar tracks, I would play with the fork leg height a bit, but in stock form the WR hit every mark!
And while blasting across the endless whooped-out sand sections the rear end tracked straight and remained consistent, (this statement could still be made after eight hours of riding).
The five speed gearbox shifts effortlessly and its transmission ratios are spaced perfectly, with a low gear that allowed me to tackle tight rocky sections and pick my way through the tight gullies with ease.
If I was being super critical I'd probably have preferred a sixth gear on some sections. But then again, how many of us are actually going to ride the Dakar!
Despite rumours that the WR450F is a Beefy Botham rather than a Gisselle Beckham, the bike feels light and flickable on the trails at high and low speeds.
Yamaha has clearly done a good job of getting the weight where it matters and central mass is the key phrase these days. I tested the bike all day on varying terrain (205km worth of terrain to be exact) and it tracked straight as an arrow!
The slim and flat feel to the WR's cockpit complimented all of this, the layout allows the rider to move freely from negotiating nasty climbs and still maintain good leverage on the handlebars.
The Yamaha WR450F represents a lot of Bang for the Buck in the open class world. It's stellar engine, excellent handling and plush suspension make it a competitive off-road race machine right out of the crate! And its electric start and superb ergonomics make it easy to enjoy on long rides in the desert or woods.
If you're an off-road racer or a serious weekend play rider then Big Blue definitely has something for you!
