Yamaha now boasts a whopping nine hard-core dirt models thanks to the long-anticipated addition of the new WR450F and YZ450FX models.
We knew they were coming—it was inevitable—and now they’re here.
Yamaha upped its total number of motocross/off-road competition models in its lineup to nine by unveiling an all-new 2016 WR450F off-road/enduro model and debuting an all-new YZ450FX, which is specifically designed for cross country/desert racing. Both models were introduced to the press at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin, California, yesterday, but the information was not available to be released until this morning.
Both machines are based on Yamaha’s World Motocross Championship-winning YZ450F, which means that they receive Yamaha’s mass-centralizing, rearward slanted, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, DOHC, titanium-valved, four-stroke Single. The engine uses the same 97.0mm x 60.8mm bore and stroke as the YZ450F, 12.5:1 compression ratio and Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI) system based around a Keihin 44mm throttle body. They also receive the latest version of Yamaha’s bilateral beam aluminum chassis and KYB suspension.
Pardon the pun, but for starters, both the WR and the FX get convenient electric start (with the kickstarter still included as a backup). Each machine’s ECU is also tuned differently, with the WR getting a tamper-proof, non-adjustable ECU that, along with a baffled USFS-approved muffler spark arrestor, a baffled airbox and a throttle stop, make the WR USFS- and California Green Sticker-legal off-road machine. The closed-course-only FX’s is ECU is tuned more aggressively than the WR’s but less than the YZ’s, although it can still be adjusted via Yamaha’s handy accessory GYTR Power Tuner. The FX’s ECU will be sold through YPAD as an accessory for WR riders who want it, but adding the ECU to the WR surrenders its Green-Sticker compliant status.
Both machines receive the same wide-ratio five-speed transmissions rather than the close-ratio transmission in the YZ450F, and their clutches are also set up differently for off-road use. The clutch packs are the same, but the WR and FX receive new, lighter clutch springs and a different-length actuator arm to make the clutch action lighter and smoother with more play. A judder spring is also fitted inside their clutch hubs for better shock resistance such as when catching a big rock or root with the rear wheel.
The WR450F and the YZ450FX also utilize the latest generation 48mm KYB Speed Sensitive System (SSS) fork, which uses coil springs instead of air and is fully adjustable for compression and rebound damping as well as the latest KYB piggyback (which offers preload, high- and low-speed compression damping, and rebound damping adjustability. Both ends differ from the YZ450F by virtue of softer, more off-road friendly fork spring rates as well as suspension valving that is specific to each model’s intended purpose. The fork spring rate is reduced from the motocross bike’s 5.0 N/mm to 4.5 N/mm for the two off-road models, while the shock spring rate is the same 56 N/mm as the YZ450F, which saw its shock spring reduced from 58 N/mm for the 2016 model year.
Chassis-wise the WR450F and YZ450FX receive different steel engine mounts that are not as stiff as the YZ450F’s engine mounts to better suit the chassis flex for off-road use. Yamaha already tweaked the 2016 YZ450F’s chassis for better bump compliance by adjusting the fork offset to deliver more front-end feel and better turning stability and switching to frame spars that are 12mm wider at the swingarm pivot.
Of course, the WR features an enduro computer for time/mileage calculations and front and rear lighting for better visibility in deep woods while the FX is lighting capable but does not receive the lights or feature the computer. The WR also has auxiliary cooling fans attached to its large-capacity radiators to keep air moving through them, which helps prevent a boil-over in slow technical sections or extremely warm conditions, while the FX’s radiators are pre-drilled for the fan system, which can be added as an accessory.
You really do need an 18-inch rear wheel for off-road racing, as the greater tire sidewall distance between the rim and the ground gives the tire more flex for better traction and better flat resistance. Both the WR and the FX feature an 18-inch rear wheel, and both are equipped with Dunlop tires front and rear. The WR wears Dunlop MX51 off-road tires while the FX is shod with Dunlop AT81 tires.
The 2016 WR450F will be available in Team Yamaha Blue/White (sorry, no 60th Anniversary colors for $8990, and it will be available in Yamaha dealerships beginning in November. The
We haven’t even thrown a leg over either of these machines yet, but if they are anything like the WR250F and YZ250FX in comparison with the YZ250F that spawned them, we know we will be impressed, because we already love the YZ450F.
2016 Yamaha WR450F Specifications
MSRP: $8990
Engine: Type 449cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke; 4 titanium
valves
Bore x Stroke: 97.0mm x 60.8mm
Compression Ratio: 12.5:1
Fuel Delivery: Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI) Keihin® 44mm
Ignition: TCI: Transistor Controlled Ignition
Transmission: Wide-ratio constant-mesh 5-speed; multiplate wet
clutch
Final Drive: O-ring chain
Front Suspension: Front KYB® spring-type fork with speed sensitive
damping; fully adjustable, 12.2-in. wheel travel
Rear Suspension: KYB® single shock; full adjustable; 12.5-in.
wheel travel
Front Brake: Hydraulic single disc brake, 270mm
Rear Brake: Hydraulic single disc brake, 245mm
Front Tire: Dunlop® MX51 80/100-21
Rear Tire: Dunlop® MX51 120/90-18
L x W x H: 85.2 in x 32.5 in x 50.4 in.
Seat Height: 38.0 in.
Wheelbase: 57.7 in.
Rake: (Caster Angle) n/a
Trail: n/a
Ground Clearance: 12.8 in.
Fuel Capacity: 2.0 gal.
Fuel Economy: n/a
Wet Weight: 271 lbs.
Warranty: 30 Day (Limited Factory Warranty)
Color: Team Yamaha Blue/White
2016 Yamaha YZ450FX Specifications
MSRP: $8890
Engine: Type 449cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke; 4 titanium
valves
Bore x Stroke: 97.0mm x 60.8mm
Compression Ratio: 12.5:1
Fuel Delivery: Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI) Keihin® 44mm
Ignition: TCI: Transistor Controlled Ignition
Transmission: Wide-ratio constant-mesh 5-speed; multiplate wet
clutch
Final Drive: O-ring chain
Front Suspension: Front KYB® spring-type fork with speed sensitive
damping; fully adjustable, 12.2-in. of wheel travel
Rear Suspension: KYB® single shock; full adjustable; 12.5-in. of
wheel travel
Front Brake: Hydraulic single disc brake, 270mm
Rear Brake: Hydraulic single disc brake, 245mm
Front Tire: Dunlop® MX51 80/100-21
Rear Tire: Dunlop® MX51 120/90-18
L x W x H: 85.2 in x 32.5 in x 50.4 in.
Seat Height: 38.0 in.
Wheelbase: 57.7 in.
Rake: (Caster Angle) n/a
Trail: n/a
Ground Clearance: 12.8 in.
Fuel Capacity: 2.0 gal.
Fuel Economy: n/a
Wet Weight: 262 lbs.
Warranty: 30 Day (Limited Factory Warranty)
Color: Team Yamaha Blue/White
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