2021 Yamaha YZ450F | First Test!

 

Presented by OGIO Powersports

The 2021 Yamaha YZ450F remains basically unchanged from the 2020 machine that swept through the Swapmoto Live 450 Shootout with ease. With the exception of new all-blue plastic and redesigned graphics, the bike boasts no suspension or engine changes…but did it really need any further updates? We think not.

CLICK HERE to hear about the bike from Yamaha’s Mike Ulrich.

Test rider Pat Foster at speed in Glen Helen’s infamous Talladega first turn.

We took delivery of our 2021 YZ450F test bike at Glen Helen Raceway and because the bike was unchanged, we knew exactly how to set it up and what to expect. Having spent months aboard the machine following our 450 Shootout in bone-stock condition, we’ve thoroughly come to appreciate what the bike has to offer as delivered. In fact, the stock exhaust system was left on our test bike all year long as most of the aftermarket systems we tried only made the bike louder. Thanks to Yamaha’s smartphone tuning app, it is possible to adjust the bike’s powerband to your liking in a matter of seconds.

Pat Foster tested a few aftermarket pipes in 2020 and returned to stock every time. The best was FMF’s slip-on, but after it was damaged in a crash; back came the stocker!

The Yamaha’s KYB suspension components perform exceptionally well, and especially the fork. For years now, the Yamaha has been praised in our shootouts as having the best fork, and we’re sure that will not change in 2021. The chassis and Kayaba suspension components provide the best all-around handling character the YZ450F has ever enjoyed. That’s right…the vague front-end feel that the big Yamaha has always suffered from when cornering has seemingly been eliminated as no testers complained of a lack of front-end traction while entering or exiting corners. Stable at speed, the Yamaha enjoys the best cornering performance it ever has. It’s not the best at changing direction, mind you, but it is right in there where it should be. In a nutshell, quirky handling traits are no longer a thing for the YZF.

The YZ450F tips into corners predictably and remains predictable throughout. At 6′, test rider Kyle Puerner is able to control the bike easily. Only shorter riders seem to mention that the YZF is tougher to corner on.

Suspension action continues to be best in class, as the Yamaha’s Kayaba components offer the best combination of plush initial action, great mid-speed control, and good bottoming resistance. In stock form, the bike suffered from too much front-to-rear weight shifting as the fork and shock both moved excessively under braking and acceleration. We added several clicks of compression and rebound dampening to the fork and shock to calms the bike down and provide better hold up, and we were stoked. Last year, one of our pro-level test riders raced the YZ450F all year with stock suspension, and we see him doing the same in 2021.

Can the Yamaha YZ450F successfully defend its Bike of the Year honors in 2021 with only plastic color and graphic changes? Considering how convincingly it won in 2020, we wouldn’t b surprised. Stay tuned!