Last week, the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F arrived and Pete Murray, who rode the 2023 YZ450 all last year, immediately took possession of it. Pete had a successful year on the bike, winning another Vet Championship as well as a couple of wooden bears at Mammoth. However, the rest of us also wanted our turn with the new bike. Surprisingly, everyone loved Pete’s settings and input.

First and foremost, the YZ450F is incredibly fast. It doesn’t need any additional modifications to increase its speed. Interestingly, despite its powerful feel, it wasn’t the dyno champion last year. However, it does have the most rapid power gain between 7500 rpm and 10,000 rpm. This is the crucial powerband range that provides the extra boost when shifting through the gears on the way to the first turn. Yamaha has done a good job of making all that power manageable, and the convenience of easy mapping changes with the Yamaha Power tuner smartphone app is irresistible. We immediately installed Pete’s favorite maps from last year.

Pete’s map, which was developed by Jamie Ellis at Twisted Throttle, made the YZ450F more manageable. Pete also made a slight modification to the airbox lid. Typically, riders drill holes to increase airflow, but in this case, Pete taped off part of the air entrance. If you examine the airbox lid closely, you’ll notice an opening on the left that’s closed off on the right. Pete closed off both sides, resulting in what he refers to as the “Husky” effect. For years, Husqvarna had a more restrictive airbox, and as a result, their FC450 felt more controllable compared to the KTM 450SX.

One of the major changes last year was the Yamaha chassis. There’s no doubt that the new bike has quicker steering and lighter overall handling. Pete was fine with these changes, and while many riders preferred more race sag for stability, Pete went the opposite way. We settled on a setting of 102mm for the sag, with the fork height remaining stock at 7mm. Pete weighs around 175 pounds and found that all the clickers were well-positioned in their stock positions in the rear. He made small adjustments by increasing the rebound damping by 2 clicks in the fork and reducing compression by 1 click.

What all our test riders love about the Yamaha is its roomy layout. The 2022 model felt cramped, leading most of our taller riders to install optional tall seats and lower aftermarket footpegs. But, this year, that’s not necessary. Small riders might not appreciate the increased seat height, but for anyone close to 6 feet tall, the new Yamaha is a great fit.

Last year, we mistakenly published an incorrect weight for the bike without fuel. To rectify this, we weighed the 2023 Yamaha YZ450F once more and confirmed that it weighs 231.5 pounds, which is the same as the 2024 model. This makes it the lightest of all the Japanese 450s. A comprehensive test of the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F will be featured in the January 2024 print edition of Dirt Bike magazine.

3-BROS 24 HOURS OF GLEN HELEN

On the 28th of this month, the 3-Bros 24 Hours of Glen Helen event will take place. The SRA racing crew has put together the entire course, which includes the GP track, the Arroyo, the Vet track, the Truck track, miles of fire-roads, and some single track. The race will start at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.

SETH AND THE VETS

Seth Barnes, a National Sales Rep at Dirt Bike Magazine and a former U.S. Marine Corps member, has teamed up with fellow Marines Ray Rodden and Skyler Periera to participate in the 3-Bros 24 Hours of Glen Helen. They are all part of the Soflete Race Team. Soflete is a fitness training company for military and first responders. The team was formed last year for the Vegas to Reno race, where Brent Phillips and below-the-knee amputee Josh Rotcaamp secured a 3rd place finish in the +30 Intermediate class. This will be their fourth ride together in the 24-hour race. You can follow their progress through Glen Helen’s live scoring system.

NEW TRIUMPH TIGER 900 RANGE

Triumph has announced significant upgrades to its Tiger 900 line of adventure bikes. The range consists of three variations: the Tiger 900 GT, the GT Pro, and the Rally Pro. Some of the key highlights from the Triumph press release include:

– The new Tiger 900 range offers increased performance, enhanced capability, improved all-day comfort, and a more aggressive attitude.
– The engine has been significantly upgraded to provide 13% more power, higher peak torque of 66.38 LB-FT, and a 9% improvement in fuel economy.
– New active safety features and a new 7″ TFT instrument panel offer improved capabilities.
– The rider seat and damped handlebar mounting system have been redesigned to enhance long-distance comfort.

USA Pricing:
Tiger 900 GT starting from $14,995
Tiger 900 GT Pro starting from $16,895
Tiger 900 Rally Pro starting from $17,395

See you next week!