As I promised in my other thread i have a full review with pictures and videos ready for you guys. First off i will give the review. Then i will load the pictures to my gallery and then i will work on the videos.

When i first sat on the trx450r i could not believe how much it felt like i was sitting on our z400. The way the bike was designed i wouldnt be suprised if honda looked more at the z400 then they did the yfz. The owner of the 450r, myself, and a bunch of others all agreed that if we were to be blindfolded and sat on the trx and the z400 we wouldnt be able to tell a difference. However if we sat on the yfz we would definately be able to tell (how can you not tell the seat is so damn hard!)

When he started up (with hrc kit installed) it sounded very good. He had the idle turned up a bit to keep from stalling out. It sounds nothing like the yfz or a z400. It has a sound of its own. You will hear it in the videos.

Next i took it for a spin on the dunes. It handles very well! I dont see it having any problem tipping into corners like dirtwheels said. However the rear end does not slide around as easily as the yfz. On my yfz whenever i lean into the turn the *** end easily spins around. Top speed on the trx is very smooth. The power is all there. The gears did seem a little bit taller then what i was used to and they may be a little too tall for other trx owners as well. For those of you familiar with winchester bay oregon the trx made it up banshee hill without paddle tires no problem.

The biggest problem that i had with the bike was that the front end was so damn light. It wasnt as noticeable untill i was drag racing it and i hit second gear. As soon as i gave it gas in second the front end popped right up and i was forced to let off a bit. Also while climbing big dunes we had to pretty much sit on the gas tank to keep the front end down. I climbed the exact same hills with both quads and i can tell you that on my yfz i can pretty much sit on my grab bar and my front end wont come up unless i want it to. The yfz is definately more well balanced for jumping, climbing hills.

Jumping: Jumping on the trx is pretty good. Other then the front end wanting to shoot for the sky there was no other complaints. The suspension is plush and will absorb any mistakes the rider may make.

Honda definately beats the yamaha on easiness of working on the quad. Simple things like being able to reach the radiator cap without taking off plastic is definately a plus. Also the removable front fenders is pretty damn cool. I love the LED tailight that the honda got as well.

Ok now for the race results.

My yfz has a gytr carbonfiber slip on, gytr jetkit, and no lid. The trx has the hrc kit and nothing else.

In a 300' drag the yfz pulls hard off the line. The quick acceleration is just so damn hard to beat no matter what quad your own. Also the fact that the yfz doesnt tend to wheelie much and the honda wheelies quit a bit the yfz can take off a little faster. This is the biggest advantage that the yfz has. Then it seemed like the honda was able to catch up a bit after this. I feel the end results of the drag resulted in a yamaha win most often. But not by much.

Please dont think i am giving a biased report because i own the yamaha. I am in no way brand loyal. In fact i am unhappy with my yfz in a few different aspects. Especially now that i have seen how comfortable the honda is.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I may have left a few things out and i will probably add later. Check out my gallery for pictures as soon as they update it.

 

i forgot to mention how it kicked. It seemed to kick on the first or second try every time for me. Other people complained that it wouldnt start if it stalled out. Well i stalled it out and i think it started the first kick using the hot start button. The forward kick was a little different to me but it did start very easily.

 

Also, Yamaha is giving up 11cc's of displacement to the Honda and still beats it!!! There is no argueing which motor makes the most power!

 

Did you set up the suspension (front and especially the rear) for your weight before all these tests? My TRX as delivered was the same way (wheelie happy). I had to seriously soften the front suspension and then set the race sag on the rear. Once I did that, it handled like it was supposed to.

 

The Yamaha should, it's compression is 11.9:1 as opposed to 10.5:1 for the TRX.

 

Maybe it is just a difference in riding styles, but I don't really find the TRX to be at all wheelie happy, like some are reporting. I really like the light front end! It is the only bike I have ridden where I can hold a power wheelie through five or six big desert whoops, and just let the rear end soak it all up.

The YFZ I have ridden, was bone stock. It seemed to have no low end, and I could beat it off the line easily with the Z400. Then the YFZ hits in the middle and takes off (kind of like a Banshee). I did not like the fact that the YFZ front was so planted. Out in the desert, it is suicide if you can't loft the front end (even at high speed!), when there is a trail obstacle that threatens to grab your front end. On the other hand, the YFZ suspension does eat the desert whoops very well.

Thanks for the review.