I read the shootout today between the YFZ450, the trx450, and the gas gas 450. Dirt Wheels was uncharacteristically harsh on the Honda. They didn't like the styling (compared to the Yamaha), they said the front end was way too light, it wheelied coming out of corners and was tippy going into corners and it is unstable at high speeds. Dirt Wheels also claimed the Honda dosen't have a mid-range punch in the powerband. Of course, if you turn to page 199, you'll notice that American Honda did not advertise in their magazine. That tends to be a big factor in their shootouts. I plan to reserve judgement until I've ridden both quads. They both sound like great quads to me.

 

As much as dirt wheels has there nose up Hondas a$$ it really makes you think. They were more critical than usual. Maybe the new Honda is not as good as the hype.

 

14 Mins, I completely and totally agree with that statement!!!! Maybe it ISNT as good as all the hype suggested it would be, I mean why is it so hard for people to believe that the YFZ is better than the TRX according to the MAG!!!!

 

I don't have the mag right in front of me, but I distinctly remember at least 2 Honda ads!! One on about page 3 with the Baja winning bike, and another 2 page spread in the middle of the mag. And what's the deal with not doing a dyno with the Honda power up kit installed??? Instead, all we get is a WB slip on!!

I have put in quite a few hours on a friends YFZ. It certainly does NOT live up to all the hype and magazine BS! Any new machine is going to get hyped, simply because it is the newest thing out there. 99.9% of the bikes out there will NEVER SEE A RACE TRACK, and most riders are trail riders! Look at the Hondas superior low end power........right where you need it for trail riding. In the long run, Honda may have been wise to build a great trail machine??????

On the other hand, there is a segment of the market that will always want a "race" bike. That is why the MX dirt bikes sell so well. They are poorly suited for cross-country work, but that is how most of them get ridden.

 

I know this is true, that's why Honda puzzles me why they didn't put a elec starter in. Most of the people that buy the 450R will be trail riders and not racer's. So why worry about 10lbs savings.

 

Page 6- full page Honda ad

Page 36 & 37-huge 2 page Honda ad

Page 2-3-4-5-four pages of a DG ad showing the 450R accessorized with DG goodies, and Tim Farr wearing a Honda jersey. Not directly an ad from Honda, but you get the picture.


Honda always has three pages of advertising space in Dirtwheels. This issue was no different.

 

OMG! i think i just wet my pants....sounded like you said the trx450 is tippy in the corners?? LMAO [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

Honda may have tried a little to hard to please all types of riders. The electric start would have been nice, but it is not a deciding factor for me. Most likely Yamaha will have the performance edge with the YFZ, however the difference between the two is not overly significant. If you own a pred, YFZ, or 450r you will have a good handling fast quad. The thing I found odd about the dirtwheels article is that they tended to contradict themselves in different places regarding the performance between the YFZ and the 450R. In one place, they said they were dead even in a 200 yard drag, up hills etc, but then later said the TRX lacked in acceleration.

ATV action said there was a .16 second difference between the YFZ and 450R in a 125 yard drag on slightly uphill pavement. What does that tell me about my new quad. Will I get edged out in a drag or uphill shoot, yeah- by a slight amount. Will the 450r be a better quad for the type of riding that I do, I think so. Will I have less fun on it, or will it handle worse- no.

Will honda live up to the hype? I think it will be very close, but that remains to be seen.

 

Forget the mags and just listen to our forum owners of these quads strengths and weaknesses. I just picked up my Honda yesterday and will soon be comparing it to my {2nd}stock YFZ this weekend. I will tell it like it is all the way around.

 

First off, the YFZ isnt a TRUE 450!!! NOR IS IT TUNED IN ANY WAY LIKE THE YZF BIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!! That I know for a fact since I own 3 yzf bikes and the YFZ quad!!!!!!! The Honda on the other hand is so much closer to the bike in performance!!!! I keep reading how people try their best to come up with reason's why the TRX450R isnt what they hoped it would be!!!!!!!! There are reason's for the kick starter!!!!! If it were meant to be a true TRAIL quad, wouldnt you think they would have put a starter on it for easier use???? The TRX was purposely built to compete with the YFZ and you all know it!!!!!!! The YFZ was purpose built for the MX track!!! Judging from the kick starter, I am thinking it was purposely built for the track as well, however since it didnt live up to the hype of the YFZ, they had to use terminology to make the quad "sell" better, thus a better all around machine for "everybody"!!!! If you plan on trailriding, have at it!!!! Go buy yourself the HONDA, after all, in truth, it all boils down to BRAND loyalty on this one, cuz there really is no arguing on which is better!!!!!!!!! MAYBE JUST MAYBE, THE MAGZ CHOSE THE YFZ BECAUSE IT SIMPLY "IS BETTER"!!!!!! AGAIN, you honda owners find it so HARD TO BELIEVE that Yamaha can build a better quad than HONDA for racing and ALL around!!!!!! I'm not bashing on the TRX or HONDA, I just find it interesting how so many of you tend to think YAMAHA can't build the BETTER machine!!!! After all, its proven it can win!!!!!! So you all wait till you "RIDE IT YOURSELF"!!!! But be sure you ride BOTH of them!!!!