I posted this here since I own a Kawi-V all my comparisons are based on that bike.

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Ok it was the same day I had my wreck so I was REALLY sore. That effected how it felt to ride, but I will get another chance. This was my friends bike. He just got an 04, with a fatboy pipe, jetted with a K&N filter with the airblox lid removed. I'll get to race or ride this as much as I want.


first impression... tiny, it felt small! But since I've only owned my huge V so this is expected. The shocks felt stiff, the bike itself felt unstable. All of this is just because I'm riding a big stable bike and this is a tiny unstable MX-able bike. It's made like that on purpose.

Power- felt good, I am extremely new to manuals so I couldn't explore acceleration, but the power felt good. It felt a little snappier than my V but only just....actually with my pipes they feel about the same....we'll see.

weight- It is SO light, I'm a big guy, I could get it on 2 wheels (sideways) just by jerking on it. Makes me feel nervous, like I'll flip it easy. But again, I'm so tall and heavy myself I have no problem throwing the V around....this is like it's made of air in compairson.

I'll get to try it more so I'll add to this post later. Cool bike, different, but cool.

 

METALALIEN... Im a big guy to and I got to ride a friends yfz with prolly less then 15 hrs on it. I got strait off my prairie and on to it, It was like sitting on a kids tricycle! The ride felt VERY rugh, and the power just wasent there. In 1st gear I could wide a wheelie if i kinda poped the clutch, In 2nd i would get to roling a lil bit then pull the clutch and rev the engine to the moon pop the clutch and get the front end up maby a foot but thats it! in 3rd forget about it! Im a OK rider haveing owening a shee the last 4 years so it wasent my abilaty. I put my friend on my prairie ( a good 60lbs lighter then me) and i was on the yfz and in 300ft i only had a half of lenth on my prairie. It also felt like the prairie has more torque off the line...... REMEMBER THIS IS JUST MY EXPARENCE.....JMHO

 

interesting pics, looks like they could use your bike in iraq

 

Yea the ride did feel rough, but again it's made for racing. It's a nice bike it's just NOT made for fullsize humans like myself. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

If you're 5'8" and 150lbs you'll love it.

 

What I don't get is that the YFZ is larger than the Raptor. Why does it seem so small to you guys? Wacky thing is... it seemed small to me too. I'm going to rent one next week and try it again.

 

Where do you rent a yzf-450?

 

yeah i want to rent one [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I have feeling you better get the ins[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

FlashTurbo- Why do you say the YFZ is "larger" than the Raptor? I thought the Raptor was taller and more stretched out than the YFZ.

 

The YFZ is wider than Raptor, and the Rappy weighs almost 50 pounds more..the raptor is just a bigger, thicker bike..

The YFZ comes with 4-stroke torque, and has accelaration similar to a 2-stroke..So for whoever said the prarie smoked a YFZ..lol please learn to ride again...no power? In stock form, it is quicker than a banshee..And I say stock form, because after you mod the machines, the battle is no longer between the two bikes...It comes down to who has the most cash..

yes, the YFZ is set up poorly for larger adults...I actually know someone that lowered the footpegs, the steering stem, and put a more comfortable seat on...For somebody 6 feet tall, you'll be licking your knees on a YFZ [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] lol..

For guys too big for the YFZ, the 450R's always a great alternative..

and yes...I'm 5'8, 150 pounds [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]