Raptor will still be the better all round bike.

The 450 is a specialist track bike that is going to destroy all other stock bikes.
The reality is that no bikes on the track are stock anyway.
I feel sorry for the Z/predator.......who the hell wants one now.
Come on Honda, your turn to show face!!

I dont want.....I NEEEEEED!!!!

 

Oh the raptor better watch out that new cannondale is gona kill it
Oh no the raptor better watch out that new Z400 is gona eat it alive
The raptor better watch out that new K-700 is gona waste it
It's in trouble now that preditor is gona ssoo muder the raptor

....................................

Nuff Said

 

Like someone mentioned, I think the white with red frame is soooo in-your-face to Honda. Look closely at the 450 pictures, and imagine the fenders cut. '87 250R, right there.

 

Ugintel
If it wasn't for the raptor all these new quads wouldn't have anything to kill. They always want to race the best.lol

 

For comparison's sake, think of a Raptor with the same compression of the 450 at 11.9-1 rather than its stock ratio of 9.4. And comparible cam profile. Suddenly your Raptor is way faster than the 450. Inches talk.

 

I would hope that the new YFZ450 is at least alittle faster than the Raptor. Why would Yamaha charge so much more money for a slower machine? Yamaha also dropped the retail price of the Raptor a couple hundred.
Time will tell.

 

It's more expensive cause it's got new technology in it, not cause it's the new flagship. The bigger bore is always the flagship, besides just pipe a Rappy and you'll smoke everything thats also piped and even some that have engine mods. The Rappy HELLA jumps in HP with very few mods, the 450 wont be close to being like this expecially since everyones talkin bout it not being to detuned. The Rappy will always be king and the 450 will be yamahas MX monster!

 

Right now, I'd buy a Raptor before the YFZ. Although I do like dimensions of the YFZ.

 

I just got back from the Yamaha dealer show in Vegas. The 450 is bad as heck!!! I spent much of my time there drooling over it. I have wanted a Yamaha sport quad for years now. They finally have something for me!

When they said it had electric start, I was bummed. Martinez then followed-up that the elecrical system can be easliy unplugged and a kick-start simply bolts on.

 

I would say they bigger bore is "usually" the flag ship but now where is it carved in stone that it has to be. In my "opinion" you can only compare stock for stock or it's a battle of who has the most money. I think they lowered the price of the Raptor to keep it's sales up with the release of the new quad. Even if they are dead even in a drag race which I don't believe they are the better suspension, width and lower seat hieght are still going to make the 450 a better all around quad. I don't see how it's a specialty bike it's not 48 - 50 inches wide like a true moto cross quad and it isn't sagged way down or equiped with a competition only loud pipe. It's a little under an inch wider than a 400ex so it should be rippin' in the woods. If you went with the kick start kit got rid of the headlights and put a full titanium exhaust on it would probably be 325 pounds or less dry which would put it around 350 pounds or less wet while the raptor is 441 pounds wet so even modified the Raptor is going to have to have more hp to stay even and you would still have the chassis issues.

I'm thinking about buying a 450 next year with the kick start kit and titanium exhaust. I'll ride it like that for a while and if the shocks are fully rebuildable which I'm pretty sure they are all send them to Wayne at PEP and have them rebuilt to zps. For the money it would be one hell of a nearly stock quad.