I stopped by my dealer today to check out the new 450, they got 2 in, one is sold and the blue one is sitting on the floor. It is sweet.

I think the plastic seat latch is going to cause trouble, but only time will tell. The airbox looks better designed then the rappy and banshee, however it looks like the tube to the carb twists around and is pretty narrow. I would think that restricts the flow pretty bad. The cannister on that thing is huge, that needs to go, I bet it weighs 15 pounds and maybe more, a quality aftermarket exhaust should help there and be lighter also.

The front suspension seems to be pretty stiff, while the rear seemed kind of weak, probably just needs adjusted correctly. Overall it looked to be a nice solid unit. The seat is really hard and narrow. I tried to talk my wife into it for her of course [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] . But she said no [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img] .

I am hoping to hear some stories of how these run pretty soon, if they are really a runner I might have to get one, it is hard to keep from going back and getting it.

Has anyone put in any seat time yet so that we can get some idea how they compare???

Thanks
Bat

 

interesting wonder if i'll like that seat...

 

Picked mine up today, I love it. The suspension works better than anything stock i've ever ridden. I also have concerns about the latch but time will tell. Airbox lid is gone, baffle is out of the pipe and instead of that little 158 main jet it now has a 200. This thing rocks!!!

 

How does it run with a 200 in it? I don't know much about jetting 4 stroke do you check the plug the same way I would with my Banshee? Damn it! Mine is probably sitting over at the docks right now!

 

well the guys from yamaha that dirtwheels interviewed about the 450 said that the suspension is suposed to be stiff. they say that its not for the everyday rider, its for the racer that is going to be hitting doubles and trips. thats why there is no reverse, opptional kickstarter, and plastic skids. they even have a removeable parking break that doesnt force you to get a new pertch. its all race orriented [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Yeah, the removable parking brake is pretty cool, I was pointing that out to the salesperson. I like the suspension the way it was, but would probably stiffen up the rear a little bit to match the front.

It is definately a nice quad, I have 2 banshees and they are all paid for, so I think I will wait until I can plunk down my cash and make sure there are no problems with them. I cant wait to see them run in the dunes, that is my usual playground.

Bat

 

The 450 responded real well to the $3 worth of main jet without the lid and baffle. I think the rear shock is a little stiff for your average trail rider but for a racer I think the suspension works almost as well as the TCS shocks on my 440EX.

 

How does it sound without the baffle?

Geoff.

 

It doesn't have quite as nice of sound as an aftermarket pipe, although better than some. I actually think it sounds pretty good. It sounds a heck of alot better than a 400 or Raptor without the baffle in them. Once again its almost like Yamaha thought we wouldn't like the restriction so they made it easy for us to change. By the way, all this is coming from a die hard Honda guy for the last 15 yrs.