You've got to be kidding... This has been in the works for years, same for Yamaha. It takes much more than a month or two to present a production level machine like what we've been shown. You obviously have no idea what it takes to bring a new machine to market.

 

Over the last three years the ATV market has taken huge steps(-: I think that the new 450r will be just as good as the yfz450 so what will win the race will be skill.

That is why they have the Pro Production class anyway. It takes away from the big $$$$.$$ bikes and makes it easyer for some one with out the big buget to compete against the Pro riders.

From what I have seen at the track that alot of new riders are just getting started with the new bikes like (YFZ, Predator) Witch will get more people in the sport with a race bike. I am sure that there will be a good amout of 450r's next season. With there share of new riders. To open the sport up even more.

 

They have yet to bring it to market. January 2004? Right.

When you're Honda, you can probably get anything to market quicker than anyone on the planet.

selector

 

I wish you could be here to see the look on my face when you realize how wrong you are thinking I'm wrong. The only mistake I've ever made was thinking I had made a mistake.

selector

 

Like I said, it takes far more than a couple months to bring a completely new model to market. Do you have any idea the engineering, plant setup, infrastructure, etc, involved? I seriously doubt that even if Honda poured *all* their resources into it (and we know for a fact that's not the case), they could go from concept to production in 3 to 4 months - they certainly couldn't do it and maintain the standards of engineering and reliability they've become famous for.

The mere suggestion that they saw the YFZ and said "Oh crap, we better get off our butts" and whipped up the TRX450R is absolutely ridiculous.

Like I said, this quad and the YFZ have been in the works for at least a couple years. The reason Yamaha got theirs out first? Because their annual dealer meeting happens before Honda's. If you think either is going to have a significant advantage over the other you're mistaken.

Heck, as rumor has it, Honda was poised to introduce this at last year's dealer meeting & top management pulled the plug at the last moment because of timing reasons. It's been said many times before - with the 400EX, Honda was testing the waters. You can bet that the moment they saw that the segment was coming back the new quad was on the drawing boards.

It's fine that you're happy with your YFZ - it's a great quad & you didn't make a bad choice at all - however, it's not so great that nothing can compete with it. Like I've said several times before - making a quad of that caliber was a huge step forward for Yamaha - for Honda it was just another day in the shop...

 

timm far rules.

 

I am sure that it cost Honda a huge penny to get him to ride, they had to pay him to ride there bike to get the advertising dollars in there favor. Honda better hopes it beats the YFZ. or they are in the toilet. JMO

 

What a load of BS. Although it's great too see Honda officially back on the racing scene....but the 450 is clearly a retaliation too the YZF. The 450 would not be available if the YZF was not released. Spouting off about using the 400ex chassis as a good thing......good thing or not, it gets the 450 released faster and hopefully takes away some YZF sales is Honda's thinking. A 400ex with a 450 engine is what you are getting.

 

do you think the yzf450 would be here if it wasn't for the suzuki z400? would the suzuki z400 be here if it wasn't for cannondale, would cannondale have even started making quads if honda did not reinvent the sport quad market with the 400ex. so hats off to honda for getting the ball rolling again with the 400ex. yamaha was content to set on their azzes and make sticker changers to the banshee for the last ten years and you think they were the inavators who saved our sport, lol what a joke.

the yzf450 is a super nice quad no doubt, as will be the new honda crf450, but just who is keeping up with who remains to be seen.


















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Lets be realistic here.....one can go back too the beginning of atv's bickering about what got the ball rolling.