"No power down low", telling me you are kidding right???? Seems funny how ALL 4 of mine make WAY more than enough, IN FACT, the YZF MX bikes can be ridden to where you really don't have to clutch in a corner like you do the 2 smokers! You have no evidence whatsoever to support this!!! If you have ever ridden a YZF then gotten on a WRF you would see HUGE difference in when and how hard the power comes on, its all in the tuning bro!

 

I dont think he's talking utility atv I think he's talking sport/MX . If yamaha wanted to add enough exotic metals to built the front drive and transfer to keep the weight down the YFZ engine would work .
It would probly be a high maintance machine . But it would sure haul a$$ talk about hole shot.
I think they would want to keep the same wheel/tire setup they have now .
It would take some getting use to but once you learned to ride it it would be hard to beat .
Remember Horse Power only works if it stick to the ground .
If you could get it to steer in the corners under power it would smoke .

 

I'm sure they would have to make a few modifications but it could still work

 

Did you guys think that yamaha would put the raptor engine in a 4x4 frame? I didn't, but now we have the Grizzly 660.....

History often repeats itself.

 

No doubt it would be a big seller enough to put the final nail in Honda's coffin probably......lol!

 

I disagree with 3ATV, all they would really need to do is lengthen the stoke a bit and
make it a through shaft to power the front wheels.
shure you would loose SOME top end ,but you would gain gobs of torque and bottom
end for utility uses. aside from the obvious suspension etc. I believe the could do anything
with the kind of capital they have at there disposal.

peace
scaboy

 

The YFZ450 motor is designed for RACING and runs on premium gas. It revs to the sky and has no torque. What would the point be to make it 4x4? that's retarded. Some parts could be carried over I suppose (like the stator... lol) but definitely not the whole motor. How much of the raptor engine was carried over to the grizz? obviously the caes and tranny are totally different. I see that the bore and stroke (100x84) are the same, but the compression is slightly lower on the grizz. You'd have to do a lot more than that to the YFZ motor. A racing engine like that is drastically oversquare and the components are NOT designed for heavy loading situations. As well is the cylinder head designed to flow at certain RPM ranges that a 4x4 would never get to.

It would be a foolish move for Yamaha in my opinion, it's definitely a lawsuit waiting to happen. Utility and 4x4 quads should be designed to be slow, lots of hicks don't always know what they're buying and put their 7 year old kids on it and tell them to go have fun... yeesh.

If you need a 4x4, get one. If you need a racer, get one. You can't do both jobs on one platform or else it will suck at both.

 

In 1985 Michèle Mouton smoked the unser family on pikes peak with an audi quattro ( 4X4 ) . The next year Bobby Unser drove a quattro
No one had built a light weight high output 4x4 until then .
I think it's a great concept for an ATV .
And the YFZ does make torque not as much as a raptor but it 's there.
and why would you want to go slow on it?
Dont get stuck on the concept that 4x4's are slow and clumbsy .
I bet if you went back to 1985 and told some one that there were going to be 4 wheeled atv's that traveled over 70 MPH and you could jump 30 + feet in the air they would say your retarded .
If you could make the transfer and front drive out of titanium or hard anodized aluminum keep it under 400 lb. then it would haul .
Acceleration would be unreal
My 2 cents worth

 

I heard this rumor last fall from a Yammy dealer. I would love to see it. As far as the YFZ engine not being suited for 4x4s thety could easily change gearing, cams, and compression to get the power where they would need it. Beleive me I love my Wolvy but it is WAY over due for an update, YFZ engine or not.

 

AWD has it's advantages in handling and speed, but you'll need extremely lightweight components that don't suck up power. You'll also need an advanced computer controlled front/rear bias diff in between that can sense engine loading, wheel slip, ect... if you want the AWD to actually serve a purpose in making it faster.

I thought that you guys were talking about making a shaft drive 4wd system with high and low range and optional racks and stuff...

All I'm saying is that IF/WHEN Yamaha decide to release a YFZ450 4x4, it will probably have more in common with the big bear than the YFZ, or everyone will complain about how much of a time bomb it is. Because that motor will not appreciate being trapped in a mass produced 4x4 chassis. not one bit. It was designed to be in a competition 2-wheeled MX bike where bike turnover is high. The people that Yamaha design their bikes for sell them after one or two years of racing. They don't have to survive long, they just have to win races until they're obsolete.

how many 4x4 owners are like that?