2009 Yamaha YZ450F Preview

Competition

2008 Honda CRF450R

Yamaha is the first Japanese manufacturer to have launched the 2009 model range so it would be unfair to compare the 2008 Honda CRF450R, Suzuki RM-Z450 and Kawasaki KX450F with Yamaha’s latest until the rest don’t launch their products.

Introducing the lineup first is always a gamble as the other makers will know how to contra attack, but given the quality built of the Yamaha and the bulletproof mechanics, you know it won’t be taking the fourth place.

Exterior

2009 Yamaha YZ450F

And if its design would have had everything to do with the decisive vote, it will definitely be the first as it is a very compact bike that has its body panels, seat and rear fender perfectly blended in one together with the other in a comma shape. I mean, just look at it from the side; it clearly gives a big clue on its track performance from a very first glance.

Even though not as close to the Italian stylish look that Japanese builders keep trying to dethrone, the bike is looks clean and easily stands out from the now last year’s model.

It looks tall, but at a 38,9 inch seat height it can easily be ridden even by small-sized persons. The fenders are very high and threatening for the competition lining up at the starting line and the Yamaha name on the white mudguards unveils the source of their nightmares. Handlebars have four adjusting positions and the seat has a new cover that offers better grip.

The bike also manages to exert that magical attraction with the help of the two color schemes available for it. Team Yamaha Blue/White or White/Red, it will be the first thing to be noticed on the track, as it is the first to be launched this year.

Price

The resumed Japanese recipe to building dirt bikes consists in a powerful and easily exploitable motor that comes mounted on a light and nimble frame. Suspensions must be top notch and the riders properly accommodated through a great ergonomic triangle. Everything else is considered detail work for the masterminds with the drawing board in front of them, but the marketing department must really do its job in order for the bike to sell. And it very well did it as the Blue and White version comes with a suggested retail price of $7,399 and the White and Red with only $100 more.

Conclusion

With the 2009 YZ450F Yamaha proves that the best can be pushed even further and maintain its supremacy even if the competition has plans of coming strong from behind. And if there was nobody to compete with, it would have done it with itself and we’ve still be writing about it.

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