SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/704625
though. It bottomed a decent amount and it was a little harsh, but a quick re-valve and it would be really good. Out of the box, it's probably the best suspension I've ridden for off- road racing, for a stock bike." Of course, it's a given that top racers will get suspension reworked, so what are the other mods Morgan would do were he to set the YZ450FX up for a SCORE race? "First, you'd need a bigger gas tank," he said. (The stock unit is just 2.0 gallons and due to the slant-back cylinder/ head layout, a larger tank with dry-break quick-fill system actually angles back slightly so the rider has to lean back when pitting for fuel.) You would also need a steering stabilizer and the suspension to be re-valved. The motor itself is a really good one. It doesn't need anything done to it. Maybe an exhaust would be a good thing to do. That's about it, really. I would definitely re-gear it higher. First gear is almost unusably low for typical SCORE courses. If you're just running around on trails and really getting into some technical stuff, first gear would be all right for some people (i.e. less than pro-caliber riders), but I would definitely re-gear it. It just needs a good race prep—all the small bolt-on parts that you do. I mean, it comes with a good [plastic] skid plate, an 18-inch rear wheel and a lot of the stuff that I was going to buy is already on there. The brakes work great. It has a little bigger front rotor than the '15 [YZ-F] model. It's a good bike. It would take just a little bit of prepping to make it very competitive." By comparison, Honda's venerable CRF450X—which has remained essentially unchanged since its introduction in 2005—demands a number of modifications before it's ready for top tier racing. And though it doesn't come with lights, the YZ450FX uses the same 160- watt generator found in the WR450F, so running good lights won't be an issue. (One of the first things we'd do would be to add hand guards.) Its final gearing of 13/50 also mimics that of the WR, which is two teeth less than the 13/48 on the YZ-F. We've heard that the 'FX will do a GPS-measured 101 miles an hour out of the box, though we didn't have a dry lake to attempt that. Judging by its YZ450F heritage, there should be no durability issues with the 'FX. Last year, Morgan soloed the 500-plus- mile BITD Vegas to Reno race on his YZ-F and finished fourth overall without a hiccup! From a more average rider's perspective, the YZ450FX feels like an excellent racer for more open terrain or aggressive trail riding. It spins up quickly, which is fun but not always the answer when you're tired in technical going. The somewhat towering 38-inch seat height and 262-pound wet weight doesn't help when tossing the 'FX from side to side quickly on tight trails. If you're the kind who craves that sort of thing, consider instead the YZ250X, YZ250FX, WR250F or even the WR450F from the Yamaha lineup. If you enjoy letting it rip in the desert, however, drifting third or fourth-gear turns, and hitting the local motocross track on occasion, the YZ450FX is a prime candidate for your consideration. SJ 032 SCORE JOURNAL