2006 Yamaha YFZ450 Ride Test

Remember back when words like “ATV racing” and “for the race track” were forbidden in the OEM vocabulary? If you don’t remember those days, never mind, just enjoy the excitement that the new millennium is bringing to our great sport. Yamaha is surely enjoying the excitement. In case you haven’t noticed they’ve become pretty darn serious about ATV racing these past few years, and it definitely shows in their all new and improved YFZ450. Their 2006 edition features a whopping 80 race-inspired changes from last year’s model!

Yamaha wanted the media to get to know the all new YFZ so they invited us to throw a leg over their new made-for-the-race-track ATV and flew us to the privately owned Castillo Ranch motocross track in Los Alamos, CA (just north of Santa Barbara). This is the same track that has been featured on numerous dirt bike videos like Terrafirma and Moto XXX. It’s only open to the who’s who in the moto industry. In order to ride on the PGA Pebble Beach of the moto scene, your last name better be McGrath, Pastrana, Reed, Hughes or Tortelli. Of course, the name Yamaha will also due. It certainly did for us, as owner Jim Castillo welcomed us with open arms and treated us as if we were one of the the rock-star-like moto celebrities mentioned. Jim also owns and operates Innovation Sports, a multi-million-dollar company that puts over 200 employees to work in his 55,000-square foot building in Foothill Ranch, California. He single handedly invented the high-end off-the-shelf CTi knee brace after a car hit him in the early eighties, badly injuring his knee. As you can see, Jim’s no slouch.

 

Let the testing begin!
ATV Scene elected to take Alabama’s Brit Mansell as our rider of choice. Brit would join Yamaha’s Kory Ellis, Keith Little and Bill Ballance. Unfortunately Bill broke his ankle and could not ride the entire time. New Jersey’s Pat Brown also got a special invite.

As we said, the blue carpet was rolled out for our appearance. It was time to suit up and see if all the YFZ’s new improvements measured up on the luxurious 500 acre track for a day’s worth of of riding, racing and testing. The Castillo Ranch track puts many national tracks to shame. The course is watered via an elaborate computer system that is linked to the national weather service satellite. Again, Jim’s no slouch. It’s easy to see he’s just as serious about perfection as Yamaha is with their new YFZ.

As we said, a whopping 80 race-inspiring changes were made to the newest YFZ on the market. The short list of improvements include a bigger 449cc displacement, a new cylinder head, a new CDI box, a thicker seat, new tires, new and improved brakes, better suspension and much more. To learn more about the many changes check out our previous sneak peak feature. To learn what we think about the new YFZ read on.

Engine
Yamaha’s potent four stroke technology is utilized to the fullest with the new 2006 YFZ. The top of the engine is updated with a new YZ-type cylinder head and narrower intake track, which gives a more direct feeling of control over the extra power. The displacement is raised with a 1.4mm longer crankshaft this year. When in stock form the engine performance on the YFZ is a little lacking for serious quad racing, but once you take 20 minutes to bolt on a GYTR pipe and change the main jet — you’re ready for the track. And we do mean ready! “I was really impressed with the new ’06 engine once the pipe was installed,” said our test rider Brit Mansell. “It was hard to believe I was riding an almost stock quad. I could also tell a slight difference in the upper RPMs. I’m assuming this is due to the fine tuning of the new GYTR pipe coupled with the improved CDI unit this year.”

Gone are the days of spending a ton of money on beefing up your ATV’s engine so you can race. There’s no doubt in our minds – a rider can win just about any class, with minor exceptions to the pro class, with this stock motor and GYTR pipe package. Trust us, it’s simply that good!

Suspension
In the rear, a new single shock paired with an all-new cast-aluminum swingarm boasts 10.6” of travel. Of course the shock is fully adjustable and a YZ-type suspension linkage is used to get the most use out of the shock possible. For 2006, this proven system has been revised for improved low-speed comfort, but not at the expense of the bottoming resistance and high speed stability. Revisions include changes to spring rates up front. Out back you’ll find changes to the spring rates and the linkage ratio, as well as an increase of 13mm in the rear shock stroke. “There were a couple of times on the track when I expected my mistakes to slam me to the ground! I was happily surprised when this didn’t happen on the new YFZ,” said Mansell of YFZ’s handling. “The improved rear suspension is definitely noticeable. I was also very impressed with the new spring rates on the front shocks. I didn’t notice ANY of the bouncing that I was accustomed to from the earlier models.”

The stock aluminum swingarm comes in at around eight pounds lighter than most chromoly swingarms, and it’s immediately obvious when you get in the air. “The ease at which you can adjust this quad in the air by just touching the rear brakes is phenomenal,” says Mansell. “I feel a lot of this is due to the better center of gravity provided by the lighter rear end of the quad. I, along with most others, will definitely be running a stock swingarm on my new ’06 YFZ’s.”

Brakes
The stopping power was absolutely night and day from last year’s model. The newest YFZ offers an all-new twin piston rear caliper. Up front you’ll find new brake pads made up of a friction material for better front brake feel.

The front brake lever also received changes to the lever ratio and shape for improved rider touch point and braking feel. “Even though the changes made to the front braking system were minimal, that’s all that was needed to dial them in for the track.

Even with stock rubber lines I didn’t notice any fading or softness throughout the multiple motos that I ran throughout the day,” said Mansell on the stopping power.

Our test rider, Brit, is so sure that the ’06 YFZ is all that, he thinks he can win the ’06 Pro-Am Production Championship with an almost bone stock one! Brit says all that would be needed is a pipe, shocks, A-arms, an axle and a few other minor products.

Ergonomics
The first thing you’ll notice when you sit on the new YFZ is the new seat. Just as the ’05 seat was improved over the ’04 one, the ’06 seat continues the tradition. The newest YFZ’s seat thickness is increased 15mm. The sides of the seat have also been changed to aid in rider fatigue. “I put around three hours on the quad in one afternoon and I didn’t have any of the “sitting” problems that I would’ve expected from earlier models.”

With the concern of not cramping the rider, Yamaha went with a new handlebar shape this year and mounted them to a 20mm longer steering stem. As far as we’re concerned it was just what the doctor ordered. The slight change made a good thing even better. You’ll feel like you have more control on the ’06 model. “With the lower bars and longer steering stem the firmness of the bars was definitely improved. For most people, I think you could definitely run the stock bars and stem and be very happy with them. I’m a little taller than most riders (6’3”), so I would probably bolt on an even longer stem.”

Our Conclusion
Our test rider, Brit puts it best, “Once I felt comfortable and learned what to expect from the quad, I have to admit, I really forgot that I was on a stock quad! This thing was absolutely bone stock, except for the pipe and jet kit, and it performed flawlessly! You can throw a good set of MX tires on the YFZ and you’re ready to go. It’s that simple!”

Bottom line, the ’06 YFZ is the closest thing to a full-on race quad that any major manufacturer has ever produced!

More at yamaha-motor.com

Tags:

Comments

comments