[X] My Assistant

[trx450r2]

I will reserve my final opinion till my new Honda arrives in april?

[trx450r2]

It's here and I love it! :thankyou: The sheer riding power it has over my old 400ex is unbelievable and the front brakes are awesome! I'm now running 2nd after my first 3 races in a 9 race series behind a really fit young guy on a 440 kitted highly modified LTZ! I get the holeshot and then lead for 2 laps until I get tired in the rough track conditions and then the pack catches up but Cameron gets past me and I'm just not "Ride fit" enough to haul him back in! Wow , what cool racing as all the new quads are similar in power?

[gnarlyknobbies]

OK, I can't just read all of this and sit by and not say anything. It seems as if most people in this forum are judging which is better by top end speed. There is much more to take into consideration when judging what is the best. What good is a faster motor when the ergonomics cannot handle the speed. Catch my drift. Here is my take, I've done a ton of research and this is what I have come up with. I'm sure some of you will disagree. The Honda is fast, it can be made faster but the ergo's are way off on it. The front end is light. The motor is several inches back from the front tires and the swingarm is way to light. This means that the front end pops up a little too easy and that it will push horribly in corners especially in the woods. A little modifications and this could be fixed. I have rode several of them and find them very difficult to handle in the woods compared to the YFZ. At top speeds it is a little squirrly but the motor feels real nice. The stock suspension is also way to stiff. Of course that can be fixed. OK, now on to the YFZ. To me this wins the stock comparison. The motor is strong, as a two stroke kind of hit to it. Downside, you have to pull the clutch alot in the tight stuff or it will stall. You have to keep the revs up. Not to big of a deal. Ergo's are real good. Handling is phenominal at speeds and at slower woods paces. Stays planted very well and does not feel as if it will roll over so easily. Suspension is far better than the 450R but still could use the aftermarket shocks. So my final feeling: YFZ beats the 450R in stock form. It has won Sport Quad of the Year in most of the ATV magazines. They are both great machines and with a ton of money spent on them, it's up in the air as to which one would be the best. All I can say is look on the front line of the GNCC's. 15 YFZ's, 2 Hondas and one Predator. This should give you some Idea. I've spoken with Bill Ballance #1 GNCC racer. He said YFZ by far. This is just what I have gathered.

[gnarlyknobbies]

Oh, and I meant to say that the swingarm is too short not too light. The front end is too light.

[gnarlyknobbies]

OH, and Swampy! I hope your not mad at me. I know you love yours. I guess that also tells you that it's a great machine. I just prefer the YFZ for what Im doing.

[Swamp Donkey SS]

Well I didn't mean to stir up so much opinion on this topic, but it's nice to see some comparison I guess. Now that I have spent a few days rding the 450R, the YZF, and a DS a little bit, I take back everything negative I may have ever said or even thought about the 450R. When the airbox lid is removed or vented and the jetting is adjusted, it is the most fun quad I have ever ridden. The YZF was a blast too, but I just didn't want to get off the 450R. The YZF had the timimg adjusted one tooth, exhaust and jetting. It was pretty much the fastest machine on the drag race hill. The guy riding it is also very experienced too, and that obviously makes a big difference. I was very impressed with both machines, and they are very similar in so many ways. I personally find the R a little more rider friendly, but that's just personal preference. There is no big difference in performance, but the YZF seems to have a slight edge in uphill drag races. I would not pass up a chance to ride either machine again, that's for sure!

[crazyman]

well i have driven both the yfz and the 450r and the yfz was the better of the 2 to me

[Dunt20]

Spoken like a pro....gnarly is totally right, though i've never ridden a YFZ yet and I'm thinkin of trading my Z-400 off for one, I have ridden a TRX and though they are great quads they don't come close to a YFZ out on the tracks from what I hear from every magazine I read. My buddy owns a TRX and we get into an arguement everytime about which quad is better and he has no clue which is better cuz the only thing he can do on his quad is wheelie for miles and race it flat out as fast as he can in a straight line, when it comes to the track I can mop him with my Z400, he will just not agree with me that the YFZ is better and won't wheelie when you want to put that power straight forward on the track like the TRX will. He also argues that the TRX has the better low end power of the two which I know isn't true but then again he also say his is lighter by 20 pounds when he obviously doesn't know that they both weigh 350 pounds each stock, bottom line if u want a play toy in stock form get a TRX cuz they wheelie easily and they are very fast, if you want a race ready quad off the show room floor get a YFZ, thats what I think, biased or unbiased

[Swampfox]

It's always entertaining to see someone give a review of an atv without ever having ridden that particular model. I prefer to hear from someone who has actually done something instead of someone who has only read about it! The YFZ and the 450R are both capable of winning on the track on any given day. Neither is truly race ready. Anyone over a novice rider changes most of the suspension components anyway.

[Swamp Donkey SS]

Good point Swampy. They are both a ton of fun. It comes down to rider preference in the end. After riding both, I really liked them both. :atv:

[Swamp Donkey SS]

High -Five man - I wish I could spend more time on the seat of either one of those machines! ( I hardly get any seat time on my own these days though... :sad:)

[ATVposters.com]

I have had the chance to ride both machines and I was impressed with both. Im not Impressed with the kick start and no reverse on the 450R. The 450R felt better power wise than the YZF, but the YZF had a better feel. Just my 2 cents.

[Smpgirl450]

The YFZ doesn't have reverse either but I have to agree, I like the magic button. I have ridden both and I have to say the both have some power but I think it has more to do with the rider and what their style is. But for me the YFZ just worked.

[trx450r2]

They r both the gr8est machines to hit our shores yet ,and long may they both reign cmon suzuki and kawwi, catch up honda's and yammies RULE