We Get You the Scoop
First! |
As with years past, Yamaha released the 4-stroke
WR well after the MX version YZ's have been thundering around MX
tracks. Internet rumors suggested there were manufacturing problems
that delayed the release of the new WR450F. "Other bikes were
manufactured before the production WR," Terry Beal of Yamaha told
us. Since this is a completely new motorcycle, we'll have to cut
Yamaha some slack on the delayed release. Besides that, this is one
heck of a machine with a fit and finish rivaling that of European
motorcycle manufacturers.
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Four gears and no electric start should keep a
large number of riders from forking out the cash on the YZ450F, so
expect demand of the 5-speed WR450's to exceed supply. Get a
deposit on one, or you might have to wait until next year to get
your grubby paws on it. If you do have a WR250/450 on order, the
good news is that they should hit showroom floors by mid-February
2003. While most of the media that got
pre-release WR's went to watch Supercross, your pals here at ORC
camped out and rode the tires off this new machine to get you the
scoop first! With a few days of riding Yamaha's electric start
WR450F, I'm impressed with it. Obviously it starts easy, push the
electric leg button and go but there's more to this bike than just
that. Steering seems precise and maybe just too precise. Hitting
braking bumps at speed almost sent me tumbling off narrow trails.
This could be due to just coming off a Honda XR650R that's like
trying to turn a cruise ship around, or the WR450F just turns
quick. You decide. Needless to say, we are going to run the new GPR
steering stabilizer to compensate for this flaw, be it rider or
machine.
The WR Is Very Slim, Much like a 250 2-Stroke |
For better rider input response, Yamaha lowered
the angle of the fuel tank at the seat junction to accommodate the
flatter seat. The new seat lets you move forward and backward
easier but the fuel cell will only hold 10 liters of gas whereas
the 2002 WR426 held 12 liters of fuel. Yamaha assured us that the
WR still has a 60-70 mile range without a gas stop. While the seat
is better than what the YZ450F has to offer, it does make your butt
sore after a long ride.WR450F suspension has been refined with trail
riding in mind. At first, the new suspension seemed harsh off of
flat landing jumps but that seems to have dissipated after putting
some miles on the blue bike. If you are less than 200 pounds with
gear, you'll more likely dig the bone stock suspension. Although,
we may need to install big boy springs due to my two hundred and
thirty pound riding weight. HEY, that's with gear man! I'm not fat!
We'll go more in-depth on the suspension in a few
months.
Very Compliant Motorcycle, It Doesn't Do Anything Weird and Handles
Nicely
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With its added flywheel weight and different
timing, the WR's motor is tamed down from YZ450 hurricane-like
acceleration. Off the bottom, the WR pulls smooth then hits the mid
range with eye blurring acceleration right to the rev limiter. In
tight and twisty conditions, the mellow bottom end works great. In
wide-open situations, it feels like the gears are too far apart
unless you are in the stratospheric RPM range. For those who want
to change the cam timing to make the WR rev out like the YZ, a YZ
exhaust cam will have to be used, as well as cutting a wire. If you
just rotate the WR cam to YZ specs the WR will not start because of
the automatic decompression system. Yamaha
went gram shaving while designing the YZ450F and WR450F. Both bikes
share a lot of the same upgrades to reduce weight.
Upgrades the YZ450F didn't receive:
- Oil level dipstick has been moved from in front of
the fuel tank to the side of the frame. This also reduces oil
capacity from 1.7qts to 1.27qts
- WR utilizes a frame with different geometry
than the YZ
- "No Tools" air box access-three quick tabs and
you are able to gain access to the filter
- Radiators went from 117.8mm to 127.8mm with a
row added to improve cooling by 9%
- Hot start moved from the frame to the
handlebars
- Triple clamps moved 10mm forward to open up
the rider's compartment
- Oil filler hole added to crank case
cover
- Front fork tube diameter increased from 52.8mm
to 54mm
- Sub frame changed from steel to square
aluminum
- Five speed gearbox
- Exhaust system is all titanium with a spark
arrestor. Although material provided by
- Yamaha states the exhaust is U.S.F.S.
approved, we could not find any markings on the pipe to confirm
this
With a bigger motor and an addition of the electric start, Yamaha's
2003 WR450F weighs the same as last year's WR426. How'd they do
it? - Smaller cylinder head and valve system, 260gm
savings
- Cylinder height changed from 75mm to 77.15mm,
cutaway added to skirt and crankcase hole is added. Reduces pumping
loss and increases power, 29gm savings
- Smaller valves are used. Intakes 2002-83.2mm
2003-76.3mm, 18% lighter
- Lighter piston for 2003, in 2002, 42mm tall
and in 2003, 40.4mm high with the piston pin boss going from 19mm
to 18mm
- To reduce inertia mass a new crank shaft is
used, spec is increased with weight reduction (-570gms) due to a
smaller counter weight
- Smaller oil pump, 20% lighter than the 2002
WR
- Titanium exhaust 30% lighter than the steel
2002 system
- 40% stronger frame with high-tensile steel in
places for a 1.5kg weight savings
- Hose material changed from steel to aluminum,
20% lighter
- Inner components changed on forks, 400gm
savings
- New aluminum sub frame is 450gms lighter than
last year's steel sub frame
- Cool upgrade Instead of using a coil mounted
to the frame, a direct coil that is part of the spark plug wire
itself is used. 110gms saved
- Cool upgrade rear brake master cylinder is
integrated into one piece eliminating reservoir, 45gm weight
savings
- Cool upgrade Works style "finger" clutch
adjustment
Does electronic media play a role in what dirt
bike manufacturers produce? We don't know for sure but Yamaha's all
new WR450F has addressed a lot of issues that bulletin boards and
websites have been clamoring for. With painstaking detail the new
ground up WR450 is: lighter, faster and an easier to start
4-stroke. Gone are the days that you were trailside kicking and
kicking to get that SOB to light, just push the button and she'll
willingly fire up. At 265 pounds, ready to ride, the full-size
4-stroke is pretty light considering it has an electric start. It
truly feels like a 2-stroke 250 while riding and grandpa
jumping.
Jim Rios Owner of BRP and His Son Thinking Of Ways to Make the WR
Even Better |
To stay ahead of the media curve, I am bike less
once again. BRP (Billet Racing Products) had taken possession of
the infamous ORC WR450F. As this is being typed, Jim Rios, owner of
BRP, is steadfastly working on new protection armor as well as
other top secret improvements that can't be discussed at this time
without the penalty of not getting ORC's project bike back. Also,
Big Gun Exhaust is working on a new exhaust system for the WR that
might weigh a few more ounces than the stock titanium exhaust, but
owner Mike Young assures us that the power increase will far and
away compensate for the weight gain. To be continued…
I can crash with the best of 'um. I should of known something was
going to go wrong when I said "Watch This!" |
For a production machine, from one of the big four
Japanese manufacturers, the electric start WR450 clears the slate.
Swedish manufacturer, Husaberg, may have beaten everyone to the
punch with the first high-performance electric start 4-stroke;
their reliability has been questionable. Suzuki's attempt in the
DRZ400 shows that a cruise ship isn't all that heavy.Where we go from here, only time will tell. At
this point in time, Yamaha has raised the bar, so the other guys
are left to play catch-up. See you on the
trails! Mike "Baja" Hobbs
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