|
|
|
|
|
|
Classic Bikes
Custom Bikes
Individual
Racing Bikes AJP
AJS
Aprilia
Ariel
Avinton / Wakan
Bajaj
Benelli
Beta
Bimota
BMW
Brough Superior
BRP Cam-Am
BSA
Buell / EBR
Bultaco
Cagiva
Campagna
CCM
CF Moto
Combat Motors
Derbi
Deus
Ducati
Excelsior
GASGAS
Ghezzi Brian
Gilera
GIMA
Harley Davidson
Hero
Highland
Honda
Horex
Husaberg
Husqvarna
Hyosung
Indian
Jawa
Kawasaki
KTM
KYMCO
Laverda
Lazareth
Magni
Maico
Mash
Matchless
Mondial
Moto Guzzi
Moto Morini
MV Agusta
MZ / MuZ
NCR
Norton
NSU
Paton
Peugeot
Piaggio
Revival Cycles
Roland Sands
Royal Enfield
Sachs
Sherco
Sunbeam
Suzuki
SWM
SYM
Triumph
TVS
Ural
Velocette
Vespa
Victory
Vincent
VOR
Voxan
Vyrus
Walt Siegl
Walz
Wrenchmonkees
Wunderlich
XTR / Radical
Yamaha
Zero
Video
Technical
Complete Manufacturer List
|
Yamaha WR 450F
It's got the muscle to unravel any trail. The WR450F is the most power-packed, sharpest, numble big-bore WR ever. Power is nothing without controllability. The all new WR450F is a unique blend of the most sought after YZ attributes with the all day rideability necessary for enduro domination. The YZ450F based engine has been specifically tuned to provide tractable performance and low vibration for improved rider comfort. New lightweight aluminum frame, enduro based suspension and all new bodywork provide a light feel and excellent rider maneuverability. The 2007 WR450F specially developed enduro machine featuring YZ based performance potential.
FEATURES: Super convenient electric starting means fast, sure starts. The electric starter is also backed up by a manual kickstarter which has been revised for improved durability and to accommodate the new aluminum frame. Hassle free automatic decompression system ensures fast restarts in any gear. Convenient, handlebar-mounted hot start lever for easy restarts when the engine is hot. Magnesium cylinder head cover helps reduce weight. Cylinder inclination angle has been reduced (8.5 to 4.5 degrees) to centralize mass and bring the center of gravity closer to the rider for improved weight distribution and lighter handling. The decompressor boss has been removed and the head features a taller deck and new design for increased stiffness. The exterior head to cylinder mounting bolts are now accessible from the top side for improved serviceability. New intake manifold bolts to the head for improved serviceability. New intake port shape increases the velocity of the incoming charge for more complete cylinder filling and more power. Optimized combustion chamber design provides the most efficient intake and exhaust flow for maximum engine performance Titanium valves and load-reduced springs decrease weight by more than 40% over a conventional valve train and reduce reciprocating mass for faster-revving, smoother-hitting power delivery across the rev range. Special cylinder design features cutaways that allow the air trapped under the piston to enter a side chamber (or cutaway) to reduce horsepower-robbing "pumping losses." All new crankcase design based on the YZ450F features an integrated dry sump oil tank inside the front area of the engine cases. This design centralizes mass and reduces the centre of gravity for improved handing and a lighter feel. Exterior oil lines have been eliminated The new crankcase features a tri-axis design layout for the crank, main and drive axles. This tri-axis design keeps the crankcases more compact while also centralizing mass for better handling. All of the shafts are positioned low in the cases to maintain a low centre of gravity. The new crankcase also utilizes cutaways to reduce "pumping losses." The crankcase cutaways match the cutaways in the cylinder. Special cam shaft profiles (different from YZ450F) provide outstanding low to mid range power well suited to enduro style riding. The WR450F offers a wide spread of linear torque from low to peak rpms. Lightweight crankshaft means fast throttle response while a revised connecting rod improves durability. All new ball bearing mounted balancer shaft reduces vibration for improved rider comfort and reduced fatigue during long rides. Lightweight, short-skirt, forged piston for great durability and reduced weight. New piston oil cooler utilizes a pinpoint nozzle that directs oil to the desired portion of the cylinder and piston, to reduce piston, cylinder and rod temperatures for improved durability. Oil volume in engine has been optimized to reduce weight and oil "drag" related power losses. Compact design automatic cam chain tensioner reduces maintenance and mechanical engine noise. Revised Keihin FCR-MX39 flat-slide carburetor with throttle position sensor (TPS) ensures ultra-precise fuel/air mixing and lightning-quick throttle response. The settings have been changed to match the new engine and increased power. Revised ECU features new ignition mapping to accommodate the engine improvements for maximize power output. The new ECU provides optimal timing at all rpms for strong, fast engine response. Lightweight direct ignition coil is integrated into the plug cap to reduce weight and complexity Wide ratio 5-speed transmission features a revised primary gear ratio fro improved torque feeling. Heavy-duty clutch matches engine output and offers a light, progressive clutch feel with less lever effort for smoother shifting. Quick-access, lightweight magnesium outer clutch cover allows fast, easy access to the clutch. New YZ450 based dual radiators provide more frontal surface area while being reduced in thickness. There is a new reinforcing bar to provide extra strength in the event of a tip over. Newly designed louvers direct cooling air in the rads for maximum cooling efficiency. Newly designed airbox matches the new frame and is fastened by one bolt for quick removal. The washable, dual-stage, foam air filter can e accessed without tools via "Dzus-type" fasteners Revised, lightweight exhaust system features a stainless steel header pipe with titanium heat shield, aluminum muffler and titanium rear cone. This system maximizes engine power and allows hassle-free replacement of the oil filter. Lightweight aluminum wrapped muffler offers an 82 dba noise level (stock settings). This muffler features a "serviceable", screen-type spark arrestor which prevents sparks from exiting the exhaust. Oversize race-type "barrel adjuster" for easy, on-the-fly adjustability of clutch lever / cable play. All new, lightweight aluminum semi-double-cradle frame features a cast steering head while the remainder of the frame uses forged, pipe stock and extruded components. Yamaha has maintained the semi double cradle design to allow for "controlled flex" to optimize suspension action. The new frame provides a lower centre of gravity for a light feel and razor sharp handling, plus less rider fatigue, and excellent stability. New removable, aluminum rear subframe constructed of square-section pipe reduces weight and provides easy rear suspension access. Allen-style bolts that secure the sub frame to the main frame for fast, easy removal Revised lightweight, tapered, aluminum swingarm is produced using "hydro forming", a special forming method that uses high pressure water to form shapes. The area at the chain adjuster has been modified for a slight weight reduction. Revised, 48mm, adjustable inverted, Kayaba cartridge fork provide excellent suspension performance. The settings have been revised to compliment the new aluminum frame. Front wheel travel is 300mm (11.8"). Front fork adjustments include: 20-way compression damping and 20-way rebound damping. Optional fork springs are available through Genuine Yamaha parts. New large plastic fork protectors wrap further around the fork tubes for increased protection. These fork protectors are self-supporting to reduce friction for smoother fork operation. New, forged aluminum upper and lower triples clamp reduce weight and provide increased strength. Adjustable handlebar mounts allow the handlebars to be moved 10mm rearward if desired. All-new, lightweight, Pro-Taper aluminum handlebar with reinforcing crossbar and foam pad. The handlebar mount is forged aluminum
Monocross rear suspension system features a fully adjustable, Kayaba piggy back style shock with separate adjusters for high- and low-speed compression damping. The shock adjusts for spring preload, 20 clicks of low-speed compression damping, 2 turns of high-speed compression damping and 20 clicks of rebound damping. Rear wheel travel is 310mm (12"). The rear suspension linkage and ratio has been changed for improved suspension function. The linkage design is now same as YZ. New 250mm fully floating wave type disc brake is squeezed by a twin piston Nissin caliper fitted with lightweight, aluminum pistons provides excellent braking performance. Shorty-style adjustable front brake lever. New 245mm wave type utilizes a single piston Nissin caliper and an integrated rear master cylinder (fluid reservoir is integrated into the top of the master cylinder to reduce weight) delivers strong, progressive stopping power with excellent control and feel. Rugged, Excel 21" front and 18" rear rims provide exceptional durability and help reduce unsprung weight for optimal suspension performance. High tech, lightweight digital meter assembly. This compact meter features: speedometer, dual tripmeters, odometer and a clock in the basic mode. Or in the "race mode", pace management functions such as timer, and distance compensating tripmeter. All new bodywork is very similar to the YZ components. The front fender, rad shrouds, side covers and rear fender are all new for an improved appearance. Body rigidity is increased. The "slim line" bodywork allows fast, easy rider movements and a lighter overall machine feel. New seat is based on YZ style but is wider with more padding for good rider comfort. All new slim design front headlight is more compact and offers 35 watts of lighting power. The headlight beam is adjustable up and down. Slim design LED taillight New black plastic fuel tank capacity is 8 Litres Lightweight aluminum kickstand is designed to allow lots of Ground Clearance. Heavy duty one piece plastic engine guard. Only 3 bolts hold it in place for easy removal when cleaning bike. Extra wide stainless steel foot pegs provide excellent grip Premium Dunlop knobby tires Heavy duty Excel rims and straight pull spokes. Tapered steering head bearings for durability Enduro-style lighting front and rear increase versatility by maximizing nighttime and low- light visibility. New 8-litre fuel tank with convenient on/off/reserve petcock for peace of mind Extra wide, titanium folding footpegs Serrated rear brake lever and folding shift lever tip Rugged, plastic, lower rear disc and rear caliper protectors Sealed, low-maintenance battery is gel-filled to prevent leaks in the event of a tip-over. Waterproof starter button and engine kill switch are handlebar-mounted. New YZ style chain guide and rubber swingarm protector Heavy duty "O" ring chain for durability
Review Any time an OEM drags a dozen journalists nearly 6000 miles round trip to ride some of its bikes, you can bet every last candy cane that it's for good reason. Yamaha shipped us off to Playa Hermosa on the Pacific coast of sun-drenched Costa Rica to test the latest and greatest version of its awesome WR lineup. We jumped at the chance to swap our wintertime blues for some of the hottest Blue on the off-road market.The WR450F has won the MotoUSA 450 Enduro Shootout for the past two years running and we've constantly praised it for a level of versatility, durability and performance that exceeds its price tag. The big-bore will cost buyers an extra $400 this year (MSRP $7199) and the 250F ($6399) is an extra three hundo compared to '06. But before you fog up the computer screen with all that huffing and puffing, I can assure you that the 2007 bikes bring an equivalent amount of upgrades. We'll hit the specifics of each bike shortly, but first a blanket preview of '07 changes that are found on Dubya-Rs big and small. By naked eye alone, the new bikes are considerably changed from last year. Top to bottom, a set of ProTaper handlebars, an ovoid headlight, new graphics, flatter seat and 2.1 gallon YZ-F-style fuel tank, aluminum frame, full-coverage plastic skid guard, quick-access airbox, massive footpegs and wave-style brake rotors add up to a visually refreshed, and attractive styling motif. The YZ-style rear fender with undertail LED taillight is extra chic in my opinion; the bikes are nice to look at, no question. Yamaha's research shows that 29% of WR owners actually race their bikes, a healthy percentage in this category of bikes, and this warranted giving its new off-roaders a racier feel and greater agility in the tighter confines of woods riding. Much of this was accomplished by utilizing proven technology and lessons learned at the motocross track with the YZ-F lineup. Both '07 WRs come with the aluminum frame that appeared last year on the MX bikes. The frame change was one of the primary mods targeted at giving the WR lineup a smaller, lighter and quicker-steering machine, a primary goal for making the bike more race-worthy out of the box. One of the changes that came with this new alloy chassis is engine oil placement. Where it was once held in the steel front downtube, the 250F uses an oil reservoir that sits against the front of the cases between the wishbone spars and is the same version used on the 2006 YZ250F. Moving the lubricant from the upper frame to essentially the bottom of the engine drops the center of gravity and aids mass centralization, a huge issue for all these modern 4-strokes. "A lower center of gravity really helps the bike have a lighter, more nimble feel," assures Yamaha Technician and Test Rider, Mike Ulrich. Yamaha moved away from the external oil tank idea with the 450F and instead contains all its oil inside the new engine cases. Another trick pulled from the moto realm is the rotation of the cylinder to a more upright position. Also like the YZ-Fs, the upper tripleclamp is forged aluminum for weight reduction and greater strength. Steering on the '07 models is much like the Yamaha boys have been pumping all along, responsive and light. Though the frame is similar to the motocross version, there are noticeable differences. A 27.4-degree rake and 4.7 inches of trail on the WR450F is lazier than the 26.8-degree/4.5-inch arrangement of the quick-handling '07 YZ450F. However, the WR250F follows a much closer pedigree to its MX cousin. Both Lites-class bikes have an identical 27 degrees of rake and 4.5 inches of trail. Riders will feel comfortable and in control with the 8mm-taller ProTaper bar which opens the riding position. Further expanding the cockpit are footpegs that are 11mm-wider and 5mm lower. Seat height is 0.5 inch taller on the '07 450F at 38.5 in. but the 250F has risen even less with 0.2-inch gain, and softer foam makes it easy on the butt. But the lowered pegs, raised bars and thin layout encourage the rider to stand up, as did the stunning landscapes our tour guides from Costa Rica Unbound led us through - some of the most scenic riding I've ever encountered. As it was, the bikes we rode were able-bodied woodsmen, a handy asset on the tight single track that was overgrown with the lush, green foliage of a rainforest. The new frame gives the bike a super-narrow feel, and both machines benefit in the handling department as a result. "The WRs are the same width at the knees as the YZs," claims Ulrich. Inside the 250F mill are a new intake camshaft profile and altered cam timing to boost low-end and midrange power. Jetting changes and revised ignition mapping complements the grunt-seeking effort. Getting power to the ground as quickly and efficiently as possible in tight situations is accomplished through a series of gearing changes. First and second gear ratios remain unchanged, but the final three cogs are closer together to ensure the little motor doesn't get bogged down. To keep the top-speed capacity on par with past years, a 50-tooth sprocket was bolted on to replace the shorter 52T of '06. Slipping through the 5-speed tranny is smooth and precise, and the gearing changes are effective at keeping the motor on the boil. Similarly, the four-fifty has some cam profiles and timing revisions of its own, as well as the matching adjustments to the 39mm flat-slide Keihin feeder. Further internal changes feature an evenly distributed engine balancer which ups the balance factor from 65% on the 2006 to a velvety 100%. From low rpm to the upper revs the 450F is indeed a smooth motorcycle both in terms of power delivery and vibes transferred to the rider. Changes to the intake system are mirrored on the opposite side of the cylinder with a redesigned exhaust on the 450F, all in the name of increased low and mid-range performance. Yamaha engineers hacked 37mm off the midpipe and shrunk the header 3.2mm in diameter. "What that does," explains Ulrich of the smaller header, "is gives us a little more backpressure to help the low-end." We spent quite a bit of time on our first day sliding our way through a particularly nasty section of rainforest. The jeep road was carved into red clay soil which had recently received a tropical deluge. It was as if the rain gods hawked a giant, red loogie and the slippery goo required an easy throttle hand to avoid losing the rear end on corner exits. Both 450 and 250 machines were happy to run a gear high and chug through the jungle using the considerable yet smooth low-end muscle. Both the 450 and 250 had some issues with carburetion, but the problem stemmed not from a mechanical shortcoming but the crappy and inconsistent quality of Costa Rican gasoline. All of the journalists experienced it to some degree where a bike would run fine in the morning and then suffer spotty performance after a refill, or vice-versa. Both the 250F and 450F come as 50-state legal machines in stock trim, and Yamaha warns that the bikes must be kept in stock condition to meet all off-road trail riding requirements. However, the WR can be de-restricted by removing the exhaust baffle and airbox snorkel, snipping the grey wire (which keeps the ignition from retarding through the midrange to limit exhaust and sound emissions), removing the throttle stop and replacing it with a YZ unit, and a GYTR jetting kit installed - big surprise. Yamaha always prepares press bikes like this because it knows that a whole freaking bunch of WR owners are going to do it - probably that 30% we mentioned earlier. The changes to our bike transformed the machine into a closed-competition model only, so keep that in mind if you like to head out for an occasional trail ride with your buddies. Special care was taken this year to ensure that the WRs are at the forefront of the quiet Thumper movement. Claimed to run at 84db, the '07 bikes are noticeably quieter than in past years. The bike actually seems loud while you're riding it, but a lot of that sound is engine noise that was previously drowned out. At first it seems like the bike is rattling apart, but in reality it's just something we don't normally hear. Our bikes were in the 86db neighborhood without the exhaust insert, but even still, you can practically hear the digital enduro computer clicking off miles. Yamaha's in-house accessory department, GYTR, offers an alternate slip-on muffler that is raises the level to 96db while improving engine performance. One final performance note is the addition of wave-style rotors, another YZ-F trickle-down. The 250mm front disc is the better-performing of the two and gives very good feel at the lever. The 245mm rear is less pleasurable to use but still plenty effective. This is one of the many changes that add up to what Yamaha claims is a one-pound difference in overall weight for the 250F (234 lbs dry) and two pounds on the big bike (247 lbs). "Aside from the benefit of unsprung weight," says Ulrich, "there's also the benefit of having less rotating mass around the axle." Both 250F and 450F utilize the same suspension components with slightly different internals with altered valving. Spring rates at both ends were increased marginally (0.02 kg/mm) except in the 450F's fork which remains the same at 0.46 kg/mm. A little bit of harshness from the WR450's 48mm Kayaba led me to soften the compression four clicks up front and two in the rear to better handle sudden impacts. Other than that I was able to ride both machines and cover all types of terrain with a supple, well-balanced ride on stock settings and factory sag. The bikes we rode didn't feel a whole lot different than last year which means the suspenders are good stuff. Yamaha wanted to put in an impressive debut for the '07 WR machines and Costa Rica was certainly the place to do it. From the perspective of a man who has traveled no wider than spitting distance into Canada and Mexico, the fact that I can't decide which left a more lasting impression, the country or the machinery, says something special about the Yamahas. The power on both bikes is easy to use and offers plenty from each respective displacement. New chassis offer a racier feel and look but the benefits will still translate for even the most casual trail riders. Here at MotoUSA, we've always been fond of the WR lineup, and the new Blue keeps on impressing. One thing's for sure, after spending three days aboard these capable machines, I decided that the whole Costa Rica experience was definitely better aboard the 2007 off-road Yammies. Chances are this will be true wherever you ride. The Inside Line A quick-list of '07 features. WR250F: New intake cam and oil tank location Revised gear ratios WR450F: New engine and balancer New integrated oil tank location New camshafts New exhaust system Both: New aluminum frame New body styling New LED taillight New quick-access airbox New wave-style disc brake rotors New ProTaper handlebars New wider footpegs New full-coverage skid plate New radiator with bracing New radiator louvers New forged top triple and handlebar clamps New seat cushion design Sealed O-ring chain Source Motorcycle-USA
|
|
|
Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated. |
