YAMAHA’s achievements in the field of motorcycles are obvious to all. It not only keeps up with the trend of technological progress, but also achieves the forefront of the industry in terms of its own quality. Recently, we tested the brand new 2019 Yamaha YZ450F. Compared with the 2018 model, it has improved in many aspects. With the efforts of Yamaha engineers and testers, the small changes of the new model are obviously reflected in the dynamic performance. Although there is no obvious difference from some theoretical data, you will feel the improvement from the inside out after a real test drive.
In order to find out where the 2019 model is more competitive than the old model, we can first look at the Yamaha YZ450F motorcycle. Since its launch, there have been few complaints about the engine department on the market, which also reflects the durability of Yamaha’s powertrain. For this year’s model, Yamaha has made improvements to the starter, reducing engine drag and power loss.
For the 450cc model, on most off-road tracks, the gears I usually use are second and third gears, and occasionally fourth gear is used on long straights and high-speed corners. For the 2018 YZ450F, the number of large chainring teeth on the rear wheel is 48. In most cases, I would prefer to maintain a high speed, so that it can approach the maximum power in the gear at that time. But when this situation occurs near the corner, you have to choose whether to upshift and lower the speed (but you have to downshift when you actually enter the corner, in order to maintain the speed and speed when you exit the corner), or to maintain the current gear, This is where every driver needs to consider and choose. As far as I am concerned, I am lazy, and I am unwilling to upshift at the turn and then downshift immediately, but directly choose high speed to corner. Having said so much, I just want to express that the design of the large chain plate of the old Yamaha YZ450F still needs to be optimized, especially for this type of model that is often used in off-road races.
Today, we are at Glen Helen in Australia for a test drive at the same time and compared the performance of the 18 and 19 models. For the design of the large chainring teeth mentioned above, the 2019 Yamaha YZ450F has an additional tooth to reach 49. In this way, the change of the transmission ratio of the vehicle will further affect the power system of the vehicle, requiring re-adjustment and matching. Compared with this, in the same corner, where the 18 models may require over-revving or upshifting and lowering the speed, the 19 models can basically maintain the highest speed range of the current gear for cornering, which also makes it possible to maintain a faster speed. Faster cornering and cornering speeds, and less frequent gear changes to shorten time. As for the great improvement of redesigning the large chain plate and re-matching the transmission ratio of the whole vehicle, I believe that any player who is familiar with motorcycles can feel it intuitively.
After talking about the most intuitive change in the number of teeth on the chain plate, another biggest change in the 2019 Yamaha YZ450F belongs to the improvement in handling brought about by suspension tuning. First of all, what is different from other manufacturers is that YAMAHA has always insisted on using durable spring shock absorbers instead of the current popular gas springs. This motorcycle is equipped with KYB SSS shock absorbers, which can provide good dynamics Guarantee, whether it is the filtering and absorption of road bumps or the rebound and compression control of the shock absorber when flying slopes, it is very delicate and precise, which can give the driver enough confidence.
Speaking of the suspension of the 2018 Yamaha YZ450F, everyone generally believes that the tuning is relatively soft. This setting is no problem when driving at low speeds, but once the speed is increased, the soft suspension will lead to some sacrifices in driving control. Under the conditions of rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration, it is also difficult to control the attitude of the vehicle. This style has a lot of requirements on the driver’s ability. In this year’s new model, the engineers have spent a lot of energy to correct this, and the damping feeling of the front and rear shock absorbers has been enhanced, which greatly improves the limit of the vehicle’s handling. Now that we talk about “soft”, let’s talk about the “soft” seat of the 2018 model. This is also a detail that some consumers complain about. Although the soft seat ensures driving comfort, it is also an off-road racing car after all. , Its positioning is mostly competitive, so more support should be considered during off-roading, and a harder seat is also conducive to the driver’s changing posture to adapt to different fare needs.
In addition to the suspension, shock absorber and chain plate improvements, further helping the driver to obtain the ultimate experience also includes a redesigned front axle assembly. In the 2019 Yamaha YZ450F, the structural parts associated with the shock absorber have been strengthened to increase the contact area between them to ensure better support and feedback feel. As trivial as it sounds, this is where engineers have painstakingly improved.
In fact, on the day we tested the 2019 Yamaha YZ450F at Glen Helen, they sprayed parts of the track with water, so some areas were slippery. And our test drive car is also equipped with three different engine Map adjustments, namely Linear Torque for hard pack, Smooth Linear for slippery and Hard Hitting forloamy. I first tried the first Map, and the initial feeling was good, but the opening of the throttle valve was a bit too large, and it was difficult to control. At the moment of acceleration out of the corner, if the control is not precise, it is very likely that the head will be tilted and the rhythm will be broken. Time to get used to it. After gradually getting used to this tuning, I can take out my mobile phone and open the Yamaha Power Tune APP to change different engine maps (the software is completely free and is suitable for Android and Apple platforms). In the second map, it is smoother than the first one, and there will be no instantaneous torque burst. The whole process is more handy and gives the driver enough confidence. The last adjustment is more suitable for high-speed driving, such as speeding in the vast desert, you can actually feel the power and the control that the suspension brings to you.
Don’t think that changing the engine map through the mobile APP is very high-level. Based on the CAN-bus network, the air-fuel ratio and ignition advance angle of the engine can also be adjusted through WIFI transmission to meet the power requirements of different working conditions and regions. These can be done in a few minutes. It is very simple and easy to do. Of course, Yamaha officially limits the parameters that can be modified by users, so as to avoid damage to the engine caused by misuse by unfamiliar players. In addition, the APP can also help you monitor a series of data in real time, record the log information of the game and some routine diagnosis, etc.
In general, the changes you can see intuitively may be insignificant, but this is indeed the result of the day and night efforts of Yamaha engineers, and the actual effect is definitely beyond your imagination. For example, the improved transmission ratio brought about by replacing the large sprocket makes it easier to drive. Moreover, we all know that single-cylinder engines are noisy, but it tries to amplify the advantages of other aspects to enhance people’s tolerance. At present, the 2019 Yamaha YZ450F has arrived at dealers around the world, priced at $9,299 (equivalent to about 61,000 yuan). If you want to experience a 450cc motorcycle, then this Yamaha YZ450F is definitely a good choice.
