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Magazine Test of 2005 WR 450

By jonha,
in WR400F/426F/450F

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Grand Master

Indy_WR450

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I know the results: Top heavy, turns slow, stable, good suspension. Big bottom end hit, E-start is finicky. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah. ?

Magazine test reviews are about as informative as an insurance seminar. Get on someone's 04 or 03 and you will have your own review. The 05 is not much different! ?

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jonha

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Magazine tests do give a good review of what the new bikes are like. They have made some changes to the 05 that gives it a lower center of gravity. Are you always so negative? I started riding bikes in 1972 and have been getting all the latest mags every month since. I don't always agree with what they have to say about the latest and greatest, but they are good reviews for the most part. Far better than listening to what "Joe Dirt bike" says about the new models.

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huntmaster

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To my knowledge only advance previews have been offered so far. I hope the 05 updates help as far as previous criticism of the bike goes. They seem to have made some effort to adress the "top heavy" issue often noted. I don't like the half gallon reduction in fuel capacity though. I'm considering one. We'll see. ?

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DIGITAL_SOLDIER

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Well my boy, you can believe everything in the crap rags you want. I've noticed in Dirt Bike they are worse than John Kerry, they change their opinions every other issue. And I'm sick of their plugging KTM as the best thing since quilted a$$wipe too. The mags are so generic in their reviews, you're lucky to get a full page. You will honestly get better feedback talking to the folks that ride, own, and use these bikes on a regular basis. THE HUB FOR THAT FEEDBACK IS RIGHT HERE. ?

All I think Indy is saying is get on someones '04 for a better appreciation of what the bike will be like. And Yamaha lowered the seat like a butthair, changed a couple of things, but it's mostly the same, it's not going to be night and day from the '04. I would try to find a left over '04 at a deal than the '05. ?

out,

JB

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DIGITAL_SOLDIER

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Yamaha lowered the seat like a butthair,

That's not very much. Is it? ?

??

I guess it depends on who's butt your talking about! ? :cry:

It's not people's fault that they get excited about next year's bikes. It just has to be taken into consideration that NO bike company is going to be willing to re-engineer a successful bike just to address a couple of quirks. They will take the most cost effective measures available.

Top heavy: smaller fuel tank, 4lbs. less gas makes everything less top heavy.

Too tall: Lower profile seat, perhaps a subframe mod.

Green sticker: Thank you George Bush? ?

You have to give Yami some credit for at least listening to our gripes about the bike, as petty as some may be. I can name a couple of bike companies that any suggestion for improvement falls upon deaf ears.

P.S. Your avatar cracks me up!

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2grimjim

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As soon as we get one at the dealer I work at I'm gonna try 'n talk our general manager into using it as a demo bike. Naturally I'll have to take it for a check ride and make sure it's safe! I'll make posts a.s.a.p. We have delivered a couple of the new Al framed bikes to some local pro's and have gotten good feedback about the new 'twin chamber' style forks. These should be similar to the what's on the WR.

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Dual_Dog

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I know the results: Top heavy, turns slow, stable, good suspension. Big bottom end hit, E-start is finicky. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah. ?

Magazine test reviews are about as informative as an insurance seminar. Get on someone's 04 or 03 and you will have your own review. The 05 is not much different! ?

Magazine tests do give a good review of what the new bikes are like. I don't always agree with what they have to say about the latest and greatest, but they are good reviews for the most part. Far better than listening to what "Joe Dirt bike" says about the new models.

Direct feedback is what you get here at TT.

The input, advice and comments posted here are real time and real world. That's worth as much, if not more than, any rag article who's main motivation is sell copy. It's like they say, opinions are like a$$h*les, everybody's got one. My $.02.

I agree that it's good to read up on the pros & cons to be an informed consumer, but the real test is for you the "Joe Dirt bike" rider. So go out there and ride one! ?

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pokey1

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It just has to be taken into consideration that NO bike company is going to be willing to re-engineer a successful bike just to address a couple of quirks.

The thing is, the WR400/426/450 hasn't really had any close competition. For '05, Honda now has an E-start model, and Kawasaki and Suzuki are releasing new 450s. Yamaha better have made some significant improvements, or they won't be selling near as many as they are used to. ?

DieselsRcool's avatar is hilarious! Is that from a TV show?

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sabin

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I do know about you fellas, but I think Yamaha lost a lot of customers with the 03 wr failures and not standing behind her mistakes and making some cheep fixes and basically screw all theirs customers. I hate yamaha for not giving us all the extras at once. We are always one year behind yz450 and 2 years behind yz250 and guess what... our bike is much more expensive. So first we buy old technology then we pay more. I will ride my 04 wr450 2 years more and I will wait for the 3th year model of crf450x then buybuy yamaha.

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WR4ZAZZ

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First of all, I think you mean bye-bye Yamaha, becuase you are going to buy-buy Honda ?. Enough of the bull, I think we got a little "off" from Jonha's original question - as for '04 vs. '05, I recently purchase an '04 and love it. I have always had my eye on a WR, but pricing was too high and qty limited. I walked into the dealer and they had 4 '04s on the floor - they were ready to deal - OTD for $5900 (California). No way are they going to deal on '05, so you really need to weigh the differences. Are the new changes enough for you to really notice? I don't think they made too many key improvements to reliability and power, so will the changes in frame and few other mods really be noticed - I guess it all depends on your riding style. I know for myself all the mags use pro riders that "knit-pick" the slightest difference that the average Joe rider would never really tell as differences. Good luck!

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DIGITAL_SOLDIER

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Yeah I was pissed that there starter was crap, but I have to say I still love the bike. No problems whatsoever. (not even the starter.) Eventually I didn't mind that I had to kick out $200 to get the '04 parts. I'm elated that they just did a WR with E-start. I sold a perfectly good WR426 just to get it.

Point being,I would rather have my '03 WR shitty starter and all, before I would take 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year of Honda anything, no matter what they taute as being "revolutionary".

Good lord, how long has the WR been out? Since '98 or '99 and now 5 years later Honda is releasing it's off road competition bike! (don't even say XR400 either ?) 5 years is forever in terms of global competitiion. And for having 5 years to learn what works and what doesn't all courtesy of your competition, that CRX 450 better be some next level equipment (hell it better glow in the dark and spit out $100 bills). ****IF IT IS, I'll BE IN LINE WITH YOU!

However, I've been dealing with Honda for many years, and I know it won't be. It'll be good, but on par with the WR, KTM EXC, or SUZ/KAW at best. I don't mean to rag on you Honda guys or am I saying Yamaha is the end all bike, but seriously, that CRX better deliver the goods and then some.

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kurtdb1

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Actually, The Mag I read, shows that Yamaha reconstructed the head tube angle moving it forward and up where it attaches to the rest of the frame ...this in turn lowers the Center of Gravity...and actually, all you have to do is go onto the Yam web site to see the changes (including suspension, motor, ergos, etc.) CANT WAIT FOR MINE!!!!

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BigE

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Good post Guys. I have heard several good points. I think the fact that Yamaha would not step up and correct the major issues, " woodruff key,starter" has really left a bad taste in alot of peoples mouth. It definatley has me looking in other directions. So I'm in a dilema. I have won alot of races on my 03 450 and it has only left me in the woods once with the woodruf key. But it has been a love hate relationship. I have to re jet every time the wind blows.The electric start works but on a dead engine start you might as well kick it or you'll be watching orange feel the first turn. And this big selling point about lowering the wr is frankly a turn off. Even more so when you are 6'5",210. All the bike needed was a little weight loss and the other issues seemed to have been addressed,"starter,woodruff key,green sticker". The more I think about it I love my bike.Oh, Yamaha, why couldn't you hear our voices some 18 months ago when we just wanted a little help. So to answer your question, you'll get a great bike, no doubt, but if something goes really wrong, you are on your own unless your dealer steps up. I will be keeping my options open.

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