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| Racer X Tested: 2006 450F Shootout | December 09, 2005 |
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| | by David Pingree; Simon Cudby photos |
| | Printer Friendly | | | The competition in professional racing this
year may be the closest it’s been in years. Every manufacturer has a
450cc four-stroke and all of the race teams are working feverishly to
perfect the relatively new machines.
 | | The 2006 Kawasaki KX450F |
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The battle between OEMs on the
showroom floors of dealerships across the country is just as close. The
difference between all of the new 450s seems so insignificant at first
glance that you might as well just pick your favorite color.
However,
that doesn’t make for a very scientific shootout. So we asked Greg
Albertyn, Joe Oehlhof, and Andy Harrington to join me and help choose
the best bike. We even had super-photographer (and birthday boy) Simon
Cudby ride each bike and grace us with his choice for best 450 of the
year. The results were surprising.
 | | The 2006 KTM 450SX-F |
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Location, Location, Location
It’s not just a real-estate term anymore. We did our test at
Competitive Edge Motocross Park in Victorville, CA. The track is fast
with sand, hard-pack, and loamy sections. It has big jumps, high-speed
braking bumps, and sharp, choppy acceleration bumps that make it a
great place for testing the big 450s. The temperature was in the
mid-sixties and the elevation is a couple thousand feet above sea
level.
Test Riders
Joe Oehlhof
Joe has ridden for several factory-supported race teams during his
professional career, including Subway/Coca-Cola Honda, A.M. Leonard
KTM, and WBR Suzuki. Joe is consistently one of the top-finishing
privateer riders on any given weekend and is just getting back to
racing after a serious injury. (Interesting fact: Joe broke his neck at
Red Bud in early July and still can’t touch his chin to his shoulder)
 | | The 2006 Suzuki RM-Z450 |
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Regis Andy Harrington 5’ 8” 140 lbs.
Harrington has been a factory KTM rider and a member of the Motoworld
Racing team. His career included a few highlights, none of which come
to mind just now…. Just kidding. Regis is a great rider, though, and we
were glad to have him. He currently works at Ready Filters in the
marketing department. (Interesting fact: Andy is the only rider to ever
have his bike burst into flames at an AMA Supercross race; he also
stunt-doubles for just about any Hollywood movie where a girl rides a
motorcycle.)
David Pingree 5’ 7” 160 lbs.
As for myself, I have four 125cc SX main wins to my credit, plus I was
the 1995 Prince of Bercy at the Paris Supercross. My last major win
came at Anaheim in 2002 as a KTM team member. (Interesting fact: My
only championship came from the ’05 MiniMoto SX at the Orleans in
Vegas. Hey, it’s still a title.)
Greg Albertyn 5’ 11” 195 lbs.
Albertyn has some serious credentials. He is the 1992 125cc World
Motocross Champion, the 1993 and ‘94 250cc World Champion, and the 1999
250 AMA Motocross National Champion. Greg retired several years ago
from the Suzuki factory team and runs a successful land-development
business now. (Interesting fact: Greg is the only rider to ever hit and
kill a deer during a moto at the Motocross des Nations.)
 | | The 2006 Yamaha YZ450F |
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Simon Cudby
Simon has never raced professionally. He is the proverbial weekend
warrior, and he loves the sport of motocross. If he could ride like he
shoots pictures, he would give Carmichael fits. But he can’t.
(Interesting fact: If you are ever on an ocean cruise and you need your
picture taken, Simon is your guy.)
The Setup
Yamaha: Stock jetting. Sag recommended at 95mm to 97mm. We slid the
forks up 5mm in the clamps until they were at the first line on the
forks. This quickened the steering considerably. Some riders liked it,
some didn’t.
Kawasaki: Stock jetting. Sag recommended at 100mm to 102mm. Suggested gearing change to 48 rear sprocket.
Honda: Stock Jetting. Sag recommended at 100mm to 105mm.
Suzuki: Stock jetting. Sag recommended at 105mm to 108mm.
KTM: Stock jetting. Sag recommended at 105mm to 108mm.
 | | The 2006 Honda CRF450R |
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Our riders spent the day riding each bike, back-to-back, as many times
as they needed to. At the end of the day, each rider ranked the bikes
from first to fifth, with five points going to first and one point for
fifth. The scores were totaled to determine the winner.
Joe Oehlhof
1st – Suzuki (5 pts)
2nd – Kawasaki (4)
3rd – Yamaha (3)
4th – Honda (2)
5th – KTM (1)
 | | Oehlhof is happy to be back on the track. Here he takes the KTM through the paces. |
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I choose the Suzuki first because it worked so good for me. The motor
is strong and controllable. The power is very broad and easy to use.
The suspension is much-improved over last year’s bike. The forks are
better—they don’t feel harsh like last year’s bike did, and are
actually a little on the soft side. The shock is also much better. It
doesn’t hop around like last year. I felt like I could aim this bike
anywhere I wanted and it would go there. It was totally precise and
accurate. The stock bars are a little low for me but the bike is
comfortable other than that. The controls are all excellent.
The Kawasaki is second. I felt like the motor was sluggish on the
bottom but had really strong mid and top. It over-revs really far. The
Kawi handles great in a straight line. It is really stable, especially
at speed, but it was harder for me to turn. I had to work to make it
change lines or carve tight. The suspension worked really well here
today too. The forks were good and the shock was great. I just felt a
little more comfortable on the Suzuki but they were very close.
The Yamaha has a good hit on the bottom, but it felt like it went flat
on me. The mid and top just weren’t there. I thought the forks were a
little soft, and I felt like the shock was little harsh-feeling. But
the bike is very stable. I was confident on the Yamaha that I could pin
it through the rough stuff and it wouldn’t do anything funny. It also
feels really light and maneuverable in the air. I liked that. The
ergonomics are good too. It is really easy to slide forward and back on
the Yamaha. The motor just didn’t work as well for me, so it is behind
the KXF and the RMZ.
 | | Joe was most comfortable on the Suzuki. |
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The Honda is fourth for me because of the handling. The front end is
really nervous. I had no confidence that the front end would go where I
wanted. It felt like it wanted to wash out on me all the time.
Basically, I love everything about this bike from the triple clamps
back; I just didn’t like the way the front end felt at all. The motor
is the best of all the bikes. It is so strong and makes power for so
long. The shock felt a little stiff. Other than that, everything else
is great. The controls are excellent and everything else works awesome.
The KTM doesn’t make enough power down low. It revs out all right but
the bottom and mid are both really weak. If you get on this bike after
riding the Honda, it feels pretty slow. The forks and shock were
surprisingly good. They didn’t do anything funny in the bumps or on the
jumps. The KTM feels a little tall or top-heavy to me. I definitely
couldn’t ride this bike as hard as the others. I had to take it easy.
It has a very comfortable feel, though. The front brake and clutch are
awesome.
Andy Harrington
1st – Yamaha (5 pts)
2nd – Kawasaki (4)
3rd – Honda (3)
4th – Suzuki (2)
5th – KTM (1)
 | | Harrington does his best Bubba impression on the Kawasaki. |
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To me, the Yamaha had the best overall feel. I sat perfect in the seat
and did not feel too high or too low; the bars and levers and the
complete ergo package were awesome. It had the motor that was tame but
pulled all the way through the power band—and didn’t seem to want to
stop pulling. Shifting points were very broad. On high-speed bumps and
coming into turns, it felt really straight and stable. Turning was a
breeze. I could point and shoot it out of corners or slide it easily.
The Kawasaki was a close second. I loved the motor and the way it
pulled. It needed to be shifted a little more than the Yamaha because
of the four-speed tranny, but at the over-rev limit it didn’t feel like
you were robbed of power. It felt extremely light in the turns. This
bike, for me, turned the best out of all of them. The front forks had a
very plush feel to them. When I first got on the bike it felt like I
sat really high up in the saddle and I was really far from the ground.
I got used to the feel pretty quick, though.
The Honda is third, but it definitely had the most powerful motor out
of the group. The bike felt really skinny and I was able to really hold
on with my legs. When I sat in the saddle I felt as though the bars
were really tall; like maybe it was suited better for a taller rider.
It tracked very straight through the rough in the rear end. The front
end felt a little bit “nervous” or fast-feeling. It was a little
sketchy coming into the turns. (I think I would need softer springs to
fix this.)
The Suzuki is fourth. We could not get the sag set for me
(approximately 140 lbs.). I would need softer springs here too. The
bike was pretty stiff overall on the track. The ergonomics were very
good and it was very comfortable. The Suzuki hits really hard on the
bottom, but didn’t seem to pull as hard as the bikes up on top. The
shifting points were very critical on this bike. I felt confused a lot
of times on if I should shift or try to rev it out.
The KTM finished fifth. The clutch on this bike is really good and easy
to pull. The front brake has an awesome feel (including the lever,
which is a little fatter than the rest). I like the feel of it. The
motor had a good overall power to it. I have no complaints about the
engine. The radiator shrouds seem to really be a problem for me. I wear
knee braces, and I was constantly hooking my braces on the top of the
shrouds in corners. The tank is skinny but the shrouds go wide very
abruptly. It took a little while to get used to the ergonomic feel of
this bike. Even after I felt I had a good feel, my feet were coming off
the pegs, braces hooking on shrouds, and it felt a little harder to
stay steady on it. When I wouldn’t be really precise on jump landings,
it seemed to take a lot out of me.
I would like to say that the top three bikes were very close for me. If
I had to take the bikes how they were to a race, it would be tough to
choose between them. I chose them in this order as if I had to leave
today and go to a race. With a little more fine-tuning on any of them,
I could race any of them.
The Suzuki needed a little more work to be race-ready (or even
track-ready) for me. I would need to soften it up for sure. I would
also have to get really used to shifting it in the right places for
maximum power. The KTM was the furthest off for me, personally. I would
definitely need to ride quite a bit to get used to the ergos and some
suspension testing would need to be done. I am not really sure what I
would need to do, because the front and rear did not seem to work that
well together.
David Pingree
1st – Kawasaki (5 pts)
2nd – Yamaha (4)
3rd – Honda (3)
4th – Suzuki (2)
5th – KTM (1)
The Kawasaki gets my nod for best bike in this shootout. It has a great
motor that pulls hard from down low and continues to rev. The chassis
is incredibly stable on a motocross track. It never wants to swap,
kick, or bounce out of a line. The forks worked perfectly. They
absorbed any hard landings well and felt really supple and plush on
small chop. The bike does have a bigger feel to it when you first get
on the track, but you don’t notice it after a few turns. The reason you
don’t notice it is because it is so nimble. The KXF can carve an inside
line with the best of them, and it jumps comfortably.
In a very close second I have the Yamaha. The YZF does everything good.
It has an incredibly smooth motor that makes more power than any bike
besides the Honda. The chassis is the most comfortable and maneuverable
of the group and the handling is stable and precise. The spring rates
are too stiff for me (target weight for a 450 is around 180 lbs.), but
even over-sprung the bike tracks straight through bumps. Brakes and
controls are comfortable on the Yamaha. The only complaint I had was
that I couldn’t get to the clutch adjuster while I was riding.
The Honda finishes an even closer third. Honda has everyone beat in the
motor department. The CRF power plant seems more powerful and broader
than any of the others. The handing is very quick and precise on the
Honda. It is the quickest-moving bike of the bunch, which can be good
or bad, depending on what you like. I like how I can change lines
coming into a turn at the last minute and it will dart to any line I
choose. However, the front end can feel nervous at times and slightly
unstable when braking into a sweeping turn.
 | | Simon Cudby shows some vet style on his 40th birthday. | | photo: Ping |
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The Suzuki sits in fourth. While the RMZ is a very comfortable bike, it
has a harsh feel on the track. The back end also moves around more than
it should. I couldn’t get the rear end to track straight. The motor has
a strong hit on the bottom and a decent mid and top. The four-speed
tranny is very noticeable, and I caught myself in between gears several
times during the day. It is a great bike, but it doesn’t have the motor
of the Honda, the handling of the Kawasaki, or the stability of the
Yamaha.
The KTM is slightly off the pace in the 450 division. The motor is
mellow and easy to ride but not a potent racing power plant. The
handling is good on certain types of bumps, but it can still shake
around and get loose on choppy, sweeping corners. If you hit anything
head-on, the KTM absorbs it nicely. The finishing touches on the KTM
are, as always, perfect. The clutch is great. The brakes are great. The
pegs are great. The bars and grips are great. The KTM just needs a
makeover. Hopefully it will get one next year.
Greg Albertyn
*Greg did not want to rank
the bikes because he rode for Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Honda during his
long career. Our mistake for not clarifying that before we originally
posted this.
 | | Albee's still got it | |
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The KTM is a great bike for the average rider. It corners great and the
motor is good but the feel is a bit cramped. The bars feel like they
are right in your lap and the radiator shrouds grab your legs when you
come in and out of turns. The suspension was too soft for a track like
Competitive Edge. It felt like it would be a great off-road bike or
trail bike.
The Suzuki is still a great bike. The motor
flattens off on top a bit sooner than the others, and I really noticed
the four-speed gearbox on this bike as well. I was in between gears
through a lot of the turns. The handling was good and the overall feel
of the bike is great. In fact, it is probably the most comfortable bike
to ride. It is very stable, and it turns better than any other bike. It
corners awesome.
I really liked the Yamaha bike but it didn’t stand out
anywhere. The Honda motor is slightly better and the Kawasaki handles
slightly better. The Yamaha is a great bike, though; it has a very
smooth power and it handles very well. While it doesn’t shine anywhere,
it also doesn’t do anything bad. There is very little separating these bikes. I did have some
trouble adjusting the clutch while I was riding.
On the Honda, the motor is the best of all the bikes. It has amazing torque and the power is
spread out over such a broad span. You couldn’t ask for a better motor.
It has a great overall feel and it handles well but it feels a little
more “twitchy” than the Kawasaki. It also feels a little bit more rigid where the KXF is very
plush.
I was really surprised by the Kawasaki today. The overall feel of the
bike is just awesome. It makes great power and it handles incredibly
well. The motor prefers to be lugged rather than revved out, but it
makes great power from the bottom up through the middle. I did find
myself between gears a bit on this bike. I would definitely prefer a
five-speed gearbox. The Kawasaki handles the best. It is very stable
and very plush.
 | | Greg runs his last national number with pride, as he should | |
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I want to say that the bikes were all very close. You could take any of
them and win races on them. The differences we
are talking about are very slight, and unless you are really riding the
bike hard, you may not even notice them. I was very impressed with all
of the new bikes.
Simon’s Picks
1st – Kawasaki – (5)
2nd – Honda – (4)
3rd - Suzuki – (3)
4th – Yamaha – (2)
5th – KTM – (1)
I would honestly be stoked to have any one of these bikes—there is no
way that I’m going to ride any of them to their potential. But they are
all a blast to ride. I could definitely tell that I was more confident
and comfortable on the Kawasaki and the Honda. I don’t know if it was
just a feeling or what, but it seemed like I was going faster when I
was riding those bikes. The differences are pretty minor, though.
FINAL SCORE
Racer X’s 2006 450 Shootout
December 7, Competitive Edge
1. Kawasaki - 18 points
2. Yamaha - 14 points
3. Honda - 12 points
Suzuki - 12 points
5. KTM - 4 points |
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