2021 450 Shootout - Dirt Bike Magazine

maintain the life look and value of your motorcycle for years to come learn more at slickproductsusa.com hi i'm mark tilly and welcome to dirt bike magazine's 2021 450 mx shootout now 2020 is a year that we would like to all forget but it's time to put that behind us and get ready for what promises to be a great new year we have a record crop of bikes so we took our time to make sure that we gave each of them a full evaluation that includes a newcomer to the motocross world the gas gas mc450f we have also included the unchanged suzuki rmz 450 thanks to the support of dwayne at simi valley cycles those two will be going heads up against the brand new honda crf crf450r the husqvarna fc 450 the kowi kx450 the ktm 450 sxf and the yamaha yz450f we have equipped all seven motorcycles with brand new dunlop mx33 tires and tested them on four different tracks including cal city mx that you will see in the video so thanks for waiting and let's get to it so [Applause] gas gas has traditionally been a company associated with trail bikes and off-road racing but that all changed last year when pierre mobility the parent company of ktm acquired controlling interest there that's how the 2020 mc-450f came into being it's the first real motocross bike carrying the gas gas name critics accuse it of being another ktm clone but that's not accurate it does use a great number of ktm parts it's aimed at a very different buyer the mc450 sells for nine thousand three hundred and ninety nine dollars which is eight hundred dollars less than a ktm and nine hundred dollars less than a husky in order to do that it has no map switch it comes with maxis tires it also has differences in the exhaust handlebars and rims not to add fuel to the flames but on the track the gas gas has a very distinct ktm flavor that means it's very light very fast and very smooth on our scale it's the exact same weight as the ktm 450 sxf at 223 pounds without fuel which is one of its greatest assets it's a very easy bike to ride by 450 standards the power is even a little smoother than the ktm although it doesn't have quite as much on top on the track the bike is noticeably quieter than the husky or the ktm that's due in part to the exhaust the head pipe doesn't have a chamber on it and the muffler is older generation muffler making it a little bit quieter triple clamp wise the bike has kind of the same design but it is a cast aluminum instead of a cnc machined aluminum and that results in a little bit more rider comfort up front suspension wise the bike is overall softer than the ktm and the husky as well if you want more snap you can always vent the air box and maybe install a ktm map switch there is always the option of an aftermarket exhaust the price gives you a little wiggle room as for the suspension it's very similar to the ktm the wp exact 48 air fork has the latest upgrades to the mid valve and bottoming it's cushy and versatile but has some distinct air fork traits that many riders don't like overall we considered the gas gas a great addition to the motocross world we'll never understand those who criticize ktm for its history of saving distressed manufacturers the arrival of the 2021 honda crf450r is huge news the twice pipes are gone it has a new chassis with new bodywork and we never thought it would happen a hydraulic clutch the head now uses a centrally located exhaust port leading to a single muffler the frame is new and honda says it's lighter by over two pounds we put our test bike on the scale and already found its weight 233 pounds without fuel that makes it the lightest of the japanese 450s on the track the honda is crazy fast it's the most powerful of all the 2021 450s quite easily it starts off strong at low revs and then keeps on revving and revving pros will love it but there is an issue with the power delivery that should be dealt with there's a hiccup down low that can catch you off guard it's a momentary hesitation at initial throttle opening map 2 is supposed to be the beginner friendly option but oddly enough it isn't much help it kills the low end torque and creates a hole that's hard to climb out of on top of that the hiccup is more pronounced in map 3 the hiccup is still there but the motor is so much more responsive down low that you get past it quickly in general most riders prefer map one you learn to work around the hiccup the new clutch is much much better than the old version not only is the pool light the engagement is always in the exact same place the crf450r is still a quick handling bike with a light touch and a responsive feel aggressive riders can dive into the corner with the throttle on and cut to the inside with very little effort more conservative riders can stick to the inside and steer their ware through a turn no matter who you are you might have to put some effort into suspension setup the standard setup is a little unbalanced we've had several test riders who weigh between 170 and 190 pounds and all of them agree that the best solution was to increase the rear spring rate honda did a good job with this bike especially considering that coveted 19 hit just when they were finalizing things like suspension setting and mapping it's clear that it needs a little more fine-tuning and there are rumors that honda will offer an update map at the dealer level msrp for the 2021 honda crf450r is 9599 there will also be a fresh batch of 2020 models available at the dealer level for a thousand dollars less [Music] [Music] husky is continuing to follow a different evolutionary path than ktm we began to see some hints of this last year the husky's power delivery was a little bit milder and the suspension was a little cushier apparently aimed more towards the mature rider that makes sense husky is a legacy brand that might mean something more to a vet and senior rider the price is higher and the image is different even though the fc 450 shares most of its parts with the ktm 450 sxf for 2021 the husky's biggest change is in the suspension department the wp exact aer 48 air fork was redesigned with a mid valve and the suspension travel and overall height of the bike has been reduced by 10 millimeters this is a change that doesn't come on the 2021 ktm 450 sxf to do this wp shortened the cartridge and the fork tube up front then change the shock head and the linkage in the rear the idea was to give it a lower center of gravity and make it a little bit easier to ride the husky already had a number of differences including a different air box and a composite subframe other changes between the ktm and the husky are simple to engage just different sources the clutch hydraulics or magura rather than brembo the handlebar is pro taper rather than nekken the rims are drd rather than excel for 2021 the bike can have smartphone connectivity for altering the mapping and power delivery unlike the yamaha system you have to pay extra for the transmitter but it's still an improvement over what husky offered in the past on the track the husky once again has a very smooth linear power delivery it's still a fast motorcycle but as 450s go it's not especially demanding the changes in suspension as far as we are concerned are excellent we already were pleased with the changes in the fork valving on the rockstar edition that alone was the biggest single improvement that has come since the introduction of the air fork the decrease in travel and overall height was met with overwhelming positive feedback by our test riders sean lepinovich in particular was a big fan that's not surprising he's kind of short well actually real short but even mark tilly who is over six feet tall said the bike cornered much more willingly now the husky is one of the easiest bikes to ride of all the 450s on our scale the husky is 224 pounds without fuel the price is 10 299 dollars [Applause] the kawasaki kx450 was completely and totally new in 2019 getting a new frame and motor with electric start and a hydraulic clutch it was unchanged in 2020 and now it has three significant changes for 2021. the clutch was redesigned using a cup disc spring instead of a coil spring this is similar to the design ktm uses which they call the dds clutch kawasaki also gave the piston a dry lube coating and finally kawasaki stepped up to the renthal fat bar handlebar first of all the clutch has a different feel it already had a very light pull for 90 percent of the world that's great but the one drawback is that when you have an easy pull you tend to overuse the clutch kawasaki's have never had especially durable clutches so that could lead to a short life span for the plates for the record mark tilly has half of a season on his original kawasaki clutch it's still going strong still the clutch should be more durable the initial pull is about the same as the previous one but it gets easier as it progresses the engagement on the other hand is sharper for 2021. you know when it's locked there's less feeling of vagueness as a side note not everyone likes the feel of hydraulics when ryan villapodo went to europe in his last season of racing he started off with a hydraulic clutch then returned to a cable system we have to say that he's an exception to the rule though virtually everyone else likes the feel of a hydraulic clutch handling and power are still excellent on our scale the 2021 model weighs 235 pounds without fuel it has a more stable well planted feel than virtually any other 450. that's what we loved about the 2019 and 2020 version and why it won our last two 450 shootouts it isn't just the fastest bike in the class it's actually one of the slowest according to the dyno but you don't walk away thinking about it in those terms it's super smooth and easy to ride it revs out cleanly without a sudden rev limiter shutdown suspension is also a strong point it's the overall package that made the kawasaki our favorite 450 motocross bike last year and the year before the power works with the suspension and the handling to make it an easy bike to ride the 2021 kawasaki kx450 sells for 9 hundred and ninety nine [Music] dollars the new ktm 450 sxf has very few changes but it's still a vastly improved motorcycle that's because the front suspension has major changes that allows it to compare much more favorably with the coil springs from showa and kyb ktm didn't get the 10 millimeter reduction in travel that we saw with the husky fc450 but it did get a bunch of other changes including a trampoline style mid valve a different bottoming system and a rebound clicker that needs no screwdriver most suspension tuners say the mid valve is a game changer for wp and long overdue all this was first previewed on the factory edition although the production 2021 model has still more valving changes simply because wp engineers had more testing time since the factory edition was introduced the bottom line for the ktm was that suspension was the bike's biggest shortcoming it wasn't terrible by any means but the ktm simply wasn't as comfortable as the japanese 450s wp has closed the gap on small chop and sharp edges in particular the new design delivers a much better feel that you could never achieve with the old setup there are still riders who never quite warm up to the air fork it has to do with feedback and feel bikes like the yamaha and kawasaki give you a more direct connection to the track and allow you to search for those little bits of traction all of the other things we love about the ktm are still in play it weighs 223 pounds without fuel last year that made it the lightest production 450 but now it's tied with a gas gas for that honor it has a super wide power band with smooth delivery and it revs infinitely we tested the ktm with both air box cover options one is vented and one is closed off with the vented air box cover the bike hits a little bit harder down low earlier in the year ktm announced that it would offer a smartphone app for engine tuning similar to the yamaha power tuner it isn't yet available but it will require the purchase of a transmitter the yamaha comes with a transmitter pre-installed the msrp of the 2021 ktm 450 sxf went up a hundred dollars for 2021. the retail cost is 10 199 dollars [Music] [Music] earlier in the year suzuki announced the separation of the marine and motorcycle division and the end of suzuki's involvement with joe gibbs racing sparked dark rumors about suzuki's future in the motocross world apparently there's no reason for this pessimism suzuki is enjoying a great year in sales and has announced a full 2021 lineup that includes motocross bikes unfortunately 19 has delayed delivery of those bikes so we were forced to use a 2020 rmz 450 provided by simi valley cycles the rmz 450 is completely unchanged for 2021 aside from some minor graphic details it now provides a legitimate alternative for the purist who doesn't want to pay for a battery or an electric start the rmz 450 has the lowest suggested retail price in the group the last major change for this bike came in 2018 when it got a new chassis styling and got rid of the air fork for the average rider the suzuki's power delivery is awesome it's smooth and fast enough for 99.9 of american riders for the remainder we know there's more to be had simply because of the bike's record in lucas oil pro motocross where it pulled a disproportional number of hole shots for us we wouldn't change anything about the motor it's a sweetheart we feel that the rmz is one of the best handling bikes in the 450 class because it drops into turns so effortlessly that hasn't changed in years we will say however that the rest of the motocross world has figured out some of suzuki's magic kawasaki honda and ktm all have developed bikes that turn well and weigh less the suzuki is a big girl despite the fact that it doesn't have to carry around an electric starter it weighs 239 pounds without fuel for 2021 suzuki has joined the smartphone club there's an app that allows you to modify the spark advance as well as efi mapping at the track the msrp for the 2021 suzuki rmz 450 is eight thousand nine hundred and ninety nine dollars [Music] [Music] for 2021 there are absolutely no mechanical changes for the yamaha yz-450f that's never happened before but we're okay with it in case you aren't up to speed on your yz history 2018 was the last year for really big changes that was a total remake for the frame and motor yamaha also introduced the power tuner smartphone app at that time it's clear that yamaha was ahead of the game on this ktm husky and suzuki are all going to a similar system for 2021. in those cases you have to purchase the transmitter separately yamaha includes it with the sail of the bike all things considered the yamaha probably has the best overall motor of the bunch in terms of absolute horsepower it's very close to the honda but considerably smoother and easier to manage so much so that it's a little boring after a brief period of lurchiness at the very bottom it pulls harder and harder in a very linear way on top it revs higher and farther than any other 450. it's predictable trackable and fast most of the popular maps that are passed between yz 450 owners are aimed at providing a little more hit somewhere in the power bank the honda ktm and husky motors all have a little more excitement in the middle it's almost a knee-jerk reaction to praise the yz450f suspension it's been at the top of the mx world for a very very long time and it's as good as ever the most remarkable part is that everyone likes it even if you fall outside the average weight and skill level chances are you'll pull off the track happy if not you can make it work with a few clicks here or there riders generally like the bike with 106 millimeters of sag in the rear and just a little less compression damping front and rear the main area where the yz450f doesn't shine as brightly is in agility it feels like a big long heavy bike at 239 pounds the yamaha is still 16 pounds heavier than a ktm 450 sxf and six pounds heavier than the new honda it also has a slow steering feel that some riders like but others don't add it all up and the yamaha has very little cut and thrust in its bag of tricks it likes sweeping lines and power on cornering the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 2021 yamaha yz-450f 93999 dollars wood [Music] um [Music] here at dirt bike magazine we're glad we waited to get a full collection of 450s for our 2021 shootout the late arrivals deserved just as much attention as the bikes that came early in the end we weren't especially surprised that the kawasaki kx450 emerged as the top pick it was our favorite 450 motocrosser in 2020 and it only got better it still handles predictably it still has excellent suspension and it still has a sweet power delivery that anyone can appreciate now it just combines all that with a lighter clutch pull and more refinement for the full 2021 450 mx shootout look for the april print edition on newsstands and don't worry we're not going to leave you hanging if you want to see the final finishing order of the 2021 dirt bike magazine 450 mx shootout click the link in the description below [Music] if you got a little bit more time on your hands and you want to see each individual 2021 450 mx bike video click on our year 21 playlist now all seven are there [Music] you

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Keywords: motocross, dirt, dirt bike, amazing, incredible, fast, speed, moto, sport, shootout, husqvarna, suzuki, yamaha, honda, kawasaki, gasgas, ktm, horsepower, motorcycle, furious, magazine, media, news, review, latest, insane, crazy, jump, gap, stunt

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Length: 24min 38sec (1478 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 28 2020