This motor was really linear, which also made it rally easy to ride and very mellow. The power was easy to ride and nice and smooth. I thought it was a good all around bike because you could do a lot of things with it. The suspension worked really well on tight stuff, and even on the moto track the off-road suspension soaked up the bumps. Out of our group [of test bikes], this would be my top pick! - Steve Hengeveld/ 5'7"/ 155 lbs./ Pro
While this machine felt powerful, it was definitely not as explosive as other 450s in the test. The power was a lot more manageable, especially on tight stuff, and the suspension helped make it easy to ride. Also, these were my favorite brakes of anything that I tested; very smooth action and great control. -Alexander Smith/ 6'1"/ 155 lbs. / Expert
Editor's Note
This year's Dirt Rider Torture Test was set it up like a screening for a reality TV show: Bring what you have and prepare for whatever happens. The idea was to show up at the Torture Test with the best all-around, one-bike-does-it-all off-road dirt bike, with no guidelines or requirements from our side. It was wide open, but everyone knew going in that it would be tough to make the cut to get into the final group of bikes you see in the magazine. Of course, they didn't all make it to the pages of Dirt Rider. Some missed out ever so slightly, some by a longer ways. This is a full test of one of the bikes that missed the final cut. The competition was tough but lurking in this field of bikes you can likely find an example of the perfect bike that fits your needs, or learn what other riders or people in the industry think is the best bike in the whole world. For the people and companies that built each of these bikes, it was the best bike they could deliver.-Jimmy Lewis, Editor Dirt Rider Magazine