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Home » motocross bikes » Race Test: Racing Paul Whibley’s AmPro Yamaha WR450 – Dirt Rider Magazine

Race Test: Racing Paul Whibley’s AmPro Yamaha WR450 – Dirt Rider Magazine

By: jimmy lewis

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Whibley grabs a holeshot just like I thought I would. Dreaming is better than reality./></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Whibley grabs a holeshot just like I thought I would. Dreaming is better than reality.</p>
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<p>Whibley’s WR isn’t that much of a WR really. Actually, he takes all of the less desirable or more trail-rider-friendly WR qualities out of the bike and spices it up with a much more race spec and design. Gone is the WR weight and girth. That’s not so much from the pounds shed, even with the entire electric-start system removed from the bike. The lighter feeling comes more from the setting of the suspension, on this particular bike a complete swap over to Öhlins TTX components with a very GNCC setup inside them that is constantly evolving. Changes in steering geometry have the front end feeling lighter and livelier though still stable, thanks to the 22mm-offset Ride Engineering triple clamp. The lazy and perfectly trail-capable WR was now a serious race WR.Paul’s motor setting is definitely more than what a WR is known for. It is a lot more snappy and racy than even an older YZ. With a combination of Eleven10Mods engine modifications the throttle is tasked with picking up the front end via just a small twist, which for some could lead to a difficult time finding traction. It has a big pulse and bang feel with every stroke of the motor at low-low rpm and builds quickly and healthily from there. Since the bottom is so strong, the mid feels almost normal, but it’s not; it is still strong and the very top-end seems almost flat in comparison. Just try thinking it is flat when you are wide open and letting her eat, because you are moving. Paul solved any traction issues by simply going faster, plus he has Kenda’s new Triple tires on the bike and they have bite. In a very basic explanation, he is moving faster, carrying more momentum and therefore actually getting traction from the strong bottom power in higher gears, not spinning the wheel if he were traveling slower in a lower gear with more (too much) power to it. He rides a gear high, which keeps the rotational mass of the engine feeling lighter, and he isn’t afraid to twist the throttle plenty far to get the bike to pull him in that taller gear. Add to that a jetting combination that is as crisp as crisp can be for each race in this age of FI, and the WR proves what it is capable of.So after learning by trial and error, I was getting the hang of riding this bike five or six rear brake-induced stalls later. I was also getting the hang of not putting my foot anywhere near the brake pedal. I’d personally still have the electric starter onboard, but most of the time, with the hot-start lever depressed, the bike would fire right up. The other times, I just looked at it as more passing practice against those two extra guys who were so hard to get around in the first place who passed me every time I’d stall it. Riding with a number one plate on your bike is good-until the other riders figure out you didn’t earn it, you just borrowed it.Midway through the race I was graced with a five-second pit stop via the IMS dry-break gassing system, hardly time to grab a drink or anything. And I was back at it trying to break down the machine even further. But what was good about this bike was the more I just quit thinking about how it was working, it just kept working better and better. Maybe a bit stiffer suspension overall than my speed would require, but it was confidence inspiring and collected the whole time. The bike rarely did anything unexpected, though the Big Buck was being run in perfect conditions with more dust than mud. And when the course did open up in the fields, the WR was not lacking, making passing quite easy if I got a good drive out of the woods. Then the EBC brakes could control a panic stop if I did get a little happy with too much speed. Which I did-come on, I’m an ex-desert racer!
<div><a href=

Whibley grabs a holeshot just like I thought I would. Dreaming is better than reality./></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Whibley grabs a holeshot just like I thought I would. Dreaming is better than reality.</p>
</div>
<p>So I managed a top-10 position in the process of breaking in Whibley’s next race bike. I think I did a pretty good job. And the next day we went out riding with a few of the AmPro boys and it would be Paul’s first chance to ride his now almost new bike. As we were discussing his setup and how most of the bike fit me he looked down at the brake pedal and then asked, “So mate, how come you run the rear brake pedal up so high?”<strong>AmPro Yamaha Team Sponsors</strong><br />
Yamalube<br />
GYTR, ProTaper<br />
Kenda Tires<br />
Wiseco<br />
EK Chain<br />
Motion Pro<br />
EBC<br />
Twin Air<br />
Zip-Ty<br />
CV4<br />
Eleven10Mods<br />
Rekluse<br />
QTM<br />
Fastway<br />
G2<br />
Ride Engineering<br />
Johnny Sign<br />
TM Designworks<br />
IMS</div>

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