2010 Yamaha YZ450F - Dirt Rider Magazine

As the fascination and crazy newness of the 2010 Yamaha YZ450F wears off, the impression it is leaving on us is still as good as ever. About the only thing that has truly worn out is the shine on the bike, and truthfully, ours is still looking pretty good. Now the better part of a half-year into its life, the YZ-F still feels incredibly fresh and solid, kind of what we've come to expect from Yamahas. The overall durability is not an area of concern, even on brand-new models.Fresh off of a lot of abuse in our pipe comparison (which really takes a toll on the pipe mounting areas, and the Yamaha didn't whimper one bit) we put it back to our favorite setup with the Akrapovic full system (www.akrapovic.com) and the standard fuel and ignition mapping. Then we rode it some more. If not for the need to test more products on this bike, we'd likely just leave it like this and ride it. But there is the need to test new stuff and some old favorites, too.The first thing was a slew of GYTR parts; a lot of anodized blue goodies that gave the bike some sparkle and, if you like looking at your bike as much as riding it, could be worth the cost. On the function side we loved the radiator braces, they bolted right on and have likely saved the radiators from a twist or two. A GYTR air filter was a great replacement for the stocker.But then we got a DT-1 air filter (www.dt1filters.com) that uses its own cage and increases the air filter volume, which seems to be a good thing. We couldn't feel a difference in power or throttle response, but we didn't open up the airbox intakes any and suspect that's the true limiting factor. The DT-1 is a high-quality piece and fit in easier than the stock one, but that is really one of the sour points of the bike. Getting the filter in and out, especially without dropping dirt into the secondary filter or directly into the clean side of the airbox, takes care and time. A neat $5 piece from BP3 (www.bp3racing.com) makes the job a touch easier.Our plain love affair with the Rekluse Core EXP anti-stall clutch (www.rekluse.com, $899) continues, and we installed one in the YZ450F as soon as we could get it. Well, we love what the clutch does; it eliminates stalling and makes riding easier on our remaining brain cells in one aspect-clutch modulation. But the clutch also had a pretty dramatic effect on the handling of the bike. It decreased the compression braking by a big margin in two ways. First, it slips more than stock going into turns. Second, it allows you to easily go into turns in a higher gear without fear of stalling or having to cover the clutch. So in turn, the turning suffered and we are still playing with the suspension to come to a setup that remains comfortable in stability but brings the razor-sharp steering back.Then me and my floppy wrists insisted on the Fasst Company Flexx Bars (www.fasstco.com, $349.99) since I was going to be riding the bike the most. Getting all carried away as usual, I threw on some RidePG.com graphics with some of my more obscure sponsors listed in the custom kit and with my perfect number on the plates.On the maintenance side we have done little more in the bike's 35 hours than change the oil and clean the air filter. Bel-Ray has been the lubrication of choice and seems to be doing its job at keeping things slippery, and we haven't even replaced the fiber clutch plates since our shootout. The tires of choice have been Pirelli Mid-Softs, and speaking of that it is time for a new set. Off to the garage!Running Tally

Repairs: None