450 Words: Rebuilding Year?
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PrintIn a year filled with parity, one brand is sticking out for not joining in the party. The first four Monster Energy 450 SX races this year were captured by riders on a Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki, and although KTM isn’t where they’re hoping to be yet with Ryan Dungey, he does have two podiums in four races—plus Ken Roczen is now leading the 250SX West Region.
But Yamaha hasn’t sniffed the podium in either class. Their best shot so far came in Oakland when Justin Brayton grabbed a good start in the 450 main and avoided some huge carnage in a second-turn crash. But Brayton admitted to me that he didn’t ride as well as he should have, and Dungey eventually caught him. Then Brayton hit the ground when Dungey was executing a pass, and he ultimately finished tenth.
Justin Brayton was looking at a seasons-best finish in Oakland, but collided with Ryan Dungey and eventually finished tenth.
Simon Cudby photo
Seems like Yamaha has been in a funk for awhile, but it was actually just a year ago when James Stewart won Oakland on a JGR/Toyota Yamaha. It seemed possible that all was right in their world at that point, as Stewart certainly possessed the ability to get on a streak, and, he was only 12 points down on the leaders despite a couple of rough races to open the year. The next week in San Diego, though, he crashed in the whoops and got caught on a cable attached to a television camera. It took forever for him to get untangled, and from then, it was pretty clear the title wasn’t coming his way.
Beyond that, JGR enjoyed a fantastic 1-2 finish in Daytona via Stewart and Davi Millsaps. And Millsaps began to rally, ultimately finishing a career-best second in the final supercross standings. But even that stat has now become a dubious one for the blue crew, because since moving to Rockstar Energy Racing, Millsaps has only gotten stronger, and he’s leading the points this time around.
Yamaha has yet to find a savior. In Brayton and Grant, there’s certainly some potential—each has battled Millsaps before, so they would surely believe they could replicate what he has done this year. The rest of Yamaha’s myriad of support teams are putting YZ450Fs in the main events, which is the intended job. But when you consider Yamaha grabbed Jeremy McGrath and the AMA Supercross title in 1998, and then transitioned to Chad Reed and Stewart to deliver more titles, this year marks the first in 15 seasons where they don't have an established champion on board.
I recently talked to Bobby Reagan, who owns Star Racing, Yamaha’s factory 250 effort, and he explained that, “We’re very fortunate Yamaha is letting us have a rebuilding year.” Indeed, with neither of Yamaha’s 450 or 250 bikes getting a major overhaul lately, and without a bonafide, guaranteed title contender in either class, it appears to very much be a rebuilding season for the brand. Yamaha has been there before, including lean years of racing production bikes against works equipment, and watching talented riders like Rick Johnson and Jeff Stanton leave for other brands and then reach their true potential. Yamaha has also recovered from such scenarios to win again, too. How long will it take this time?
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maybe they can get bob hannah again
The 250 is basically a warmed over 2002 model, that is now the slowest in the class.
The 450 seems to put the fear in a lot of riders at high speeds. Many comment on how things will seem fine and then find themselves in a big ass wreck, especially outdoors. (Phillipaerts, Grant, Brayton, T. Hahn, Stewart, Sipes) - all have had issues outdoors with it.
Yamaha doesn't seem to have much interest in pro racing now with the loss of their factory team. Not many ameteurs under that brand now either. Cooper Webb seems to be pretty good. If Yam keeps him and he has a competitive enough bike he's a top 3 kid.
MY YAMAHA PA SPEAKERS SOUND NICE.....lol...ha.
the 450 needs an overhaul i think they cannodaled themselves with this bike, take the 250 chassis and put a good motor in it then find a top tier rider and while there at it get rid of the husky style plastic and stupid airbox in the gas tank.ill bet stewarts 09 bike was way better than this load
Rossi and Lorenzo are eating up the Yamaha race budget....
Between Yamaha & Suzuki, it ought to be a great year for the other three brands.
Even though customer backlash is against the Bass-ackwards 450, Yamaha has decided to keep the design and forge ahead........brilliant.
@ webman, except for the spelling, you got that right! Cannondaled is a great analogy.
Yep, backwards equals......backwards.
One year ago Stewart was setting the fastest quality times then lawn darting the main.. Everyone on here blamed the Yamaha ... Now on a Suzuki he is the same rider = fastest qual time and a crash or bad start in main.. If it was such a bad bike one could not run such a great sprint lap with it.. The 250 f and the program need an overhaul and a good rider on it ... I still like my new yz 450 and have crashed the least on it out of any bike I've owned . Iam a vet intermediate and don't know how it would handle SX whoops wide open .. But for throwing down on a rough outdoor track it is very stable and predictable at speed to me.. Much more than any Honda I've ridden which is twitchy in 4th gear rough sections to me.. They need a rider that's it ..IMO..
Give it another race or 2 grant will out of series...Someone on here will take him out.!
These guys need to stop finding all these "things" wrong with the bike and just fu#@ing ride the damn bike. I remember Ricky publicly saying after he was dropped from Honda that his Suzuki the next year was no where near as good as the Honda! Did he b!tch about it?? No!!! He adjusted and went out and killed it, he might have been more dominate if he were still on the Honda but he still got the job done.
I mean if they had a factory team and hired some top caliber talent they'd be getting podiums. Sucks because I've always been a Yamaha guy and I'd love to see them at their potential again. You could say that James may have wrecked their public relations a little. People need to realize that bubba's suspension setups are insane. Not bashing him I think hes the man.
They should go back to the traditional, exhaust out the front. Not because it won't work the way it is but it's definately not working better than the other bikes. That should be clear to anyone.
Yitzhak_Rabin You forgot Izzi. He said the 450 would buck him off when he least expected it too.
Millsaps got 2nd in SX because no one else was left. He is clearly more comfortable and consistently faster on the Suzuki this year.
The whole problem with the YZ450 is it is obviously not better than the competition. Innovation should be about being better and not just different. Go back to the drawing board and put things where they should be. Did a rider ever ask them to turn the engine around in the first place? I doubt it. The idea probably came from an engineer who has never raced MX.
They don't have a factory team, what do they expect? And like I said before it suck for all us Yamaha guys who want to see there favorite brand going for the W.
Blue is doing poorly because Blue isn't trying. The 450 has problems that almost everyone knows about, and they don't seem to have enough interest to make it better. So be it. Grant won't be on that thing much longer - and then nothing.
@carlsbad I seriously doubt if you have seen or ridden a 14 yamaha so you really are just guessing/hoping they'll fail.... ...the backwards HEAD has NEVER really been the problem anyway..motor placement and an attempt at road race frame technology have effected it way more than flipping the head.(look at a Honda or kaw the cylinder is not that far off the Yamaha)....and that old wore out (fast and friendly) old skool Suzuki just keeps finishing in front of the endless R&D KTM special edition every week..must bum you haters out..........people counting out Yamaha are in for a surprise and need to check their history...it IS time though for a couple GOOD ones....Yamaha builds good stuff...they'll get the next one right......they basically have to.
I've been hearing for a while that Yamaha's supposedly releasing a 2013.5 YZ450F in the next few months. Rumor has it that the backwards engine is staying. Just like Honda's fixation on dual exhaust, Yamaha isn't ready to admit the money they poured into developing the backwards engine might be a waste. Who knows, maybe they'll get it right and the new bike will be awesome.
Instead of "Rebuilding Year," the title of the article could instead be "Rebuilding Bike." A big four brand with problems year after year equals a lot more than what some of you know nothings think ....
@Yitzhak_Rabin If the 250 is the slowest bike in the class, how do you explain Jeremy Martin holeshoting the moto at Steel City? Looked pretty fast that day. He has told me that he likes the bike, and has been training hard down in Georgia. Watch this kid. He is the whole package. Never met a guy that is as appreciative as he is. Would love to see him get a podium so the rest of the MX world can see what a good guy he is.
The YZ250F is a great bike, only the uneducated dismiss it immediately because it doesn't have EFI. They are bulletproof and make tons of power mod just like the rest. If they actually paid a contender to ride Yamahas it could hit the box and win no problem. Look at Osborne last year, or Sipes before that, or Swanepoel winning outdoors, etc. Motocross in this decade is all about the rider, all the bikes are fantastic.
its crazy that Yamaha started the 4-stroke movment but has fallen so far. they have the most reliable engines but cant seem to get a chassis worth a crap.
The difference this year is that last year Stewart used his talent to get a fast qualifying time then the bike would bite him in the butt even Stewarts team couldn't save the ill handling blue bike. I truly don't believe it is down on power it just reacts differently to the tracks. On a Suzuki he is a better rider even with a damaged knee. he isnt getting the starts but Millsaps is and Alessi will be now he has some mojo back. So the Zook can start.... all the pieces have to come together. if you don't get a good start you are left dealing with the carnage in the pack.
I'm glad a lot of you guys think the Yamaha YZ450 is a good bike. I own one and it's nice to know there is still a market because I would like to sell it. Anyone interested? Low hours!
@ tonewall, I'm not a hater, I'm just calling a spade a spade. I've owned & raced Yamahas AND Suzukis so, I feel I have as much right to speak my opinion as anyone else here. At the pro level, the YZ450F sucks. That's my opinion, and it's shared by more than a few.
As for the Suzukis, I've never said they're bad bikes, quite the opposite in fact. What I have said (numerous times), is that Suzuki is a BAD COMPANY. Their business practices have cost them, in my opinion, reputation in the industry, titles, brand loyalty and future customers. Go ahead and tell me their bolt quality is on par with ANY of the other manufacturers off-road / MX bikes........or their clutches, or their transmissions. Compared to ANY other MX brand, a Suzuki falls apart faster from normal use no matter how much scheduled and / or preventitive maintenence. One look at the used bike prices has proved this time and again.
You and I have different opinions and I'm perfectly fine with that, but you don't hear me calling you hater or unintelligent or anything else. For the record, it doesn't matter whether the motor is upside down or backwards, the bike was convicted in the court of public opinion, therefore, fail.
A factory team will solve this problem. Big blue needs to be in the mix. Update the rig, bring in Webb and some other fast and hungry kids and build the factory effort from the ground up. Easier said than done...
on the topic of starts (sorry)....Stewart obvioulsy had a horrible start going down the start straight at Oakland....but going through the whoops and if that crash didnt occur...It appears he would have rounded turn 2 in top 5....1, 10, 18,800, 22, 7 .... I hope JS7 practiced starts all week.....A3 is almost a duplicate start from Oakland
@ carlsbad - Spot on about Suzuki. I love them because they handle well, but budget for a Hinson clutch and an aftermarket bolt kit. The cooling system isn't so great, either. Also, their bikes could stand to lose a few pounds. They are way too heavy.
@carlsbad...never called you unintelligent and have also never heard you say much good about Suzuki..so if the shoe fits .......Just talking bikes ..don't take it so personal...trust me ..I don't.... I build bikes for a living (40+ years ) and the Suzuki is no more prone to failure than anything else and as for true longevity the Yamaha wins hands down. for pro SX/MX yes they look to need help but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad bike for the other 99.9% of people who buy one..They have built such innovative bikes and won so much I think they can have a mulligan with the 450 (plus i believe it can be fixed while still using the "backwards head".).....I pay my Rent with CRF's.and KTM's... I have a stack of Honda heads and valve train parts that proves it ...I have NEVER amazingly , put a gear in ANY Suzuki since 69 so I can't see the trans part....the way clutches get used these days a Hinson is a nornal mod in everything anyway.... That being said everything breaks and every owner is different and I'm sure somebody has even broken an anvil somewhere.......I have NO problem whatsoever with your opinion ( i actually enjoy reading most of them ) ...i sure no sleep is lost on either end...
You see it time and again. In one article's posts I see people complaining about bike prices and blaming 4-strokes for that, and in the next I see the same people complaining that a certain model is "old technology", "behind the times", etc. Can anyone put a number on how much bike prices have increased simply due to all the r&d and tooling it takes to put out brand new motors every 5 years? Just an attempt at doing it once ruined a company like Cannondale. Suzuki is chastised for the 450 being rehashed and the sales show it, yet it is one of the best bikes available year in and year out. I see Yamaha's 250 getting similar treatment. The Yamaha 450 was the darling of the group when it came out based on nothing but "newness" before anyone put a leg over it to see if it was "BETTERNESS". Now many consider it a mistake, and unfortunately an EXPENSIVE one with all that newness. In 1994 you would have seen the vast differences that MX bikes had improved in 10 years. Now you could build a 10 year old YZF into an awesome race bike that could possibly be a better choice than the current model. Fuel injection is nice, but that change didn't come without a price. On top of that bike prices have been jumping up about $250 per year since the mid-80's. Did anyone think with the constant retooling of motors that the price jumps were going to level off at some point? I feel for the manufacturers in a way, because consumers are basically retarded and really don't know what it is that they want. I remember hearing a Yankee fan on talk radio once say that the Yankees needed to do WHATEVER it took to get A-Rod on the team.....at any price. Then he immediately started complaining about what they charge for parking and concessions at the stadium! Sounds familiar when I hear people talk about MX bikes costing too much and then putting down bikes that have not been updated recently. UPDATED, not necessarily IMPROVED. Personally, I wish Honda had just kept making 1996 CR 250's forever. Problem is they'd still have to charge too much for it to defray the costs of other "updated" models. Consumers hold some blame when it comes to what the manufacturer (of any product) makes because they base what they make off of consumer demands. Everyone wanted a bike like the 2010 YZF 450. Yet when it came out, people soon realized it wasn't what they wanted afterall. Thanks to all of the talk about this bike (true or untrue) I would never consider buying one even at a deep discount. I bet Yamaha doesn't do many radical new designs for a long time after the outcome of this one.
@ B-KR--- At first I thought you were going to talk about the Yankee motorcycle? Yes I worked at a shop that sold them. Raced one in a Cross Countyr once. I will keep it at onece but it was a hand full.
Ther are a lot of interesting posst here on this subject and yes I also was a Yamaha racer unless someone gave me something else to race. I used to always have contact with Yamaha. First bike I raced was a 1972 Yamaha 100cc Enduro with a knobby tires and a Bassini pipe. Yes I did place 5th on it before I got the YZ100. Big change!
I also think and hope Yamaha gets back on top again!
In times like these, Suzuki's famous "three-year plan" would actually be of benefit to all concerned. The manufacturers are all thinking about rising costs (across the board) and I doubt since EFI, we're in store for a technological war anytime soon.........other than air forks & shocks.
As for EFI, I'm not good / fast / pro enough to notice a difference. The difference I would notice, is that if something goes wrong, my ride is over. I'm still confident enough in my mechanical skills to crack an FCR if it comes down to it......I'm not quite ready to scan for trouble codes on my bikes.
@ B-KR I've often said the same thing about '96 CR's in regards to autos. Problem being, if they perfected the Model T & the '96 CR, they would have nothing to sell and we'd never break bikes anymore. I don't know if I could live in a world that didn't have me putting T-handles on a bike.........
Haha, that was good. My thought was to sell a good bike like the CR alongside the new-fangled techno babbled bike. Actually, Yamaha is kinds doing it now with the....what is it....2007 YZ250? The problem is almost everyone puts it down as a garbage yesteryear bike simply cuz it ain't new. Then the ball is dropped too by charging way too much for it. However, to a degree Yamaha's whole line-up saw some form of increase to defer the cost of that 2010 450.....even the little PW50 has to get into the act and be higher than it should be.
90% rider 10% bike....get a rider with 110% attitude, work ethic, and fitness....and you have yourself a championship contender...we have to many premadonnas that are, or have ridden blue....end of story