We head to Appin MX Complex in Western Sydney to put the new 2026 Yamaha YZ450F to the test, check out Dan's thoughts and ratings on the updated MXer in his review...
When asked if I was up for testing out the new Yamaha 2026 YZ450F I eagerly accepted, knowing that the new YZ450F is Yamaha’s first production motocross bike with a hydraulic clutch. Did Yamaha get it right on the first try? I reckon. Read on…
Kicking off with a brief flight from Melbourne to Sydney, I met up with some of the other moto journalists and Yamaha team before heading to the hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel we checked into our rooms and got ready before heading down for the presentation.
Walking into the presentation room I was greeted by two brand new Yamaha YZ450Fs, the first being the standard blue edition, which retails at $15,749. The second, the 70th anniversary edition in white and red, retails at $15,949. During the presentation the Yamaha team dove into the details and major changes that have been put into their new 450 beast. After the presentation was a nice three course dinner followed by an early night to make sure I was well rested and prepared to ride…
Read our 2023 Yamaha YZ450F review here… and our YZ450F Road Racer test here…
The following morning was an early wake up to head down and grab some breakfast in the hotel, before heading off and making our way to Macarthur Motorcycle Complex, or Appin motocross track, where we were greeted with a line-up of 10 brand new blue YZ450F’s, just waiting for us to gear up and rip it up out on the track.
After gearing up the time had finally come to test out the brand new 2026 YZ450F. Choosing one of the 10 bikes in the line up, I set brake and clutch levers to my preferences as well as with the aid of some of the yamaha mechanic team, set the sag to my weight to ensure the YZ450F suspension reacts how it is intended to for my weight. Once I had the YZ450F set up it was time to roll.
Once Dan and the Yamaha team set the sags and levers for Dan, it was time to roll… A YZ450F owner himself, Dan was the perfect choice for BikeReview to test the new updated model. He also rode the factory racer, we will feature later…
As soon as I sat on the 2026 YZ450F the first thing I noticed was the difference in the new seat cover. I felt like I had been glued to the seat, which is normally a feeling you can only achieve from purchasing an aftermarket gripper seat.
I feel this is an area many brands have always overlooked and it’s awesome to see that Yamaha have come out with a seat cover that allows the rider to freely move around the bike while offering grip to stop you sliding backwards on the seat when putting that 450 power to the ground.
The SP and standard model colours. The first thing Dan noticed was the excellent new gripper seat.
As soon as you hit the ignition switch the YZ450F roars. Although a little quieter than previous years due to the new exhaust resonator and low noise muffler (to future proof the YZ450F for 2027 regulation changes), it barks nicely enough, but the exhaust note was a little quieter on idle. However, once I opened it up out on the track, that 450 roar came out in the mid to high rev range.
“Once I opened it up out on the track, that 450 roar came out in the mid to high rev range”…
One of the main features of the 2026 YZ450F I had been keen to test is the brand new hydraulic clutch. My personal bike is an older model Yamaha YZ450F and I have always been a big fan of the cable clutch with its easy maintenance and quick adjustment. This made me very interested to see how Yamaha’s first hydraulic clutch on a production motocross bike feels and works compared to their previous cable clutches.
Straight away it is clear that Yamaha have put a lot of work into the clutch, as it is not just a hydraulic kit bolted on to each bike. To give the hydraulic clutch the optimum feel Yamaha have given the 2026 YZ450F a lighter pressure plate and stiffer springs, which makes the clutch feel slightly heavy but very smooth and easy to control while riding. Paired with the smooth crisp throttle it is very easy to control the power of the YZ450F on the various terrains you find at a motocross track, proving that Yamaha have refined the rider/bike relationship.
The new YZ450F hydraulic clutch actuation is heavier but has better feel than the cable clutch according to Dan.
With the chassis being one of the major areas that Yamaha focused on I felt that the YZ450F offered an increased amount of traction throughout the entire corner and kept that planted feel allowing me to get the 450 power to the ground.
“Once I had the sag adjusted to my weight I felt like I was riding a suspension setup that had been designed for me…”
Bolted to the chassis is the new lightweight bodywork that is designed to be rigid and still light, with a new rear fender grab area that makes it easy to get the YZ450F on and off the stand, while the side plates offer a comfortable hold area for your legs while riding making it easier and comfier to hold on while opening up the throttle.
The KYB forks and newly developed shock offer a smooth and comfortable ride, which can be easily adjusted at both ends to suit any conditions at the track. Once I had the sag adjusted to my weight I felt like I was riding a suspension setup that had been designed for me, making the YZ450F handle effortlessly throughout any corner, while soaking up the impacts from jumps, braking bumps and acceleration bumps making for a smooth and comfortable ride.
“The YZ450F had all the stopping power needed to either pull up fast into a tight corner or controllably and progressively slow down when required”…
With powerful front two-piston Nissin caliper, 270mm disc and rear single-piston Nissin caliper with 240mm disc brakes it stops well. The YZ450F had all the stopping power needed to either pull up fast into a tight corner or controllably and progressively slow down when required.
The 2026 YZ450F comes fitted with Dunlop MX33 tyres front and rear although Yamaha specially fitted all the YZ450F’s with the new Dunlop MX34’s for us to try out. The new MX34’s feature new carcass material, with block pattern designed for traction and progressive cornering control block technology.
The factory Yamaha MX riders were on hand to test the Dunlops to the maximum.
The Dunlop MX34’s allowed us to tackle the initial wet and deep sections of the track with ease while providing plenty of traction and grip throughout the entire day even as the track started to dry up, allowing me to really test out what the YZ450F has to offer.
Throughout the day I got the opportunity to have a look at Yamaha’s Power Tuner app and change the mapping on the YZ450F. I tried out a couple of different map settings, and it is very clear while out on the track that the bike behaves very differently in accordance with the map selected.
On the wet and deep sections I noticed that the power became very smooth and aided in keeping the bike in a straight line with minimal slip…
Although I favoured the aggressive map as I really enjoy a punchy power delivery, the smooth map offered a very linear power delivery that meant the 450 was easily managed anywhere on the track. On top of changing the maps I did also add in some traction control to see how the bike would behave on the different sections of the track.
Dan testing out the launch control of the new Yamaha YZ450F at Appin start gates.
On the wet and deep sections I noticed that the power became very smooth and aided in keeping the bike in a straight line with minimal slip, yet on the hard pack fast sections you could still open it right up and get that power to the ground.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed riding Yamaha’s 2026 YZ450F. I found that the YZ450F tackled every aspect of the motocross track with precision and offered a very planted feel. The YZ450F tackles everything with ease whether it’s those tight twisty sections on the track to the large wide open jumps.
The seat cover feels similar to an aftermarket seat cover which will allow you to go straight to the track without having to swap to that gripper seat. The power can be easily adjusted to suit any rider with ease using the Power Tuner app. It’s a great step up, well done to Yamaha…
Tech Highlights
Yamaha boasts that the new 2026 YZ450F has been performance refined. With improvements to the rider/machine relationship through bike balance, improved comfort, rider dynamics and progressive, controllable power, making the YZ450F easier to ride on a variety of tracks and terrains.
The Yamaha 2026 YZ450F features a 450cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke DOHC engine with a forged aluminium piston and titanium valves to provide optimum pulling performance across the rev range. Yamaha have significantly lowered the noise of the engine by adding a new low noise airfilter system to keep that induction noise down, as well as a low noise exhaust resonator paired with a low noise muffler. With these additions the 2026 YZ450F meets the regulation requirements set to change in Australia in 2027.
Now meeting future requirements, the 26 YZ450F is 1kg wet weight heavier than the previous 2025 model. Even though the 26 model may be 1kg heavier Yamaha has added a new piston cooler, new magneto and a revised intake port to ensure that there is no power loss with the additional weight.
The 2026 YZ450F comes fitted with a newly developed hydraulic clutch with a lighter pressure plate and stiffer springs. making the 26 YZ450F Yamaha’s first motocross bike to come out of the box with a hydraulic clutch.
The chassis has had a major overhaul to ensure improved traction in all three corner areas. Yamaha have achieved this with a semi double cradle chassis and a downtube with revised rigidity, as well as decreasing the thickness of the front engine mounts to 6mm and making the rear mounts asymmetrical. The asymmetrical rear engine mounts promote a symmetric frame flex for a more controlled ride.
Fitted with new KYB front forks, featuring a tool free compression damping adjustment on top of the forks and 310mm suspension travel, the forks are paired with a new rear shock that has an increased amount of ports on the main valve piston, going from 4 to 6 ports and a 4mm increased base valve piston, from 24mm to 28mm. The base valve piston also now has two-way oil passages for compression and rebound. Yamaha have also added a slow compression damping adjuster for quick and easy adjustments whilst at the track. This new rear shock offers improved rear traction while maintaining front end turn direction.
The 2026 YZ450F features a slick and stylish new bodywork with a compact and lightweight front number plate. New side plates with fewer 8mm bolts to keep the weight down as much as possible. Also the addition of a new easy grab rear fender makes moving the rear of the bike effortless and easy without having to worry about bending that fender.
The Yamaha Power Tuner app has also had a major update and now offers many features. The newest being an anti-theft device, which you can set your own password to protect your bike. Make sure you don’t forget that password, or you will be up for a new ecu!
In the Power Tuner you have access to alter the mapping through the use of the easy slider or the graph to tune the fuel injection, ignition, traction control and launch control to your desired settings. The app also has a lap timer and race log to measure and record info on each ride. It also features maintenance notifications, engine and suspension setup guides and a monitor mode where you can monitor the bikes speed, throttle position, rpm and fuel consumption throughout the ride, allowing you to tune your 2026 YZ450F to suit any condition thrown at you when you arrive at the track.
Yamaha also has an extensive range of GYTR and genuine accessories available for the 2026 YZ450F including a GYTR performance airbox kit ready available if you’re looking to improve the air flow to the engine, a GYTR YZ factory accent kit, GYTR front sprocket chain guide, GYTR rear braided brake line and GYTR weighted flywheel, with more parts still in development…
2025 Yamaha YZ450F Specifications
Price: $15,749 R/A ($15,949 SP).
Warranty: N/A
Colours: Blue (SP Anniv)
Claimed Power: N/A
Claimed Torque: N/A
Wet Weight: 109kg
Fuel capacity: 6.2L
Fuel Consumption Claimed: N/A
Fuel Consumption (measured): N/A
Engine: Liquid-cooled four-stroke, DOHC, four-valve, 97 x 60.8mm bore x stroke, 450cc, 13.0:1 compression, dry sump, EFI, electric start, TCI ignition, five-speed gearbox, cable clutch actuation
Chassis: Frame: Bilateral alloy beam frame.
Rake: N/A Trail: N/A
Suspension: Fully adjustable inverted KYB fork, 310mm travel (f) Fully adjustable KYB shock, 295mm travel. Aluminum swingarm (r).
Brakes: 270mm disc, Nissin two-piston caliper (f), 240mm disc, Nissin single piston caliper (r), Nissin master-cylinders.
Tyres: 80/100 – 21in Dunlop Geomax MX33F (f), 120/80 – 19in Dunlop Geomax MX33 (r).
Dimensions:
Seat height: 965mm
Ground clearance: 345mm
Overall width: 825mm
Overall Length: 2175mm
Overall height: 1275mm
Wheelbase: 1475mm
Instruments & Electronics: N/A instruments, Engine Mapping, Traction Control, Launch Control, Lap timer via Yamaha Power Tuner app, ECU Security Locking.
Ratings | Bike Review | Launch, 2026 Yamaha YZ450F Motocrosser Test
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We head to Appin MX Complex in Sydney to put the 2026 Yamaha YZ450F to the test, check out Dan’s thoughts and ratings on the updated MXer in his review…
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