Bike Tests

LONG TERM TEST #6 | 2024 YAMAHA YZ450F

It’s no fun having a new bike you can’t ride. ADB's Tech Ed Mat Boyd grapples with a wrist injury and trying to put hours on his Yamaha YZ450F.

03 July 2024

Words: ADBMAG

Photos: ADBMAG

This past month I got back on the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F after my crash. At the start of January I crashed racing the Stadium Motocross in Coffs Harbour which resulted in me breaking my wrist, ribs and bruising my kidneys. While I was most worried about the ribs I found they actually healed up much quicker than my wrist did. Apart from the back pain and my urine looking like coca cola for a few days my kidneys healed quickly and no longer give me any trouble.

I wish I could say the same for my wrist. I tried to convince the doctor I would be able to ride again in five to six weeks but he simply just smirked at me and said “you’re getting older now, things take longer to heal”. At the time I didn’t want to believe him but I have come to realise bones definitely do not heal as quick in my thirties as they did in my twenties.

Part of the slow healing process is likely on me. I’m a motorcycle mechanic with my own family owned workshop. I had to work so I only gave the wrist two weeks light duties and then went right back to turning spanners. As silly as this may sound to some, the self-employed people reading this will know exactly what I’m saying.

Getting back on I knew my wrist was not as strong as it should be so I was a little nervous. I know another crash on this wrist will send me right back to the beginning again so I have to be sensible. I rode around on the grass track until the wrist felt warm and I had confidence in it before I took off on the motocross track.

Some days my wrist is better than others and lucky for me this day happened to be a good one and I was able to hit all the jumps so long as I landed on the down ramps perfectly with no heavy landings. The wrist took it well and lucky enough I never tried it out with any over jumps or case outs.

Overall it felt great to get back on the bike and have a ride again. I’ve had to look at the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F sitting in the corner of my workshop everyday while I was injured which was a complete torment. It’s going to be a slow build to get my wrist strong again before I take on any more races but for now it’s going to be time to enjoy the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F and try to catch up on the lost seat time while I was injured.

Mat Boyd