ADB's Tech Ed Mat Boyd has been pitting the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F for 6 months. Here's what he's been up to after coming back from injury.
I would love to be here writing about how much riding I’ve done the last month and how much I have been enjoying the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F. Unfortunately after my crash at the start of January I am parked up and healing with the hopes of getting back on the bike at the six week mark. If you missed last month then I messed up a rhythm section at the Coffs Harbour Stadium Cross and went sailing through the handlebars and flat onto the speedway track head first.
In the process I fractured my wrist and rib and bruised my kidneys. A few days in hospital to monitor my kidneys was the scariest part as they had shut down due to the bike slamming me in the back. Once they recovered and the pain in my back settled I was only left with a wrist in a brace and a rib that would leave me in pain basically whenever I would stand, sit, cough, sneeze or basically even move or breathe.
Luckily enough the rib settled down in a few weeks and I was determined to heal up as fast as possible so I immediately started going to cryotherapy where they basically just spray your wrist and ribs with dry ice. It works on the same principle as icing an injury to reduce the swelling only it works on a much more intense and deeper scale. I wouldn’t call cryotherapy comfortable but I certainly think it helped settle my ribs down to a point where after about three weeks I was able to more about relatively pain free.
The wrist on the other hand is still giving me pain. I am able to do light duties with the wrist but I still can’t push on it or I get a sharp pinching pain in the back of my wrist. There is however still some swelling still in the back of my hand and some fluid in my wrist joint so I am working with the physiotherapist to work that out and if all goes well I should be back on the bike in the next two weeks.
As for racing right now I am not exactly sure just yet. I had plans to race the State Titles on the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F but that’s kind of all still up in the air depending on how my wrist goes when I get back on the bike. I haven’t totally written it off and have been doing what little off bike training I can to keep up my fitness and strength. I was on the stationary bike the week after the accident just spinning the pedals lightly. Since then I have progressed each week to the point where I can now row on the rower and run and do light weight work that doesn’t require the use of my wrist. Hopefully if all goes well I won’t have lost much fitness or strength and a comeback will be relatively quick.
As for the 2024 Yamaha YZ450F, it never even received a single scratch. I did however have to give it a bath and let the front tyre down to remove all the rocks that where jammed between the front tyre and the rim. The wheel itself wasn’t buckled but it must have hit hard enough to jam the rocks into the bead of the tyre. Every day I have gone out to the garage and tried to pull the clutch lever in without success but this past week I have been able to do it pain free so next month I should be telling you guys how good it is to be back on the bike.
Mat Boyd
2024 YAMAHA YZ450F
RRP
$15,149.00 INC GST
WARRANTY
Three months, parts only
DISTRIBUTOR
Yamaha Australia
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