Last month I complained about all the races being cancelled due to rain and unfortunately this month, nothing has changed. The rain on the east coast of NSW has been relentless and has not let up for weeks. All the tracks are either flooded or completely washed out making riding really difficult. It feels like this year I’ve ridden the Yamaha YZ450F Long Term test bike in the mud more than the dry and unless the weather gods decide to ease up with the rain nothing looks like changing anytime soon.
The one ride I did manage to get in was between storms and the track was actually in good condition as the rain had watered the track perfectly. In our business riding is our job and every time we swing a leg over the bike it is with a purpose. It’s either to test a bike or product or for a comparison or some type of article but this ride was bitter sweet because it was just for the thrill of it. I got to pump out three twenty minute motos with nothing on my mind other than pure enjoyment which for a fulltime test rider was a blessing. I got to burn fuel and clock up some hours on the YZ just for the hell of it and what a fantastic time it was.
Right after I finished riding the heavens opened up and washed out the entire track rendering it un-rideable leaving the track owner with an enormous task of repairing it. Track maintenance is one thing but track repairs after torrential rain is another. Every track owner must panic every time it rains just adding up the cost of the damage the rain is doing to their tracks.
This month I have sat the YZ in the corner of my workshop and have spent more time looking at it than riding it so I decided to give it a full makeover. I started out giving it an oil change and changing the oil filter. The oil came out still in good condition as did the oil filter and if I’m honest, I would rather see this than metal particles.
I also decided to check the valve clearances. Not because I thought they would be out of spec but just because I had some time on my hands and wanted to make sure the bike was running well and the valve train was all still in good order. I removed the seat and tank and then took off the valve cover which is held in place by a few allen head bolts.
I measured the valve clearances which is the distance between the cam lobes and buckets/lifters while the engine was at top dead centre. If these clearances were out of spec then I would have had to remove the cam shafts to change the shims located under the buckets/lifters. In my case the clearances were still perfectly in spec so I put the YZ450F back together knowing everything is still ticking along nicely inside the engine.
MAT BOYD
2024 YAMAHA YZ450F
RRP
$15,149.00 INC GST
WARRANTY
Three months, parts only
DISTRIBUTOR
Yamaha Australia
INTERNET
SO FAR
TOTAL HOURS 17
MODS THIS MONTH: Oil change, valve clearance check
MODS NEXT MONTH:
Hours: 17
