It’s the end of the year and with that comes brand new motorcycles, and with that comes new opportunities for long-termer bikes here at ADB. After handing back my beloved Sherco 300SEF a few months ago, I have been long termer-less and we have been on the hunt to replace it. Well, thankfully, the good folks at Yamaha Australia have given me the opportunity to call a new 2025 Yamaha YZ450FX my own for a couple of months and damn, it’s a weapon.

Coming off the 300 four-stroke, this 450FX feels like it’s from another dimension. Every single aspect of this bike is faster, firmer and more aggressive and, to be honest, it’s been a real good time. Having so much power and torque at my disposal is something I haven’t experienced for a while, and it brings a smile to my dial every time I ride it, especially on a fast and flowy track. I am in no way fit enough to completely enjoy what this bike has to offer but I sure can try and enjoy it for five to 10 minutes at a time. The KYB suspension is firm yet predictable and it’s awesome to be able to charge into jumps and bumps with zero worries of the bike kicking or bottoming out.

After spending some time on the bike, I have identified a few things to work on and one is the gearing. The stock 13/50 gearing is spot on for MX tracks and fast bush loops, but as soon as you get into the tighter stuff, third gear becomes way too tall and, in fact, the jump between second to third is a little too much. So, I plan to play around with maybe a 52T rear or maybe even a 12T front sprocket.

I have already swapped out the standard Dunlop tyres for some trusty Pirelli Mid Soft units and as the bike didn’t come with any handguards, Polisport hooked me up with some MX Flag guards. The good folks at Link International also provided a bunch of Motul Oils to keep this beast fresh. And, as always, Aussie-made Unifilter has me covered with some fresh O2 Rush filters while the legends at Holeshot Graphics have done an epic job with a super clean kit. It’s awesome to see these loyal sponsors of mine jump at these projects every single time and I really appreciate it.

As far as what is in store for myself and this bike, well I’d love to try and get a race or two on it, but I only have the bike for three to four months so we will see what comes around. I’m keen to get some more time on it and enjoy the immense power of the engine. There’s something about coming out of a corner, grabbing a handful of throttle and launching halfway down the straight that just makes riding this bike extra fun, so I want to do that as much as I can before I have to return this beast back to Yamaha.

Big thanks also to the folks at Yamaha Australia for the bike; I really appreciate it.

2025 YAMAHA YZ450FX

RRP

$15,949

WARRANTY

NA

DISTRIBUTOR

Yamaha Australia

INTERNET

SO FAR

TOTAL HOURS: 7

MODS THIS MONTH: PIRELLI MID SOFT, POLISPORT HANDGUARDS, UNIFILLTER O2 RUSH, HOLESHOT GRAPHICS KIT

MODS NEXT MONTH: 52T REAR SPROCKET