Most riders will never get to compare six brand-new 450s side-by-side in real-world terrain. That’s where we come in. We’ll break down how each bike feels, where it shines and who it suits best. Because days like this, riding the best bikes in the game with a ripping crew on a primo loop? Yeah, they never get old.
THE TEST CREW:
Jeff Briggs
– Level: Vet
– Age: 40
– Size: 180cm, 100kg
– Bike: KTM 350 EXC-F
Geoff Braico
– Level: Pro
– Age: 37
– Size: 175cm, 80kg
– Bike: Yamaha YZ450FX
Mitch Lees
– Level: Clubman
– Age: 39
– Size: 188cm, 100kg
– Bike: Sherco 300 SE Racing
Emelie Karlsson
– Level: Pro
– Age: 33
– Size: 178cm, 70kg
– Bike: Triumph TF 250-X
Stefan Granquist
– Level: Pro
– Age: 37
– Size: 190cm, 90kg
– Bike: Triumph TF 250-X
Beau Ralston
– Level: ex-Pro
– Age: 34
– Size: 190cm, 90kg
– Bike: Kawasaki KX450
HUSQVARNA FE 450
Tester Feedback
Jeff Briggs
This was my favourite of the Austrian bikes. It felt the most agile and the most powerful.
Mat Boyd
I don’t typically like the Huskies being lower, it normally bothers me, but I found this one actually steered better being lower than the GASGAS or KTM.
Stefan Granquist
This is my favourite of the Austrian bikes. It feels somehow more powerful. It feels like it’s freer in like airbox or whatever, just has better power. It’s probably firmer sprung or firmer valved, so it handles a bit faster pace.
Beau Ralston
One thing I noticed on the Husky and all the Austrian bikes that was head and shoulders above the other bikes is the gearbox ratio. You always had the correct gear on these bikes, where on some of the others you could be in between in sections.
Mitch Lees
Even though the others said this bike was the fastest I actually found it still really easy to ride. I found the Sherco and Yamaha too fast, the Beta too firm but the Husky was probably my pick for how easy it was to ride.
KTM 450 EXC
Tester Feedback
Jeff Briggs
I was a little bit disappointed in the engine. I felt like it was probably nearly the softest out of the whole lot of the day. The bottom was pretty soft. It had good mid and top, but where you really want to come outta them corners, compared to the Sherco, the Yamaha and the Beta, it just didn’t have as much there.
Mat Boyd
I expected after riding the Husky to get on the KTM and the KTM be better, but it under-delivered. They’re opposite to what I expected.
Emelie Karlsson
I felt the same – I came off the Husky and went on the KTM and then the GASGAS. On the KTM and GASGAS I was a bit in between gears, but on the Husky I was in the perfect gear.
Beau Ralston
I think you notice the PDS in the front-end, as crazy as that sounds. So with the PDS, I feel like it’s active, so it can get really low in the stroke, taking all the weight off the front, and then it can come back. It’s getting really high in the rear, putting all the weight on the front.
Geoff Braico
It feels a bit restricted for me. Like it feels like it needs to be freed up; it feels like it needs a pipe. It had a lot of understeer because it needed more response off the bottom.
Mitch Lees
Even as a trail punter I also noticed the lack of bottom-end from the KTM. It just meant I couldn’t carry a tall gear and lug it around without it stalling or needing to fan the clutch heaps.
YAMAHA WR450F
Tester Feedback
Jeff Briggs
It always used to feel like KTM and Yamaha were neck and neck, and then Sherco and Beta were below them, but this new Yamaha is so powerful and harder to ride that the Beta and Sherco have caught up.
Geoff Braico
It’s by far the angriest of the bunch. I think this bike is the firmest and the fastest too. So if you are interested in going fast and hitting things fast, this is probably the bike for you.
Stefan Granquist
I liked the power in this bike – it’s huge! It is one of the most powerful bikes here.
Emelie Karlsson
The trail/slow mapping worked way better for me. The other one was just a bit too much out of corners and nails hanging off the bike more than riding the bike.
Mat Boyd
It was a hard bitk to get traction on and when you flick it over to the trail/soft map, it made it easier. I found the Yamaha super snappy – it just lights the back wheel up everywhere.
Mitch Lees
This thing has way too much for me as a punter. It is also really sensitive on the throttle and feels like when the clutch is out and it’s idling along it just wants to lurch forward and go too fast. The suspension was good though and it feels the lightest it’s ever been.
BETA RR 430 Race
Tester Feedback
Jeff Briggs
This bike excited me so much I want to buy one. Either this bike or the Sherco. For a racer it’s pretty darn good.
Stefan Granquist
This was probably one of my favourite bikes. The biggest thing was how well it stuck to the ground – it handled really nicely. The track was fairly tight in places with some open sections, but the bike just held its line and I could throw it into ruts with confidence.
Emelie Karlsson
The engine and suspension make it a really easy, smooth ride. It doesn’t have as much power as the Yamaha, which I actually prefer. The suspension feels a lot softer than the others, too.
Beau Ralston
One thing I noticed being tall was that when you sit in corners, you end up right at the front. My legs were pushed forward onto the shrouds, and it’s definitely the widest at the tank. From the front of the seat to the handlebar height, it felt pretty tall overall.
Mat Boyd
I noticed it was probably revving the hardest out of all the bikes. The others I could lug around just off idle, but this one felt like it needed more revs to get going.
Geoff Braico
With less engine inertia, it definitely feels lighter and freer. Coming into corners, I felt like I could brake a bit later compared to the other bikes because there’s less mass.
Mitch Lees
The engine suited my ability really well, but the suspension felt pretty firm and the grips and seat were a bit on the hard side.
Sherco 450 SEF Factory
Tester Feedback
Jeff Briggs
I take back what I said about the Beta, this is the bike I want to buy! What a rocket ship – it hauls. So aggressive and easy to smash into braking bumps and it stays solid.
Mat Boyd
It blew my expectations out of the water. I was not expecting anything like it. The power is super abrupt and snappy, but it’s still usable and you can still get traction on it. This is nimble. It turns… it feels shorter than in the past and a lot more nimble.
Stefan Granquist
This is one of my favourite bikes for sure. To be honest, I think my favourite bikes were the Sherco and the Beta. And that has never been my pick before. It just has a really good engine package. And yeah, handling and stuff is really good too, but the engine’s unreal.
Emelie Karlsson
For me, it has too much power. It actually felt more powerful than the Yamaha. I can make the Yamaha work for me, but the Sherco was a bit much. I preferred the slower map – it took away that initial punch but still had good bottom-end response.
Beau Ralston
I really liked the power in the Sherco. It didn’t have the throttle response of the Yamaha, but it had more torque. I could pull third gear in more places on the Sherco and tractor through the slippery conditions we had today. It handled well overall, but I found the chassis pretty active – it moved around a lot and wasn’t the most stable bike out there.
Geoff Braico
You hop on that thing – the only one with an open pipe – and it’s like, this is what these bikes are supposed to feel like. It’s an animal! I rode one a few years ago and don’t remember it being that impressive.
Mitch Lees
Like Emelie, I found this bike the hardest to ride. It has so much power I felt like I was going to whiskey throttle myself up a tree! The suspension’s super firm, too. It’d be a great bike for racing or for a trailrider who likes to push hard and fast all the time.
GASGAS EC 450F
Tester Feedback
Jeff Briggs
I can see this bike having a good spot among trailriders but it lacks the essential defence gear you need.
Mat Boyd
It feels like the no-frills KTM. It’s missing all the high-end gear and extra accessories the others come with.
Emelie Karlsson
I liked the suspension on the GASGAS EC 450F. I only rode it for a short time, but I didn’t manage to bottom it out – probably because it’s the only one running an open-chamber fork. It soaked up all the roots and bumps nicely, stayed plush, but still held up well under load.
Beau Ralston
It felt pretty similar to the other Euro bikes, but the suspension was ridiculously soft – the softest in the group for me. It’s comfortable at low speeds and would suit a trailrider more than a racer.
Geoff Braico
It definitely feels like the budget option of the Austrian brands. It just feels a bit cheaper to sit on – softer overall, no handguards, no bashplate. It also felt a bit sluggish off the bottom.
Mitch Lees
I like the GASGAS. I still think I prefer the Husky because it is much better finished and is just as easy to ride. The GASGAS brake and fork were a little soft for my weight.
