No, we haven’t received our 2026 YZ450F yet to test but I did manage to check one out while at LL’s this past week to dissect a little. I probably have the most seat time on a YZ450F than any other media outlet there is so since I have been getting a ton of emails about the new bLU cRU machine, I thought I would let you in on a few things that I think. Below are some of the changes Yamaha made and what I think it could mean to you current 2023-2025 YZ450F owners.
Swapping Parts Over From Your 2025 to The 2026 Model: Yes, most of your parts will fit over to the new 2026 YZ450F. The subframe on the 2026 is different but the current shock and forks will fit the 2026 model. Triple clamps will cross over and even though the engine mounts have changes on the 2026, the older mounts will fit. Does that mean the older mounts will work better? We don’t know yet because Yamaha changed the frame a little as well as the thickness of the front engine mounts to accommodate the updated 2026 frame. Your older wheels as well as your muffler will fit as well.
Frame: From what I was told, the new frame was developed in trying to get more comfort to the rider and a calmer front end feel. Yamaha says “the new frame design focuses on the balance of rigidity and flex characteristics for calmer front-end feel and improved cornering performance”. So if I am reading between the lines here, that means Yamaha listened to some of us that complained about the 2023-2025 stiffness. The 2022 was much calmer of a YZ450F yet didn’t turn as good as the new gen chassis. However, if I had to choose, I would take the 2022 chassis on 90% of the tracks I have ridden in the United States. From what I have heard is that a couple of the Star Racing Yamaha riders got a chance to ride the new YZ450F and they even complimented on how much more comfort they received from the new chassis. I hope this is true because if we could get a blend of the 2022 feel with the 2025 cornering ability, I could be back in heaven! I was in love with my 2021 and 2022 YZ450s and getting a new YZ450F with more comfort could make me fall in love once again. Yamaha wasn’t willing to give me too much info on what EXACTLY has changed on the new frame but from what I heard the downtube/headtube area has changed along with the front engine mounts.
Hydraulic Clutch: Good bye Eli, hello hydraulic clutch in standard trim. I am not mad at the hydraulic update for 2026, but I hope this new Nissin style hydraulic clutch isn’t as on/off is as the Honda or Kawasaki. The GYTR/Brembo style hydraulic offering we got on the 2023-2025 gen machine was quite good and had a larger window of engagement. Let’s hope that remains for 2026.
Smoother Engine? Yamaha made some subtle changes to the 2026 engine/muffler that could really make us “less strong or out of shape” riders happy. I am looking for a smoother Yamaha YZ450F and that so that is what I have been doing to my current YZ450s since 2023. I have been making a more manageable YZ450F for me to ride with a Vortex ECU, flywheel weights, Akrapovic muffler, different clutch lever ratios, etc. Yamaha went to work for 2026 and redesigned the intake port that is said to produce a stronger tumble effect for more efficient combustion which could improved torque characteristics. An updated intake and exhaust design that reduces noise in compliance (resonance chamber in the middle of the mid pipe) with FIM/AMA regulations which means a more plugged up muffler so that could also calm the YZ450F down. With these changes we could see a little more of a slower spool up (revving) feel which really could help with keeping the front end down out of corners and proivide more rear wheel drive. Hallelujah!
Updated Suspension Spec: From what I was told was that KYB/Yamaha kept the same spring rates as 2025 but revised some of the damping characteristics to increase the comfort to go along with the changes made to the chassis. What I found out the past couple years with the 2023-2025 suspension/chassis is that I could go extremely heavy on spring rates and that actually helped the comfort of the Yamaha. I have went as high as 5.4N/m on the fork springs and 62N/m on shock spring with good results. The new KYB shock is said to help damping feel with less bump reaction, which means (to me) KYB went stiffer on the 2026. The new rear shock now includes a hand-operated low-speed compression clicker for simplified trackside adjustments so that is cool. If KYB/Yamaha in fact did go a little firmer with their settings on the fork/shock it wouldn’t surprise me and it shouldn’t scare you away as sometimes going stiffer means more comfort.
Seat: No they didn’t change the seat shape at all but they did change the seat cover. A new honeycomb-pattern seat material eases the rider’s ability to slide forward while holding the rider from sliding rearward. I sat and went back and forth on the seat while on the stand and in fact it does what it says it does. One way is easy to move (forward) the other way is a little more difficult (back). Looks cool as well. All blue! I am in!
Styling: Updated styling includes a slimmer, more compact front number plate, new two-piece side covers and sharper rear fender. The side panels are much better than the 2023-2025 pieces but the front number plate is not that great to my eyes. These are small things though and if the blue bomber handles better than the current model year than I don’t care what she looks like. I did say that I didn’t like the white version but when I saw it up close and personal, it looked way better in person.
A Locked Box? Like most marriages that involve a hefty price tag, a locked box is great right? An industry-first ECU lock function helps prevent theft and unauthorized engine start-up via a password-required lock. No wheelie boys snaking this 2026 YZ450F!
Final Thoughts: As you can see I am excited about this bike, hence the reason why I even typed this article. So in theory the changes that Yamaha made are all the changes that I have been wanting out of a YZ450F the past three years. Will it mean that it will be better? Well, we don’t have to wait that much longer as we will get to ride ours at the end of this month so stay tuned to Steve’s site, my site and even Racer X for all the deep dive. Even though the current YZ450F is my favorite bike to ride, I have been reluctantly hard on this bike the past three years and even though it has grown on me, it has taken some work to make it a Yamaha that I truly love to race/ride. Hopefully this newer version will not be as tough as a relationship as I’ve had in the past!
