Final Draft: 2025 Yamaha YZ450F

Yamaha has been on this Y450F chassis platform since 2023 so with over two years of tweaking, I finally have the last version of this build. For 2026 Yamaha tweaked the chassis for a little more comfort which is what I have been looking for with this bike since 2023. Yamaha also went in on smoothing out the power for 2026 and that is exactly what we did to our final version of our 2025 build. It’s like Yamaha read all of our complaints and tried to address them for 2026! Below is a Yamaha YZ450F that I am proud of. If you are looking to make your 2023-2025 YZ450F friendlier, read below:

To get control over this beast of a bike you could simply use the Yamaha Power Tuner to tone it back a little but for me, this Yamaha YZ450F power needed to be more broad in order to get the most out of it. A XPR Vortex ECU helped spread the power out more than the Yamaha Power Tuner could and going to a Bundy Built flywheel weight helped soften that initial hit when rolling through the corners/ruts. The combination of these two modifications helped me be able to ride the YZ450F longer which increased the fun factor for me. The stock muffler on the YZ450F is quite good for overall power but if you want to increase the smoothness of the bike and rear wheel connectivity of the blue machine, the Akrapovic Evolution muffler system helps with all of this. The Akrapovic muffler is well built and can withstand may hours of use without re-packing which makes the hefty price tag of this muffler system more bearable. Not to mention that it looks really good!

Even though I don’t believe all chassis’ need aftermarket engine mounts or chassis tweaks, the Yamaha can really benefit from a longer wheelbase so with FCP Race Cups rake out your front end by 20 minutes (0.3 °) for a longer wheelbase, more rake, more trail, more stability for increased handling. This gets the Yamaha to feel a little more planted. I also love the FCP engine mounts for bump compliance and for a little more weighted front end feel when leaning the bike over in area 2 of the corners. These are two important pieces to this build that makes the YZ450F more predictable. Without these two mods the front tire never feels like I have good contact on lean and that leads to a vague feel when pushing into corners. I like a wider feeling contact feel from my front end and the FCP mods give this to me. Sure, you might say a 90/90-21 front tire might help this but when I did try this size tire, all if did was make it harder to tip into corners which wasn’t the right direction for me.

Other important bits of this build was getting the suspension comfortable enough to get the power to the ground, get some added comfort and there were three companies that got me right. Enzo, REP as well as Art of War got me right with their valving, springs and of course Kashima coatings. I worked with Ross Maeda a lot on getting a suspension setting that gives comfort but also gives the Yamaha more front end traction (again, something the YZ450F lacks). We found some more of each and this also made this YZ450F more fun to ride. Even though this build took a bit in the making, it is really the best I ever felt on this machine and Enzo as well as REP and AOW had a lot to do with it. Having more control of your bike when trying to go fast is key for me and the crews over at Enzo, REP and AOW got this done for me.

Mark at REP has also spent countless days at the track with me in order to be comfortable back east. I have an extra set of suspension that I ride with back when I am in Georgia and REP is one of the companies that made the Yamaha feel less rigid as well as give me more hold up in soft conditions. With the heavier dirt of the east coast, it requires a different set up and both REP and AOW had much better comfort than stock. REP and AOW created east coast settings that has hold up that doesn’t feel as harsh in long ribs with braking bumps as some other sets of suspension I have tried with other companies. Jonny Oler of Art Of War does Phil Nicoletti’s championship winning Kawasaki but he also has billet fork lugs that he makes himself that increases the comfort even more than the stock lugs do. On braking bumps the AOW lugs feel much more stuck to the ground as well as front tire contact when leaning. With all of this being said each one of these companies is a good choice when considering your next set of YZ suspension. (You can see the AOW fork lugs review here: https://www.keeferinctesting.com/art-of-war-billet-fork-lugs-review-2025-yz450f/

I stayed with a cable clutch even though I rode with a hydraulic clutch a bit. I preferred the cable but the hydraulic wasn’t bad at all. I could have gone either way. Hinson provided a better control at the lever and longer plate life with their full clutch kit that includes basket, inner, pressure plate and fibers/steels. I also used Works Connection’s offset footage mounts to open up the rider triangle a little more for my 5’11 frame. Renthal 672 Fatbar and half waffle soft grips along with a ARC 26mm ratio hard lever with RC-8 perch made that cable pull nice and linear (as well as buttery smooth). Of course you already know that Dunlop’s MX14 rear and MX3S front is marched up for traction!

With all of this being said, I am done with tweaking on the 2023-2025 YZ450F and with two years under my belt of doing so, I am happy with the outcome and this bike has become my favorite 450 to ride to date. If you’re looking to make your 2023-2025 YZ450F better below are the companies that have been instrumental in making this bike a lot of fun for me. I normally don’t put a complete parts list down on my bikes, but below are the companies/parts that can help you with yours. Here comes 2026! Crossing my fingers!

Tips On What Works:

Going stiffer on this chassis usually warrants more comfort (valving or spring rate)

Longer the wheelbase, the better the Yamaha tracks as well as settles off throttle

Stock Gearing or 14/52 is what I chose (14/52 on west coast style tracks/13/49 back east)

Tips On What Doesn’t Work:

Aftermarket mufflers that don’t have inserts or back pressure (KEEP YOUR INSERTS IN PEOPLE!)

High fork height (No more than 5mm high on fork height) Causes headshake and oversteer

Keep the rubber grommet inside your air filter cover (Filter covers pop off without rubber grommet)

Parts List:

XPR

www.xprperformance.com

Vortex ECU