The 2026 Yamaha YZ450F KYB suspension is firmer (in areas of the stroke) than the 2025 KYB set and of course with the frame changes Yamaha made for the new year, you can’t just swap over your 2025 KYB stuff and expect it to work like it did on your older model. We went to four different tracks and played with the stock suspension and came with this setting below for you all to hop on and (hopefully) have a great day of riding.
Notes: The fork is soft initially but gets stiff through the mid stroke. If you ask some suspension tuners that have seen the inside of the 2026 Yamaha YZ450F fork they will tell you that it is pretty beefy when it comes to valving. I have tried going softer on the fork but it didn’t help the mid stroke firm feel and I only lost control (damping feel) of the beginning of the stroke. If you’re heavier than 180 pounds (without gear) I would try the fork setting below. The shock on the other hand is much better than the 2025 shock setting but if you’re having an issue with rear wheel traction and/or harshness on bump absorption try backing out your HSC from 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 like mentioned below.
2026 YZ450F Baseline Suspension Setting:
Fork:
Height: 2mm
Compression: 10 out
Rebound: 11 out
Shock:
Sag: 105mm
LSC: 9-10 out
HSC: 1-1/2 turns out (from all the way inward) Stock is 1-1/4
Rebound: 11 out
