[nhpredator]

How do you guys think the yfz 450 is gonna stack up against the 500 Predator??? Has anybody heard anything yet?? It weighs 350lbs and costs retail $6900.00 OUCH..

 

[03-pred-rider]

I just heard about Yamahas new quad today from my dealer. It should be a good one. We may finally have some stock competition. It will be interesting to see what Yamaha puts on it. If they use the normal OEM junk then I think the Predator will still be the best for the money.

 

[aussiequadrider]

Carn't wait till there is one in my garage.
Sure is good times in the quad world.

Thanks from down under, Geoff.

 

[iracequads]

I thought the yzf450 was going for $8,000. It will be very close competition just like the gas gas 450, I do believe it may be faster than the Predator though, when that motor is in the yzf dirt bike they kill banshees, so that extra weight might make it even, we will see soon.

 

[robg]

I think it'll be a cool quad, but dang is it PRICEY. I do suspect it may be faster stock for stock than the Predator, but we'll see. I love the fact that it kept the flatside carb instead of getting one of these lame-ass Mikuni BSR things. I can't wait to put a flatside on my Predator.

Speaking of the weight difference... I think that's the main reason it costs so much more. It has lots of aluminum on it, where the Predator has steel (control arms for example). Once the aftermarket starts making aluminum control arms for the Predator, we'll be able to shed a lot of weight. It's also worth mentioning that the Maxxis tires are pretty heavy compared to the tires that come on other quads, so there's more weight that can be dropped. Heck, I bet that by putting my sand tires on (Haulers and Dunetrackers), I drop ten pounds easily.

The handlebars are steel too, and quite heavy. My Trail Tech bars are lighter, but the Dashboard is heavy, so I doubt I saved any weight when I changed those.

Rob

 

[mikeymotorcycle]

Well I would like some opinions too. I am in the market for a new sport quad. The pred was my first choice and now Im not sure. My question of reliablity and maintaince. I would like you predator guys and girls to step up and tell me what you think. I have not had a chance to ride a pred yet but look forward to doing so. Any problems? I know about popping at high revs and ball joints. Any tranny problems? I am at a crossroad here and want the best quad for the money. I will use it for everything. Trail and track. If honda comes out with one then the choices get tougher. Any thoughts or opinions welcome. Thanks.... mike

 

[rngmstr]

popping at high revs and ball joints? What seems to be the problem with these? The only popping I get is when the rev limiter kicks in, but my new vortex cdi came yesterday and will be on shortly to cure that. No problems with the ball joints.

 

[nhpredator]

I have heard that all the 450 Gas Gas`s had a total recall, Brain fart can`t remember why though....age thing,lol

 

[marlboro80]

is there any pics available of the yamaha 450 quad? i still have not heard a thing about it. did they use a raptor setup or an all new one? any word on a new honda?

 

[localbuzz]

Check these out. Nice pics of the new 450 and full cut aways of the motor.
Pics of the New 450

 

[tld_predator]

There has ben mention of the Yamaha 450 being small in size. I would still take my Predator anyday but that's probably because I love Polaris. To me since I have barely had any time to get used tomy quad(6 hours since December) this machine is still scary fast.

 

[predatorman7687]

One thing Yamaha forgot... ZERO BUMP STEER! I have been saved by zero bump steer and I will never buy another quad without it.

 

[powerslider]

You got that right Predatorman, it's comical if you watch their clip on the front suspension you can see the toe change as the wheel travels through it's range of motion. This may be a good machine, time will tell. I see they finally figured out how to build one wider than 43", like the Raptor should have been. They did use a good carb (FCR) although it's only a 39mm but with the smallish looking single headpipe I don't expect outstanding hp #'s but if it's reliable it should be a fun ride...

 

[swenjj]

the predator has plenty of power,and i just dont see another quad matching its handling for a while,they did a great job on the chassis and suspension, i like the size on it also, big enough to not be cramped,yet light enough to whip around and have fun on, i would like to try the 450,but i think my predator will match up to it with no problems(at least for my tastes,others may love the 450and hate the predator,heresy)

 

[rngmstr]

The yamaha also has an available gyt-r kick start, loose the starter and the battery and the 15 pounds that comes with them and it's down to only 335 pounds. Too bad polaris didn't think of that. Don't get me wrong, I like my predator a-lot, but the new yamaha is going to be a great bike.

 

[localbuzz]

There are a few guys around here that have some CR450F engines and YZ426 engines in there quads. All kickstart. I have seen them stall it on the track and it would take them 10-12 kicks to get it started again. some never get it started. even with the hot switch on the CR450F it would not fire right up. I will gladly take the extra 15 pounds to have an electric start. I hope that the new yamaha 450 quad is not as difficult to deal with as the 426 or the CR450.

 

[justin]

Is it just me, or is there something wrong with those front springs on the YFZ? I can't remember how to post a clickable link, but here is a close up of them outside the bike. What's the point of dual rate springs if they can't be used? There is no weight on this shock, so wouldn't there be spacing between the coils? http://www.off-road.com/atv/press/yamaha/2003_06/gallery/pict0015.jpg.html RobG Edit: Made it a clickable link.

 

[justin]

lol I was just working on that!!

 

[rngmstr]

Are you sure they are duel rate shocks? In that picture, they appear to be touching, but take a look at some of the other pictures where you can see it better, they are not touching. The spacing between the coils get closer, but they don't touch. That might be to stiffin the last part of the shock travel before bottoming out, like a progressive spring. When I had the stock shocks on my predator, the top few coils were touching compleatly all the way around. Nothing wrong with it, just different designs. Duel or triple rate shocks normally have two or three seperate springs with spacers between them. I have triple rate front shocks and they have three different size springs on them, a long red one on the bottom, a medium size white one in the middle, and a little blue on at the top.

 

[red121572]

It looks like Yamaha dog finally got it together putting the 450 quad together. Wouldnt surprise me in the least if the yamaha dog would scream past the Predator. One thing bothers me though on the 450; the suspension. The front end of the 450 is still two inches less than the Predator. Will it turn out that the 450 isnt nearly as stable as the predator? Just by looking, the shocks dont impress me either.