When riding the tight dune trails in Winchester Bay on the YFZ450R, being in the right gear is critical to keep the engine revving so I was able to make some of the steeper climbs coming out of a tight corner.
If you’re used to riding an ATV with a high revving engine, you know where and when to shift to enjoy the ride. Having to shift a lot can wear on the hand, and the light pull of the clutch lever never caused any kind of hand fatigue, and when coming into a corner the rear end didn’t feel like it was “packing up” and kept the rear end from hopping around.
Five Star Performance
All in all, the Yamaha YFZ450R does just as well in the dunes as I remember it performing on the track. Its race inspired design allows it to handle everything from high speed stutter bumps to endless deep whoops like a champ. As previously stated, the harder you ride it the better it handles as long as you’re up to the task. Power from the high-revving 4-stroke engine seems endless, and just know that there’s even more to be had when you make upgrades to the “Big 3”, but in stock form it’s likely plenty for the average ATV rider on sand or dirt.
Yamaha’s Best Selling Sport ATV: Raptor 700R
The title above should say it all. While the Yamaha YFZ450R has some excellent features, not everyone wants or needs an ATV that has been designed for excel on the track as well as the trail. That said, the Yamaha Raptor 700R is no slouch when compared to the YFZR. At the heart of this monster is a 686cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine that produces gobs of torque that is cradled in a hybrid steel aluminum frame that features a controlled-fill aluminum sub-frame and paired with a cast-aluminum swingarm. What this amounts to is an extremely powerful motor with a frame that is the strongest and lightest in its class. The Raptor 700R, like the YFZ450R, also features aggressive styling for top-notch looks and great rider comfort.
