On September 13, 2023, Yamaha officially announced the 2024 WR450F, which is new for next year. The fast enduro bike shares many elements in common with Team Blue’s current YZ450F motocross model, but retains its own character designed to give enduro riders what they want most.
The 2024 Yamaha WR450F has the same engine as the current YZ450F. This engine has many new internal components, from 39-millimeter intake valves to a new piston, connecting rod and bearings. Special attention has been paid to optimizing weight and strength, resulting in an engine that is 1.08 kg lighter than the previous version. Yamaha also adds that it has tuned the engine control unit (ECU) on this bike specifically to “offer traction at low speeds and high power at medium and fast speeds”.
In addition to the new engine, the WR450F 2024 also gets a newer, more compact clutch. According to Team Blue, it has been optimized with the intention of providing a lighter feel in operation, as well as offering a more positive engagement point. These are the kind of features that look great on paper, but the real test is always in how riders feel them when they put them into practice.
Yamaha also worked to lower the WR450F 2024’s center of gravity by moving the head tube joint in the frame 15 millimeters down. Both rigidity and bending characteristics have been carefully considered and implemented in the design of the frame, and the compact fuel tank and shorter silencer also help in the seemingly endless quest for mass centralization.
The 2024 Yamaha WR450F also gets all-new KYB suspension. It offers 300 mm of suspension travel at the front and 306 mm of travel on the rear shock, and also includes tool-free compression damping adjustment on the fork.
Yamaha has also focused on centralizing mass and reducing weight in some of its other choices. Weight reduction was key everywhere, including in the rear wheel axle, the rear braking system (which is the same as that found on the YZ450F), the lithium-ion battery and other lighter components. In total, Yamaha says it has managed to save an additional 4 kg from the weight of the previous version of the WR450F.
Other new features include a new airflow management system with the fairing, resulting in 50 mm narrower guards; a flatter seat with rounder edges to facilitate the rider’s movements; a new protection plate; new switches on the left-hand controls; a new multifunction meter; a new rear mudguard; and renewed, more resistant fork retainers.
For more information, please visit Yamaha’s official website.