Finding More Front End Comfort In The YZ450FX
Story by Trevor Hunter
Yamaha completely revamped their 450cc machines over the last two years, beginning with the 2023 YZ450F and continuing with the 2024 YZ450FX and WR450F. The all new chassis handles quite differently from the previous gen, and while there are a lot of positives, one gripe we’ve had is a firmer feeling front end. At times, it acts as a benefit when the dirt is softer and traction is ample. But as is the case a lot of times in off-road, and especially on the west coast, traction can be at a premium, the ground can be hard, and the bumps and “debris” can be sharp. As a result, we’ve struggled to find the comfort we had in the previous gen front end of the chassis.
The new 2025 YZ450F shares a similar front engine mount design as the current YZ450FX, but the FX has an added outer plate on the mount. After some digging, we thought to try the 450FX without the added plate, and run just the standard front mount. Using the two front bolts off of a YZ450F (which can be ordered at Rocky Mountain ATV/MC using our link that supports us!) which is Part # 187155035925 at just $8.09 a piece, we were able to use the stock mounts without the spacer with the correct length bolts.
The result on the track? It is quite drastic, and for the most part, a big positive. Across square edge chop, on hard decel bumps, and in rocks, we’ve struggled to find a plush, comforting feel in the front end, even with suspension work. With this mod, we gained a lot of comfort back and took the edge away, eliminating most all of the harsh feedback to the hands. One downside is we did lose a touch of front end traction on lean, but the juice is worth the squeeze in terms of comfort gained here. This is a very cheap modification when compared to aftermarket engine mounts (which we have also tried, but so far have come back to this modified stock setting), and one we encourage you to try back-to-back on your next ride day as it only takes a couple of minutes to do (but be sure to torque the bolts to spec for a consistent test).
