X-Trig ROCS Tech Triple Clamp (2022 YZ450F)

It’s hard to find aftermarket triple clamps that are better than stock these days, especially on the Yamaha YZ250/450. So much is involved in making a triple clamp that flexes enough, but also has enough rigidity to aid the machine in corners as well. With the triple clamp flex character so important to chassis handling (on all motocross bikes) sometimes it’s tough to find anyone that can make a “comfortable” set of aftermarket triple clamps. Why do you need aftermarket triple clamps? Well sometimes it’s just for looks with some riders, but there are occasions where you might want another offset to help you get more stability or a sharper turning character out of your machine. In this case I was looking for the standard offset for a 2022 KTM Yamaha YZ450F and wanted to see if installing X-Trig’s on the Yamaha hurt or helped it. I was hoping to help cornering positivity without sacrificing rigidity balance. Oh and I also purchased these myself for $850.00! 

Enter X-trig’s ROCS Tech Triple Clamps and PHDS Mounts. “ROCS” stands for “Revolutionary Opposing Clamp System”. The ROCS clamp allows for precise alignment of the fork tube with opposing clamping surface patterns, the stiffness of the steering stem is specifically tuned to the respective motorcycle model, the steering-head bearing is already mounted on the shaft tube for convenience, a special fork slot and clamping area for precise fork operation, precise clamping with special screws for low torque specs, OEM attachments can be mounted without auxiliary material, and flexibility that is adapted to the fork with anodizing in the technical factory OEM look. The difference between the ROCS “Tech” and the ROCS “Pro” is the “Tech” uses a standard offset with a pressed shaft tube. The “Pro” has two offsets you can choose from by simply adjusting the shaft tube (or steering stem). I didn't feel like the Yamaha needed an offset change as the Yamaha is predictable on straight line and corners well, so I stuck with the “Tech” clamps. 

The PHDS (Progressive Handlebar Dampening System) is a system supported by elastomers designed to absorb engine and chassis vibrations. The system also dampens the forces acting on the handlebar in a horizontal and vertical direction, maintaining steering precision. The handlebar can be adjusted in 12 different positions when the PHDS is mounted. The Yamaha doesn’t necessarily vibrate more in the handlebar area than any other 450 motocross bike, so this isn’t something I feel the Yamaha needs particularly, but if it helps, so be it.
Installation of the ROCS clamp is fairly straight forward (with the pressed shaft tube). All you need to do is grease up the steering head bearing and slide the bottom clamp up in the head tube of the frame. Super clean! Mounting up the PHDS bar mounts is a little tricky as the mounts themselves have a lot of moving parts, so make sure to read the instructions to ensure proper mounting. Technical Touch offers optional PHDS bar mount elastomers that come in soft or firm, but I chose to run the stock medium style elastomers, which seem to be just fine for motocross conditions. 

I am super picky about bar positioning, shocking I know and the Yamaha isn't the best rider triangle out there, so I went with the second mounting hole closest to me (when sitting on bike) on the triple clamp with the PHDS mounts back. This handlebar position gave me a +3mm bar position (forward from stock), which I preferred as the stock positioning is a little cramped for my 6’0 frame. The PHDS bar mount itself is +2mm higher than the stock bar mount, which I was just fine with as I am using a SX Race Pro Taper EVO handlebar on the 2022 YZ450F. Having so many positions available for the rider is definitely a huge positive for adjustability with these ROCS clamps on the Yamaha to open up the cockpit for you bigger riders (5’11 and up). If you feel like you need a higher PHDS handlebar mount, X-trig also offers spacers to go under the PHDS mounting system. You can pick from 3mm, 5mm, and 10mm spacers.

So what did the X-trig ROCS Tech Triple Clamp and PHDS handlebar mounts do on the track? My goal for this test was to dissect the anti-vibration qualities as that seems to be the easiest to feel asap. I honestly didn’t notice any less vibration/harmonics through my Pro Taper’s, but I did notice slightly less vibration on higher RPM’s which I found strange. The PHDS mounts do help flex and are a little kinder to my wrists than the stock mounts. While I was looking to get a more precise front end feel through corners, without getting added rigidity on hard pack/rough straights, that is not quite what I found. Basically I got slightly less compliance on lean angle bump absorption so the front tire didn’t exactly feel like it was digging into the dirt enough for me on faster sweepers with chop. The X-Trig ROCS Tech clamp on the Yamaha YZ450F provided enough flex if I was heading straight into bumps, but once I started leaning into braking bumps to set up for the corner, there was definitely less comfort in that area compared to stock. There was some added rigidity when leaning when bumpy and that cause the fork to feel harsher. The ROCS Tech clamp is most noticeable in a positive way when diving deep into a rut where there is a huge load put on the front end, forced by the rider. The chassis positivity through this area is much better than the stock clamps. The stock clamps has a tendency to flex too much and give the rider a wiggle once off throttle in area 1-2 of corners, (on deeply tilled tracks or soft dirt) or give the rider an unsettled (dive) when dropping into a long/deep rut (this sensation can only be felt mostly by faster or heavier riders). The X-trig ROCS Tech clamp gives the front end less wallow (firmer) and more cornering stability once inside the rut (without upsetting chassis balance). Straight line stability isn’t as good as stock as you do feel more of the track under you (front end) on hard pack west coast conditions.

I do feel like slap down landing of the PHDS mounts are more absorbing and I like that feel to my wrists. I am almost keen to try these mounts on the stock clamp to see if that works as good on my old ass wrists! The overall weight of the X-Trig clamp and PHDS mounts are heavier than stock so know that you will be gaining almost a pound of front end weight on your machine. So at the end of the day am i happy with my purchase? I would say for this bike, no I am not. I will say that I have tried X-Trig’s on a KTM with really positive results, but this confirms to me that the average rider DOES NOT need these for his Yamaha YZ450F. Does that mean all aftermarket clamps are rated under the same umbrella? Absolutely not! Not every clamp is created equal. I will try some more aftermarket clamps on this machine in the coming weeks to see if we can keep the stock bump absorption while adding to that positive front tire feel in ruts. Stay tuned! 

Hinson Momentum Steel Clutch Basket

Hinson makes steel clutch baskets that replace the aluminum standard baskets on Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki MX machines. If you’re wondering what the benefits are, let me tell you how I stumbled across this basket years ago. I was looking to smooth out the hit of one of the first generation YZ450F’s and there weren’t any flywheel weights available, but Hinson was offering a heavier steel clutch basket. Fast forward to 2021 and I have found it tough to find a slightly heavier flywheel for the YZ450F so guess what? I thought I would revisit this and see how it works in my 2021 YZ450F test machine. First the steel adds durability and strength to a part that wears, often the aluminum of the basket’s fingers develop grooves where the drive plates press on them. Over time this makes the clutch action poor and increases slop in the drive of the bike. The end result is often broken baskets and even worse, broken cases as the clutch basket comes apart.

Secondly, the added weight adds rotational inertia inside the engine helping to keep the rear wheel from spinning and also smooth the pick-up of acceleration as you increase the throttle. Since the spinning ratio is reduced compared to the crank, the weight effect is slightly less pronounced than a flywheel weight, but still can offer benefits from what I have experienced on our 2021 YZ450F. 

A flywheel weight on certain bikes can calm the power delivery. In some cases, heavy flywheels can smooth low end power and just replace the point of power that is now smoother, somewhere else in the power range. That is NOT always great! I am fairly picky about the engine delivery of a big 450, so as much as I love a Yamaha YZ450F, I wanted to smooth out the power coming out of area three of corners, in order for the rear wheel to hook up more. I have been having a problem wheeling the YZ450F when under the throttle hard as well as getting wheel spin out of corners when accelerating to clear jumps. I can’t seem to tune this out with the YZ Power Tuner, so here we are…  

Enter the Hinson steel clutch basket. Depending on the application it can be up to two pounds heavier than the stock basket. Made from precision machined steel, it is impervious to wear on the ears, like the standard aluminum baskets can be. To install the Hinson steel basket you do have to remove your standard clutch basket, so just be forewarned this process can take a while. You then must drill out the rivets and replace the drive gear on from the back of the stock clutch and install it on the Hinson basket. (Some kits come with a new kickstarter gear and drive cushions as well.) Hinson recommends using their cushions (which come with the basket), especially if your bike has some time on it. This install process takes slightly above normal mechanical know-how and tools, but it isn’t much more than a 90 minute job with the included step-by-step instructions.

Right from the get go I am able to feel the Hinson steel basket’s effect on the engine character of the YZ450F. It doesn't seem to affect the throttle response much at all, but it does smooth the power out when accelerating out of rut. I don’t know if this mod is something that you east coast/soft dirt riders would necessarily need, but if you ride loamy to hard pack dirt this is something that can help forward rear wheel bite. The YZ450F has a stock engine character that spools up quicker than other 450’s in its class. With that being said, that kind of power can be really good for soft dirt, as it can make the bike feel light and get you out of soft ruts/corners quickly. Now for us west coasters that ride in loamy conditions in the morning and then hard pack in the afternoon, the YZ450F can be tricky to dial in. With the steel Hinson basket installed the YZ450F engine feel gets a calmer delivery to where you can accelerate sooner out of ruts/corners. The rear wheel spin that I got out of corners (under hard acceleration) with the stock basket is much less with the steel Hinson basket. Not only are you getting less rear wheel spin, but the chassis also feels slightly more planted of throttle. Installing this steel Hinson basket gives the rider slightly more front end traction off throttle on your initial lean. Yes, you will get a little more engine braking, but with the TP 5 map shown here, it does lessen the drag off throttle. 

For $310.00, it’s worth the price, if you’re looking to smooth out your YZ450F a little in the areas I mentioned. The only negative to this part is that it does make a little more engine braking, but with the map attached here, it does help lessen that somewhat. I am very sensitive to engine braking, but when I asked my other test rider to ride his YZ450F and my test bike back to back, he didn’tt notice much engine braking at all. This is a part that maybe you don't know you need, until you try it. I am glad I remembered that Hinson offers the Momentum Steel Clutch Basket. You can check the momentum basket out right here: https://hinsonracing.com/p14400-momentum-clutch-basket-2020-yz450f

If you have any questions about this test, please feel free to email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com 

FLO Motorsports Lowering Footpegs (Yamaha YZ450F)

If there is one thing I can complain about on the Yamaha YZ450F, it would be that the ergos are a little weird compared to the other brands. When sitting, the Yamaha feels like the pegs are high and not far enough back for my 6’0 long legged frame. I scoured the land for a lower footpeg kit and came across the FLO Motorsports 3.0 lowering footpegs. The FLO pegs are 2mm lower and 10mm back on 2016 and newer 450F’s and are made out of lightweight 7075 T6 Aluminum alloy, come with rounded edges, loctite on cleats, has an extra wide 57mm wide/87mm long platform and have self cleaning mud grooves to keep them in the position they intended to be in.

FLO advertises that the pegs are 12mm lower and 10mm back, but in reality since Yamaha went to the new style YZ450F those numbers have changed. According to Yamaha R&D the 2016 Yamaha YZ450F came with a 10mm lower peg (from the 2015 model), so if you have a 2016 or newer YZ450F you will only get a 2mm lower peg height than stock. I used the reference “new style YZ450F” because in 2018 the seat to footpeg height was changed as a lower subframe height setting was incorporated into the new style 450F. If you’re riding a two stroke Yamaha then the FLO pegs come as advertised. 

Installation was easy as the FLO pegs come with their own springs, but you will have to utilize the stock pins as well as re-use your old cotter pins or use fresh ones like we did. Once seated on the bike and out on the track, I could immediately notice my position on the bike was different. My gripe with the stock position is that my hips/lower body/feet always felt too far forward on the bike, which gave me the wrong body position when trying to stand through rough sections of the track. Now with the pegs moved back 10mm my feet were positioned correctly (on the balls, not arches) and my hips were slightly rotated more rearward. This allowed my upper body to relax a little when standing through long ruts. I didn’t notice the height difference as much as I noticed the position of my feet/hips. I do not like the stock bar mount position on the 2020-2021 YZ450F, so I am always reverting back to the rear hole and these pegs compliment that bar mount position nicely. 

I also find that when putting my feet back on the pegs after a corner my feet fall into the correct position much easier than the stock pegs. With the stock pegs, I had to really focus on sliding my feet back to get them on the balls, but with these FLO pegs, they seem to naturally get there easier. I like the wide platform and I like that the cleats are sharp enough to help my Alpinestars Tech 10s to stick better than the dull stock peg. I will say that I am not a huge fan of thread on style cleats as I would rather have teeth, but the cleats FLO did use were a good height and sharp enough to prevent my boots from slipping off. 

This may not be a life changing ergonomic change, but for me it does help the rider triangle a little for taller dudes that find themselves looking for better foot placement. I would like to try an even lower height setting along with the 10m rearward position, so maybe we can get FLO to design an even lower peg for the newer style YZ250/450F’s. For $149.95 I think this is a good purchase for you bLU cRU riders out there that are in need of some rider triangle help. You can find/order these over at flomotorsports.com.  

Vortex Ignition For 2020 YZ450F

The Yamaha YZ450F comes with the Yamaha Power Tuner App that allows you to change the parameters of the bLU cRU’s ECU settings. It allows the consumer to customize their YZ450F power delivery, so that they can enjoy a more friendly power character or a more aggressive type of delivery. While this system works very well for the average consumer what about the rest of us that may want to tune their YZ450F even further? What about having an ECU that has wider parameters and an ECU that can give you more horsepower, but make it rideable as well? Can we make our YZ450F even better with an aftermarket ECU? Is there a big enough difference in power delivery that it warrants spending an extra grand on an electrical part? I wanted to find these questions out, so I called upon Chad at XPR Motorsports to see if he could map a Vortex ignition for my 2020 YZ450F in order to see if it wold actually make it that much better. 

Unlike a KTM 450 SX-F it is very difficult to improve upon the Yamaha’s engine character. The YZ450F is the best production motocross machine made at this moment, so the gains are tougher to get through the aftermarket unlike the orange model. With a KTM I can slap on a Vortex ECU and immediately notice a huge difference in power as well as traction. However, I have been playing with the Vortex ECU on the Yamaha YZ450F for almost a year now and found out that it’s not that easy to make the Yamaha’s engine “better”. Chad at XPR Motorsports is one of only two people in Southern California that I would trust to help me with ECU testing (the other being Jamie at Twisted Development). I told Chad that I don’t necessarily want “more power” from the YZ450F, but I wanted more rear wheel traction with a broader, longer power (similar to a KTM 450 SX-F power spread). I can roll my corners really well on a KTM because it is so damn smooth off the bottom and I wanted to see if we could get some of that character on ol blue here.  

I am not going to sit here and tell you that getting a map that actually made me happy was easy because I think I gave Chad a headache more than once while doing this test. However once we honed in on what I was looking for, it was something that the stock Yamaha Power Tuner simply couldn’t do. With the help of XPR’s mapping and the desired power that I was looking for, I now had an easier to corner Yamaha YZ450F, with more traction out of area 3 (end of corner), as well as a broader/longer overall top end/over-rev. 

I wanted to keep the third gear lugability, but also make second gear more usable so I could make shifts later once exiting corners. This wasn't easy to achieve as Chad and I quickly found out. I got a longer second gear, but was losing some of that easy to ride third gear lugability because the engine was much freer feeling with the Vortex ECU. With a lighter engine feel you get less de-cel pitching, which is great because the chassis stays calmer, feels more exciting, has better recovery, but you also get less chugability when lugging your engine. Chad went went back to the drawing board and gave me another map that split the difference for me and made me really happy. I now had most of that third gear roll on lugging power, but still retained that free feeling engine feel that I loved when the track got rough. Having less engine braking on the YZ450F really helps this chassis stay calm when diving deep into corners with large bumps. 

I like that the Yamaha YZ450F is easier to start as well as fires up sooner with the Vortex on, so having this ECU on could really benefit a dead engine type of off road rider. With the XPR mapped Vortex, the mapping seems crisper/cleaner and never had a de-cel pop that I sometimes experienced with the TP 3.0 map. We mapped the Yamaha to a Pro Circuit exhaust and originally started with VP Pro 6 fuel, but that was simply too much power down low for me, so creating a map for VP T4/pump fuel made the Yamaha engine much more manageable in hard pack situations. 

The bad news about going to the Vortex ECU is that you lose all of your Power Tuner functions like the maintenance schedule, running time, etc. The Vortex comes with 10 pre-programmed maps as well as three fuel trim knobs that can help with your “Lo”, “Mid” and “High” rpm ranges. This is not an inexpensive mod, but it can help broaden the Yamaha’s power, make the hit more seamless down low as well as help the chassis when pushing the machine when the track gets rough. 

Is the stock ECU good? Yes! If you feel like the stock ECU/Power Tuner App has enough parameters and you’re happy, you DO NOT need an aftermarket ECU like this. 

Do I feel as though the Vortex ECU makes as big of a difference on the Yamaha like it does on the KTM 450 SX-F?  No, I don’t. The Vortex ECU on the Yamaha helps make it easier to ride, but Yamaha R&D did such a great job with their mapping that it may be hard for less picky riders really notice. KTM’s stock ECU mapping is not nearly as good off the show room floor, so the difference from going to a stock ECU to a Vortex on a KTM is noticeable by a wider range of riders.  

Who is this Vortex ECU for? This specific ECU on the Yamaha is for riders who love the stock engine character, but want a little more control off the bottom and more pulling power from second and third gears. Oh and how could I forget that this is not a cheap mod (at around a $1000.00), so you might have some coin saved up in your bank. 

Would I purchase this mod myself? Yes, but I am the type of guy who still likes to be competitive at the ripe old age of 42, likes to have a linear, longer power delivery and loves to tinker with stuff. If you’re like me this mod will make you smile. 

Conclusion: Overall I am happier with the Vortex ECU on the 2020 YZ450F because the bike has more controlled power and it makes it less work for me to ride harder. The downside is coming up with the 1K to purchase it! Guess I will be impatiently waiting on my stimulus.

Contact: Chad @ XPR Performance (951) 813 8873

Pro Circuit Link Arm (2020 Yamaha YZ450F)

I have tried links in the past on previous generation YZ450F’s with less than stellar results, but since Yamaha changed the frame on the 2020 machine, I thought I would revisit a link to see if it helps improves the Yamaha’s feel around the track. 

Pro Circuit's linkage arms are CNC-machined from billet aluminum and are designed to stiffen up the initial linkage curve in order to try and improve the geometry of the YZ450F’s chassis, in order to try and make the bike more stable in certain areas of the track. The linkage arms includes all of the required bearings and seals and is ready to bolt up. I wanted to see how it worked with the stock YZ450F suspension valving, so since Pro Circuit is backordered on them for a while, I purchased the Pro Circuit linkage arm at rockymountainatvmc.com for $189.95 . Once I received the PC link, I went to a few tracks to try the it and the stock link, back to back , to see if the Pro Circuit link is a benefit to the average rider. 

One thing that I want from the stock 2020 Yamaha YZ450F is less movement from the rear end under acceleration. With the stock link, the rear end can squat  too much at times (under throttle) and give me the feeling of less connection to the rear wheel under load. I do think the new 2020 frame and suspension valving has helped de-cel pitching, but once the fork is broke in, it can dive a little too much under hard braking. 

After I installed the PC link I re-checked my sag numbers to make sure they were in the spec I desired. I ran 105mm of sag with the stock link and am currently at 105mm of sag with the PC link. With the PC 143.5mm link installed (142.0mm is stock) the Yamaha has a noticeably different feel to it on the track. I immediately noticed that my rear end felt firmer under acceleration, but that feeling wasn't such a positive change. I went back to the van and turned my high speed compression (on the shock) out a quarter turn to help soften up the feeling on acceleration chop. Once I adjusted the high speed compression, I could start to feel the benefits of the Pro Circuit pull rods. 

Off throttle (de-cel) the Yamaha YZ450F felt flatter and less front end heavy, which gave me a YZ450F that now had more control on braking bumps. Corner entry wasn't improved, but I could feel how the Yamaha could lean over better through the middle to end of each corner. With the Pro Circuit link It took slightly less effort for me to continue my lean on the Yamaha, which usually isn't its strong point. Out of the corner (with the softer high speed compression setting) the Yamaha had more rear wheel traction and followed the ground better on acceleration bumps. The rear of the bike was higher in its stroke with the PC rods and gave me more of a plush feel than the stock link. I am able to run a softer high speed compression setting as well as low speed to get more comfort on choppy ruts. 

The overall feeling of the YZ450F with the PC link is a slightly calmer chassis off throttle with a better mid to exit cornering feel. If I had to point out a negative about the PC link it would have to be that once you’re off throttle the Yamaha has a firmer rear end feel. Even though I am gaining control on braking bumps, the YZ450F will feel firmer if the rider isn’t aggressive or pushing the bike. I feel the Pro Circuit linkage arms reward a more aggressive rider, so if you’re the average weekend warrior that likes to cruise his Yamaha YZ450F and is comfortable with your set up, these Pro Circuit linkage arms may not be the best purchasing decision. However, if you’re looking for more control on braking bumps, with a firmer feel and an easier area 2 to 3 (see testing term explanation below)  through corners, then the Pro Circuit linkage arms make a positive difference. 

Cornering Testing Terminology: 

Area 1: Beginning of corner (initial lean, tip in)

Area 2: Middle of corner (weight feel, traction, cornering stability)

Area 3: Exit of corner (rear wheel traction/connection, comfort)

Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack

I am hard on clutches. Why? Well…Instead of letting off the throttle when the front wheel starts to loft upward, I simply just slip/drag the clutch a little to modulate the power, so I can get to point A to point B in a faster manner, without letting off of the throttle. This way of riding puts a lot of strain on the clutch and the plates that are inside any given bike’s engine. I usually can get anywhere between 8-10 hours on a Yamaha YZ450F clutch and the boys at Yamaha are frankly sick of handing me clutch plates every other week. We have tested the Rekluse Torque Drive kit in our Honda CRF450R. However, if you do not want to spend that kind of money on your clutch, Rekluse offers a Torque Drive Clutch Pack that utilizes the OEM clutch parts that replace your stock fibers, steels, and springs with their thinner plates and basket sleeves. 

The Torque Drive Clutch pack on the Yamaha YZ450F utilizes 12 friction plates, 10 steel plates, six springs, and steel basket inserts to fit over every finger of your clutch basket. The idea behind Rekluse’s clutch pack is to use what they learned with their Torque Drive system and put it into an OEM platform. Rekluse is setting out to increase your OEM’s clutch capacity by increasing the number of plates, so you can get more of a positive connection at the rear wheel (AKA less slipping). 

I wanted to do this test and run the stock clutch and Rekluse clutch back to back, so I started the test with one moto on the stocker and one moto with the Rekluse. The clutch pack doesn't take much time to install, but be careful sliding the steel sleeves onto your basket as sometimes they can be slippery. You don't want to be fishing sleeves out of your engine/clutch basket all day. Once installed and out on the track (with the Rekluse) the first thing I noticed is a lighter clutch pull feel than the already fairly light feel of the Yamaha YZ450F. After doing my first 25 minute moto with the Rekluse I could tell that there were some improvements in performance. Coming out of corners I could roll on the throttle without modulating/covering my clutch because I had increased positivity to the rear wheel. With the Rekluse I also felt like I had a small increase in throttle response from 0-10% throttle opening. There wasn't much of a torque/pulling power increase, but I did notice (at crack of throttle) the Rekluse had more bite/snap. The good news about getting this extra response is that it didn't affect control or power delivery through deep ruts. 

The clutch engagement however was little more grabby on/off feel than the stock one, but wasn't so bad where I couldn't feed my clutch properly while doing starts. The real benefit to me was the lifespan of my clutch in two aspects. One aspect is the toughness this clutch pack has in longer motos (Testing Term: Track Toughness). Since it’s been raining a lot in Southern California I have been testing on sand tracks more than usual and the Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack has provided me with less clutch drag when the engine heats up. I love to run third gear through corners, lug coming out, slip the clutch while exiting, and start to accelerate down the straight. Doing this puts a heavy load on my engine and the Rekluse Clutch Pack allows me to do this more without getting the plates too hot to where they start slipping during a moto. The second aspect that the Rekluse has sold me on was the overall lifespan that I am able to get out of the Rekluse. I have used the Rekluse Clutch Pack almost 14 engine hours and am just now starting to feel it slip/drag. I am getting a six hour increase in life, which is huge for me! 

The only downfall to the Rekluse Clutch Pack is that it is more expensive than buying an OEM clutch kit. At $349.00 it’s over a $120.00 more, but then again, you will be getting more life out of a Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack than your OEM plates. The cool looking Rekluse cover (which you don't need with the kit) doesn't come with the kit, but if you want to bling out your steed, the cost for the cover is $159.00. If you're hard on your clutch or maybe you're a hard core racer that wants the benefit of a Torque Drive clutch without the cost, the Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack is an excellent purchase.

FCP Racing Titanium Engine Mounts (2018-2019 YZ450F)

Out of all of the aftermarket parts I test, on any machine, it is the easiest to dissect what is good and what is bad on the Yamaha YZ450F. Why? Probably because it’s one bike (out of three) that I like to ride the most, so I am hypersensitive to any slight changes to any of those three machines. When I get to “choose” which bike I want to ride when I don’t have to “work”, a blue bike is usually one of those machines. 

I tested the FCP Racing engine mounts on the 2018 Honda CRF450R a while back and was impressed with the positive changes that it made on the red bikes chassis balance. When I was presented with some titanium engine mounts for the 2018-2019 Yamaha YZ450F, I of course jumped at the chance to see if it made one of my favorite bikes even better. FCP offers titanium front mounts in soft, medium and stiff for the 2018-2019 YZ450F and I tried all three over the course of several months. Not only did I test at the typical tracks here in Southern California, I even spent time with all the mounts in soft, farm-fresh, deep dirt in Colorado. All you east coasters out there, I got you covered on this one ok! I understand that in most cases what works here for us in California might not work there for you on the east coast. This is why I made sure that I tested these mounts in very deep conditions to really get a full coverage evaluation.  

For my weight and ability I can rule out the soft titanium mounts as it makes the bike flex too much (especially on soft dirt) coming into corners (on de-cel) and left me with a vague feeling front end. Maybe if you are a super lightweight rider (under 140 pounds) and wanted some added straight line stability (on-throttle) this could be good, but for what I was looking for this wasn't a good setting. 

My favorite set of mounts were the medium titanium mounts as they improved lean in coming into corners and gave me increased front wheel traction. If you are still feeling a vague feel on the 2018-2019 YZ450F through corners these mounts can get you some added front wheel traction. I also noticed an increased tracking ability when landing off jumps when immediately having to turn the bike. Imagine a jump that is immediately followed by a sharp 180 degree corner (with ruts). You must land and immediately find a rut to get into and make the corner. Sometimes this can be tough with the stock mounts of the YZ450F, but this is where the medium titanium mounts improve tracking because it makes the YZ450F feel even more planted in these types of conditions. This allows the rider to get on the throttle sooner (after landing) and lets you lean the YZ450F over through the corner easier.  Another improvement was though flat corners with no rut or berm to bank off of. The 2019 YZ450F is slightly improved in this area (over the 2018), but if you have a 2018 and are looking for increased front end bite through flat corners, these medium titanium mounts can help you with added traction. If there is one negative to these medium titanium FCP mounts it’s that I noticed a slightly stiffer feel (near head tube) when the track gets hard pack and square edge. This isn't a huge difference, but I do want to note that I did feel a slight change. That slight stiffer feel that I experienced gave me a little more deflection (on-throttle) in the front-end (fork). I am going to experiment with some fork settings (updated valving) to see if I can tune this out. I consider these titanium medium mounts an improvement over the stock pieces and if the stock mounts were a baseline 3 the titanium medium mounts were a 3.25. 

The stiff titanium mounts only increased that stiff head tube area feel and the YZ450F lost some of that comfort that makes it so appealing to ride. I feel like these mounts are geared towards a bigger sized rider (over 220 pounds) or someone that is racing Supercross. The stiff mounts did increase lightweight cornering feel and also helped side to side movement (“flop” or “tip in”), but for the average consumer I feel like this is too much in the wrong direction. 

After spending a couple months riding back to back with the stock mounts and the FCP Racing titanium mounts, I have come to the conclusion that this is a great option to make your 2018-2019 Yamaha YZ450F react quicker and increase tracking into ruts. For $199.00 plus shipping, it’s not so expensive where you're breaking the bank or pissing off your wife by making the purchase. The bad news is that FCP Racing only has an Instagram (@fcpracing) and Facebook (FCP Racing) page which can make it difficult for old school fellas to purchase. Contact them through direct message and they are usually pretty good about getting back to you ASAP.  

If you have any questions about this product please feel free to email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com or if you see me at the track, come up and ask away!