With each rugged mile I conquered and the more accustomed to the quad I became, it was obvious to me that the overall handling was extremely nimble and incredibly stable, even in nasty, root-filled, off-cambered turns. Speaking of roots, add in the occasional boulder, whoops, and unexpected kickers; I was quite blown away by the suspension on the new X model. With the feeling that the stock settings were a bit stiff for my comfort, I had Pat Biolsi, a Yamaha technician, give my suspension a few tweaks to see if I could get them to perform a little better for my weight and style of riding. Speeding up the high- and low-speed compression and slowing down the rebound on the rear is where I started. For the front, I sped up the low-speed compression six clicks and I was back in action. Wow, it's pretty darn amazing what a little dialing in can do to improve the stock suspension on this machine. The rear shock hardly bottomed out yet felt cushy and lost its tendency for kicking and bucking in the rough terrain. On the front, when tackling rough straights it seemed fluid and comfortable while remaining stiff for railing around corners in the gas. Overall, I'd have to say that the handling and suspension on the new X model impressed me beyond my expectations, and that's unusual for most stock machines.
As mentioned previously, I was able to spend most of 2009 aboard the R model, so I've become quite accustomed to how this motor performs. Curious to find out how the new fuel mapping would affect the X model, I was quite pleased that it helped remove the initial stutter when hitting hard and fast on the throttle and it increased the bottom-end power. I have to admit, though, when the trail would get very tight I had a hard time lugging it around as it tended to bog when the revs weren't high. Having experienced similar lugging issues on the R model, for which an EFI mapping module and pipe benefited the machine's ability to lug through the woods greatly, I imagined a module/pipe would do much the same for the X model. When the trail opened up and the opportunity to hammer down presented itself, it was amazing how the YFZ450X would begin to dig in and launch itself forward with great aggression and determination. The power portrayed a very linear feel due to the fuel injection system and felt extremely fast as you clicked through the gears.
After spending a full day in the terrain that fit not only my riding style but the machine like a glove, it's easy for me to say that I fell in love with the new YFZ450X. It handled the rough terrain as if it had spent the last 10 years in the woods adapting to it. Although I struggled a slight amount with lugging it through the tighter portions of the track, it was still an improvement over the R model and it's an easy-to-remedy problem. When it came to the quad's overall power and speed, the best way to explain it was by saying that it was extremely impressive. A few other points to hit on were the new wheels, as no trail debris got trapped in the tire beads. I'm also a huge fan of its comfort features such as the new T-shaped seat where switching from one side to the other is effortless. The new throttle design also allows me to ride for longer without suffering from thumb-pump. Overall, I think Yamaha hit the mark with almost perfection when designing the YFZ450X, and I can't wait to hammer out some long-term miles aboard it.