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In the world of handling, it’s hard to get a bike to corner as well as handle well in a straight line. The goal for any moto rider is to have a blend of both, but I can tell you in this day and age of dirt bikes, we don’t have that many new 450 motocross bikes that can do both well. We used to have the 2022 Yamaha YZ450F that cornered decent and had great straight line stability, we even had a 2022 KTM 450 SX-F that was great, but both of those are gone and we are in the new era of stiffer frame characteristics and better cornering 450 motocross machines rather than stable/longer feeling ones. As consumers we had the choice of dealing with what the manufacturers give us or band aid some of the flaws with re-valved suspension or different offset triple clamps or even both. Now there is another modification that up until now only factory race teams had, but us normal folk now can get offset steering races that FCP offers, called “Race Cups”. With these you’re able to actually rake out your front end and change the headtube angle, and fork angle by 1/3 degree (0.3 or 20 degrees °). This may not sound like much but it could drastically improve your Yamaha’s handling, change the wheelbase as well as the geometry of the bike.
Installation isn’t that difficult but you will need to press in the race/bearing so having the proper tools is important. Before we get to the price, I will say that this may be the ONLY thing that could be a negative for me/you, but here are some things to consider when purchasing a set of $599.00 FCP Race Cups. Unlike aftermarket triple clamps the rigidity of the motorcycle will not change and to me that is a good thing with the 23/24 Yamaha YZ450F. I don’t need to add rigidity to the YZ450F when I am changing the offset and sometimes that is difficult to achieve with aftermarket triple clamps. To ensure that the rigidity of the Yamaha stays down, the FCP Race Cups can give you a more stable Yamaha, if that is what you’re looking for. The price (if you think like that) is less than a set of clamps, but of course you will not get the bling that some of you vet riders crave.
So what do these races feel like on the track? The YZ450F will feel a little more front end steering heavy when cornering. I don’t want this to be confused with a heavy feeling bike in general, but the steering will feel like it is a little firmer to turn. You will not feel this on the stand by just simply turning the handlebars but you will notice that when entering ruts or flat corners that the front tire has a little more weight feel to it under lean. The Yamaha now has a little more front tire contact feel under lean (which is odd considering the rake is out further than stock). That newfound contact feel makes the front end feel a little heavier, which to me is a good thing in order to keep the YZ450F more planted under lean (on or off throttle). I also have less movement through the bars when chopping the throttle when the tracks have long rough straights. The stock (offset) YZ450F gives me a little headshake when transition from on throttle to off throttle, which can cause an uneasy feeling for a rider when trying to set up for corners. The FCP Race Cups makes that transition much easier and friendlier to the rider. I get less head shake and the YZ450F feels more planted to the ground when straight or under lean (on or off throttle). These 20 degree offset races do make the 23/24 YZ450F corner a little slower but that is what I was looking for. I was looking for a slightly slower turning YZ450F and more stable machine on fast rough tracks or longer ruts with bumps inside of them.
A couple things to note if you purchase the FCP Race Cups:
You might have to soften your fork compression a couple clicks.
If you feel like you need a little more cornering ability, instead of raising your fork in the clamp, try raising your sag a couple mm’s (I went from 105mm to 103mm).
I have tested offset races in the past and they were always a big difference in feel on the track. The one thing that is nice is that when/if you purchase these, you will actually feel what you spend your money on. I think offset races have more of an effect on the bike’s handing than some offset triple clamps at times. Yes, it’s expensive but if you’re serious about your YZ450F and want more stability, then this is a good option for you bLU cRU guys. These are also available for Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda, but the KTM riders will have to wait a bit as those are still in the testing phase. The FCP Race Cups retail for $589.00-$599.00 and will work with any triple clamp. You can check them out at fcpracing.com and yes they are AMA legal ( I don’t know why they wouldn’t be).
