The Yamaha YZ450F underwent some chassis and engine changes in 2026 and it seems to be a hit in a lot of 2026 450 media shootouts. At the time this went out to you all, Yamaha has acquired three 450 Shootout wins (with more to come from what I have heard) from Swap Moto Live, Dirt Bike Magazine and Whiskey Throttle Media. It is also known that I am fan of the Yamaha YZ450F and have been for sometime. I loved my 2022 YZ450F and even though some may have called it a “Big Girl” the 2022 YZ450F felt planted and stuck to the ground with an engine character that was torquey as well as third gear friendly. When Yamaha changed the YZ450F in 2023 it had some growing pains but has been evolving into what you see in 2026 and is one of the most popular bikes amongst media, vet riders, privateers, as well as the occasional weekend warrior. But why? I am sure you have heard many reasons from the numerous media outlets that have gave explanations on why the Yamaha YZ450F is “the winner” in these 2026 450 Shootouts but I wanted to maybe break it down a little further and give you some of my perspective on why it is winning these media shootouts.
Winning Points:
Engine Delivery: The 2026 YZ450F is smoother slightly easier to ride than the 2025 but still is the most powerful of the 450 bunch. I DON’T CARE ABOUT DYNOS! The Yamaha is the most connected throttle to rear wheel engine delivery there is in 2026. It has this exciting spool up (rpm feel) with a linear delivery that gets riders excited and makes them feel like a hero on the track. It revs out fairly far in second and third gear and allows a wide variety of riders to be ride lazy with the most reward when doing so. When a test rider rolls out onto the track when he gets off another colored motorcycle you can guarantee he will be going “holy shit” this thing moves. That is guaranteed. That is the first damn thing they think about. The ECU mapping is also one of the cleanest deliveries there is (next to Honda) and that makes for any tester to feel like they got rear wheel traction even when there may not be ton. Yes, the YZ450F still can be a lot of bike for some to handle but that is an article for another time. (Maybe a Part Two on some of the demerits of the YZ450F?)
Yamaha Power Tuner App: Some may say that changing maps in a shootout is cheating? No, way! If it comes standard on a bike then why would it be? Kawasaki offers their Rideology app but nothing is as easy to use (to make a change to your ECU) than the Yamaha Power Tuner. The Yamaha Power Tuner is also functional and not just some gimmick. It actually works! Changing fuel and ignition values can make a huge difference in how you want the bike to feel.
Predictability: This is a big one. Predictability and comfort are two different things. Stability is also different than predictability. The reason why Yamaha is winning these shootouts is because you know what the 2026 YZ450F is going to DO and NOT DO. Sure, the Kawasaki might feel more planted to the ground at times, sure the Kawasaki and Honda may front end steer better but the Yamaha feels the same when doing a 10 minute moto or a 30 minute moto. Test riders know exactly when the front end will push/wash, when the rear end will kick and simply put how this bike reacts every lap. There is nothing worse than having a bike that shows its weaknesses when the rider least expects it. The YZ450F does not do this. Along with the predictability of the chassis, it’s one of the most stable in class. It’s no 2022 chassis but with other manufacturers changing their chassis’ the last few years, the Yamaha is still one of the class leaders.
Cornering To Stability Ratio: Similar to the description above, it has to be noted that the YZ450F doesn’t corner the best and may not feel the most planted (tire contact feel), but it surely does corner well and is stable enough to give test riders confidence. It is winning shootouts because it is a bike a test rider can hop on and feel comfortable ASAP. It doesn’t take many laps to be able to get up to speed or rail a rut well. It’s one of those bikes that does almost EVERYTHING well.
KYB Suspension: Tough to beat a KYB feel. The Yamaha/KYB feel contributes to the predictability of the YZ450F and even though Yamaha asked KYB for stiffer settings in 2026, it is still one of the best at intertwining comfort/performance. Honda/Showa may have more comfort but damping quality/performance is not like the Yamaha/KYB in stock form. The control the KYB suspension has gives testers confidence even if it is on the stiff side for most.
Quality Feel: Maybe this is NOT one of the reasons that it is winning shootouts because I haven’t heard/read one tester mention it but it absolutely is one of the reasons why it is winning. The YZ450F has little to no vibration when almost all of the other bikes do. It doesn’t feel roached or loose feeling after several hours of use like some other colored 450s can and doesn’t take much to break in.
These are the reasons that the 2026 YZ450F is winning shootouts and I am sure it will end up with a couple more by the time all of them are finished. With that being said don’t let shootout results think that the winner is THE BIKE TO GET FOR YOU at all times. Do your research. Read/watch all of the shootouts (not just one), if that is what you use for knowledge in order to decide on your purchase. Listen to the people or media you trust the most. There is not one single media outlet that is the end all be all of knowledge. Each media has a style/certain way of evaluating so go with the one that fits your way of thinking but also piggyback off of other outlets to gain a wider scope of knowledge . If I am purchasing a car, I am not just taking in information from one outlet, I would be going to several to get more of a broad scope on what it is I am looking for. We are here to help if need be. You can always email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com for any questions you have and I’ll be sure to do my best on help guide you on which machine could be the right bike for you.
Are Shootouts Worth It For Consumers To Digest?
People always ask me why I haven’t done shootouts in a while. Here is an honest answer on my feelings about shootouts. This is just my opinion and nothing more. I haven’t done shootouts in a while because I quite frankly don’t know if “the shootout model” is relevant anymore to possible consumers. However, I do know people like them (by the sheer number of views they get on Youtube) and most of the manufacturers do read/watch them so in some ways they are still important. I know for a fact that the Japanese do in fact take in what some of the media says about their bike in order to improve on what they can do for upcoming years/models. I also know “winning” a shootout is a good marketing tool for manufacturers but past that I don’t know if the ranking systems are helping a future buyer. I know in some cases rankings can be skewed based on when a certain test rider hops on a bike. Being that it’s a collective opinion based evaluation (with rankings) and that one test rider’s ranking holds enough weight to make or break a “win” is just tough for me to hop on board with at times. When you grab an average rider and have him ride 6 bikes a day, it can get a little messy. Said rider has to have enough energy to ride bike number 6 as he did on bike number 1. I have been testing for years and understand that feeling fresh/good enough to evaluate as good at 3PM as you did at 9AM is a big way to misjudge a bike or its function for a “result”.
So, with all that being said, I do like/think some media shootouts are well done/ran. The digital world is much different than the print world some of us that are reading this lived in. Look, it’s a business, you’re supposed to make money but are shootouts still in existence in this digital world because it really helps the consumer? Or is the digital shootout model just for generating revenue? Some may say it’s both, right? I was at a magazine for years and the revenue was the number one goal, the information to the consumer was just a bi-product of the big goal of the publication. That always rubbed me the wrong way. I was lucky enough to be around when change started happening. I was there when it was all print, to both print and digital, to now mostly ALL digital. Said media company can sell their shootout much easier digitally to moto/off road aftermarket companies and make revenue because those aftermarket companies understand there will be eyes on shootout videos. It’s not rocket science and I understand it so does that mean I think shootouts should don’t have a place? No, I understand it works for some and I do think it is kind of a staple in our industry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it helps the consumer.
This east coast shootout (or east coast testing in general) is something that I think is missing in our media testing world. For the people that like shootouts, why aren’t we (media and me included) going back east to please those riders? The dirt is much different back east, the bikes react different back east so why aren’t we doing more of this? The reason is because the industry is back here on the west coast and it takes money to travel to the east coast with a pack of bikes. Most media companies are here to make money not spend it. I am an idiot that does this myself so when it comes to doing this kind of stuff, I only have to answer to one person and that person is my wife. Luckily for me the manufacturers see the benefit in bringing in more east coast type testing content to help possible east coast consumers so if that means I have to spend a little money to make it happen, so be it. Again, not a “great” business model but I feel like our industry needs this and if there is one thing I am passionate about, it’s dirt bikes.
