Yamaha YZ450F 2023 – Blue has never looked so damn good!

Mar 9, 2023

For those who bleed blue, this latest YZ450F has been a highly anticipated motorcycle, a motorcycle that the Yamaha boys and girls have been begging Yamaha to build. So, what has Yamaha brought to the table for 2023? In short, their new model brings riders a lighter, slimmer, sharper and faster ride. Yamaha has stepped out of their comfort zone in order to get this right for ‘23’, and that’s by building a brand new YZ450F from the ground up.

With a globally high demand for the latest YZF, we were surprised to find out that Yamaha South Africa had managed to sneak in a few bikes for 25 lucky clients—who made sure they camped in line to get their YZ450F before anyone else. So, with one on the floor at Linex Yamaha Lynnwood, we made a turn to take a closer look.

Walking through the doors at Linex Lynnwood confirmed all the American and European hype over Yamaha’s new blue pill. It’s almost too good to be true, for the first time in something like five years, the Yamaha YZ450F has been given a complete revamp. What immediately strikes the eye is the more exotic plastic design—slimmer and cleaner lines. We then see ergonomic changes with a taller and flatter seat, wider footpegs, a narrower fuel tank, increased legroom between the seat and footpegs and revised handlebar positioning.

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You could literally stare at the YZ450F for hours and find something new every time, just ask Justin Boniface (CRM manager at Linex Yamaha Lynnwood and national MX racer). From the design of the engine covers, aluminium bilateral beam frame, slimmer intake, updated power tuner app, hand-adjustable KYB suspension and new motor, you can just tell that Yamaha is ready to take on all championships this year. But, what is most clear is that Yamaha is listening to their rider’s feedback and in turn have taken this latest YZF to the next level.

Engine-wise, we are looking at major changes! The redesign sees a 500 rpm higher rev limit, new exhaust and intake port shapes, larger diameter titanium intake valves, new piston, cylinder, crankshaft and balancer assembly, and a switch from the wet sump to dry sump lubrication. In summary, this means the YZ450F offers more power across the entire rev range in a lighter and more compact engine.

Another new and interesting thing I heard Justin explain to a client, is how the rider can now adjust the new traction control and the updated launch control setting through the Yamaha Power Tuner App. Yes, riders can now select between three levels of TC, high, low or off and launch control now features an rpm limiting setting, which can be adjusted in 500 rpm increments between 6,000 rpm and 11,000 rpm. If you don’t get the holeshot after all this, then you’re doing something wrong.

There are a host of other smaller changes to run through, but without making it too long-winded here are a few standouts:

• Advanced fuel injection through a 44 mm Mikuni throttle body
• New Compact Lightweight Clutch
• Strong, Lightweight Wheels
• New Five-Speed Transmission
• New Air Intake
• Updated Rear Brake
• All-New Aluminium Bilateral Beam Frame

After a long hard look at the latest YZ450F, it is clear that Yamaha is looking to cater to a wider riding audience. Before the YZF used to be a required taste due to its riding ergonomics, which was either loved or hated, but for 23, I think we’ll start to see a migration from riders across the board because of these changes.

Previous YZF riders will enjoy these changes too, who wouldn’t prefer a light, slimmer and faster bike at the end of the day? One of these lucky riders was Riccardo Hill, rolling his YZ450F predecessor into Linex Lynnwood for his all-new 2023 Yamaha YZ450F.

We think Yamaha has a very competitive alternative to what rolls out of the European factory line. We hope to find out more about this latest blue beast throughout the year as more local riders get to rip them around our local tracks. The latest YZ450F will set riders and parents back a compelling R159,950 (R15,000 more than last year’s model), that’s if you get in line before the next shipment is all sold out.