Yamaha built the WR450F so it would appeal to
the majority of off-roaders - and it does a good job for
occasional riders. Hardcore riders, on the other hand, require
more then what the stock machine offers: products that serve an
intended purpose or function to enhance the bikes off road vigor
to suit specific needs. Our focus of use runs the gamut of terrain
from wide-open Baja to dodging trees in the forest. Here are
some must haves for extreme use?
 Fuel Consumption – IMS Fuel Tank The stock 2.6 GAL tank will allow a 45-mile loop before getting
thirsty and needing to be fed. This is where IMS comes into the
picture. Long known for quality aftermarket fuel cells IMS
engineers designed a larger volume tank with the limited space
available. Their 3.1 GAL tank bolts onto the blue beast
without much hassle.
There are a few drawbacks to this tank
however? - You need YZ450F radiator shrouds, WR
shrouds will not work and IMS has no plans to build a tank
especially for the WR.
- Fuel lines run on both sides of the
tank near "hot" motor parts, we used "heat wrap" just
in case and have not experienced any problems.
 Fuel petcock is very low and susceptible to getting caught by
foreign objects that could rip the gas line off.
On the up side:- The translucent tank allows you to see just
how much fuel you have with a glance while riding.
- We were able to ride 65 miles and still had
some gas left in the tank.
- Tank is no wider in critical areas and
keeps the flat seat position for easy seat transition.
 Protect Your Paws – Acerbis Rally Guards
If you are tired of getting your hands beat to a pulp by foliage
that seems to jump out at you; Acerbis Rally guards stop the
stinging. Reinforced with aluminum the stout guards deflect
rocks, tree braches and even a tree if you are unfortunate.
I've dumped the WR a few times with the guards installed, of
course for the purpose of testing ;-) and the Rally Guards saved
brake and clutch levers as well as knuckles from an errant tree.
Suspend Crashing - Race Tech Suspension If you weigh more then a buck eighty you'll at least need heaver
springs to keep your overweight mass from bottoming the suspension
at every bump in the trail. Race Tech added heaver springs,
Gold Valves and a magic wand to the WR, setting it up for my
weight and riding style. I can't give enough praise to the
folks at Race Tech for just how awesome the suspension worked
right out of the box! Didn't have to adjust the
"clickers" at all. Its truly to the point where I have
to second guess why the bike did something out of the ordinary,
then giggle to myself realizing - I'm a doofus - and suspension
can only correct some of my dumb mistakes.
 New Stuff from BRP – 22mm Offset Triple
Clamps By offsetting the forks closer to the steering stem this transfers
more of the engine weight to the front wheel as well as changing
the tire to ground contact pattern of the front tire. Allowing a
more positive and confident steering, without the fear of the
front end, knifing or over steering in the turns. We
have tested with various bikes and offsets, and with the
appropriate offset changes we have had excellent results on the
overall cornering and handling improvements.
These offsets
changes, while improving cornering, do not affect your stability
in any way and in most cases; high-speed stability is also greatly
improved." Unlike most products you'll
add to the WR, BRP's triple clamps are specifically designed for
the WR450F with brackets to mount the electrical panel to.
We've ridden a few hundred miles with the new clamps and they
have inspired cornering ability. With the stock clamps
you'll notice a twitchy front end that I've made reference to
in previous articles. GPR's steering stabilizer helped
dramatically to compensate this and with the addition of the 22mm
offset BRP clamps I can rip into a corner with confidence! Bag It - Dirt Bike Gear  Now that the WR is ready for severe use some tools are not a bad
idea to have on those "could get stranded" riders. Fanny
packs work if you don't mind having a few extra pounds around
your waist. Besides that, a wipeout could leave you landing
on the fanny pack and that's not good.
 Answer? Tick, tock? buzzer please? Fender bag! Dirt Bike Gear (http://www.dirt-bike-gear.com/)
has a nice fender bag to securely hold your tools. As I hear more
and more Woodruff key problems after the "Fix," it wouldn't
be a bad idea to have the tools and parts to repair it, just in
case. With these improvements
and the other advise we've giving in recent months the WR450F is
ready for the thrashing from the best of them! Off
to the Baja 500 for more "testing", see you in Mexico?
Mike Hobbs
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