2012 Yamaha WR450F Shootout Photo Gallery

We love the WR450F – always have – but we haven’t been this excited about the Yamaha open-class enduro since it was introduced.

See how the Yamaha WR450F stands up to three other Enduro bikes in the 2012 450 Enduro Shootout. Read more in the 2012 Yamaha WR450F Shootout.

The WR gets all new styling which our testers loved with the exception of the headlight.

The Yamaha DOHC, five-valve engine is pretty burly. It’s always been a torquey bastard and the fuel-injected version runs better than ever.

The WR exhaust puts out 93 dB.

2012 450 Enduro Horsepower

The bilateral beam chassis gives it a racy feel.

The five-speed transmission has plenty of legs and doesn’t run out as quickly as the Honda.

Yamaha ranks second for its brakes.

When those drop-offs, hidden rocks and violent G-outs come out of nowhere, you’re best off on the Yamaha.

With 2.1 gallons of fuel available, the fuel injected mill was always one of the first to run out along with the Honda.

2012 450 Enduro Torque

A tough pull on the clutch lever left us struggling in the EnduroCross sections.

The WR might have gotten a rolling chassis from the YZ250F, but not a single one of our testers ever described it as particularly 250-ish. It's a big boy.

The real gem in this new WR is the aluminum chassis.

With the highest curb weight and poor clutch, none of our testers prefer the Yamaha in these types of conditions.

2012 Yamaha WR450F Dyno Chart

Despite sacrificing a little on the ground clearance, the Yamaha doesn’t actually slam into the ground very often.

Some riders aren’t stoked on its mellow ProTaper handlebar – though it’s nowhere near as bad as the KTM.

Its suspension does a marvelous job at resisting bottoming and has the best overall action out of the group.

The blue bikes have earned a reputation for stability over the years and this machine is no different. It’s virtually unshakable and gives our riders the utmost confidence to carry extra speed.