2018 Vital MX 450 Shootout 12

Want a new 450cc motocross bike and need some help deciding which one to get? Got a certain new model in mind and afraid it might not be your cup of tea? That's why we're here, to give you all the information and insight you need to pick the best bike for you. Welcome to Vital MX's 2018 450 Shootout.

As always, you'll get to examine our test rider's comments on each of the six bikes from our days of testing. Our goal is to give you clarity on the bikes and aspects they agree on; and shine a spotlight on where they disagree to show you how each model against different riding styles, weights, and overall opinions. Every rider is required to spend an equal amount of time on each bike before being allowed to revisit bikes they needed more time on to help narrow down their results and give clarity. Also, each rider is tasked with answering one simple question. "Which bike would you take home or to the track to race the next day with the adjustments available off the showroom floor?"

For this year's 450 Shootout we visited three different tracks in Southern California; Pala Raceway, Milestone MX, and Zaca Station. These three tracks were chosen because of their range of terrain, size, and jump style. Zaca Station features constant elevation changes, flowing fast corners, a bit of sand, some tighter ruts in the trees, and it gets chop going each and every way on the track. Milestone MX is your typical modern day motocross track. It's been on flat property, everything is man-made, features a lot of obstacle into tight corners. There you're constantly accelerating, jumping, and then braking hard into each corner. Pala Raceway was the site we shot the majority of our photos and video at, and also where we broke in the bikes. It's also known for having held two outdoor nationals in the past. For anyone who watched those races, they'll remember that this track features huge obstacles, wide-open straightaways, and deep braking bumps. Beyond this, we continued working with LITPro to keep track of our laps and data for each day. The riders can use this data to help with gauging their performance, but it's complicated to feature here. Check back next week for a smaller piece on the site with that data. Oh, did we mention that we racked up over 1000 laps of recorded testing?

Many of you who have read a Vital MX Shootout prior will recognize the majority of names on our tester list from the past editions. Each of these riders are selected because of their ability to give feedback, their honest nature, plus being in decent enough shape to pound out laps in the summer of Southern California for a few days on end (with a nice high of 112 degrees at Milestone during our second day). As you can see by the past bikes the riders have ridden/owned, most of them have had quite the range of brands and models. Heck, even a few of them bought new bikes last year based off their thoughts from the '17 450 Shootout. Now that's some honest opinion right there!

The Contenders

If you're looking for a refresher on what's new with each model, you can find the technical info by hitting the specs links, and our initial ride comments in our First Impressions (except for the Husqvarna, which we did not ride prior to the 2018 Shootout). They're listed in order by MSRP, from most expensive to least expensive.

Dyno Comparison Charts

Below you'll find two charts, the first being a horsepower overlay from all the models and second you'll see an overlay chart for all the torque figures. All the dyno figures are produced from bikes in their standard engine mapping, but some models in this test produce more power or different curves in the optional maps. All dyno services were provided by Race Tech in Corona, California...the same dyno we've used the past two years for our shootouts.

2018 450 Horsepower Comparison Overlay

2018 450 Torque Comparison Overlay

Bike Weights

These weights were also collected at Race Tech, using a scale that recorded front and rear bias of each bike, along with the total weight. Dry weights are done with the motorcycles ready to ride, minus fuel in the tanks. Wet weights on the other hand are ready to ride with a full tank of fuel. Our version of a "full tank" was to fill each bike until the fuel was at the brim of the tank, then place the cap on. That's as full as they get.

The Results

Below you'll find the results for each bike, listed from last to first place. With each overall result, you'll also find the personal scores of each test rider added up, which reflects that model's finishing position. Each rider ranks the bikes from first to sixth, then we add up these scores and the lowest total number wins. It's simple but effective, allowing you a quick view into how each bike landed where they did. Once you get past the shock and awe of the results, you can scroll down a bit more to find each rider's individual results, along with their personal rankings and write-ups about each bike. Giving each rider their own voice and allowing you to see where we all agreed, and disagreed over the 2018 fleet.

Here you'll find our video edition for those that want to just sit back and listen to roughly ten minutes of quick results and insight from our own head of testing, Michael Lindsay. If you have the time however, we strongly recommend you keep scrolling to see the scores of each bike and each of our seven test rider's thoughts.

Also, if you want to discuss the results with us, drop us a comment below the article or join our larger QNA discussion in the forum. You can find that here: Forum QNA - 2018 Vital MX 450 Shootout

Sixth Place - Suzuki RM-Z450

Scores: 6 - 6 - 6 - 5 - 6 - 5 - 5 = 39

Fifth Place - Kawasaki KX450F

Scores: 5 - 5 - 5 - 6 - 3 - 4 - 6 = 34

Fourth Place - Yamaha YZ450F

Scores: 4 - 2 - 4 - 4 - 5 - 2 - 3 = 24

Third Place - Husqvarna FC 450

Scores: 1 - 4 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 6 - 4 = 19

Second Place - KTM 450 SX-F

Scores: 3 - 3 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 3 - 1 = 16

First Place - Honda CRF450R

Scores: 2 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 = 15

Test Rider Opinions

Michael Lindsay Age: 25 Height: 5' 8" / Weight 157 lbs. Riding Experience: Somewhere between really good and really bad... Recent Bikes: Everything Vital MX tests

Sixth Place: Suzuki RM-Z450

This is not how I expected to kick off this list, but alas...the first visually new Suzuki RM-Z450 we've gotten in ten years is in last place. Did it improve? Yes. Just not enough. First thoughts when climbing aboard the RM-Z is that Suzuki finally went to a stock handlebar that's close to what everyone else runs, not the super-wide and weird sweep they've had in prior years. The ergos are good, the frame spars feel a bit thinner between your knees, and the stiffness of the seat is comfortable. What was a bit off, was the height at the rear of the seat, as it feels a bit taller at the standard 105mm of sag than previous models. That was something I wasn't stoked on.

Once out on the track it's obvious what Suzuki changed (and didn't change) on the 2018. The frame is thinner and the bodywork seemed to be more comfortable to grip between your knees. Overall stance felt better to me, and more aggressive on the new machine. However, the engine feels very similar when first cruising around, as the majority of it is the same as the '17. Low-to-mid performance is nearly identical to the previous model, with the gains all seeming to be up top. Where the RM-Z isn't usually a revver, the new model actually has some zing up top. Down low it has a little snap and bark to it, but it rolls into a fairly calm mid-range and finishes out decently strong. The RM-Z still holds an old-school thumper feel in regards to how much inertia the engine produces, especially when off the throttle. Because of this, the Suzuki feels quite heavy under braking as the engine tugs you around a bit; and the higher RPM I was at when I chopped the throttle, the more it stood out on this bike. Overall, the engine is improved over the previous model, but just average when compared to the other 450s in the test.

The Suzuki faithful will be excited when it comes to handling, as the chassis retains the planted and aggressive stance it has towards ruts and cornering. The new bars made it easier to get forward on the bike, and the new spring forks have a much better feel when pushed deep into deep corners. That makes the RM-Z a blast to throw into ruts and seeing how well it can lay in and attack through the exit. While the chassis feedback is good, that doesn't quite mean the handling is completely on point as the shock is my source of concern for 2018. As I mentioned in my First Impression on the RM-Z at JGR's facility, the BFRC (Balance Free Rear-Cushion) shock has a very free feel. The tighter the tracks we rode, it wasn't as big of a issue. Tracks that go "turn, jump, land, brake, turn, repeat" it worked out pretty decently, as you can keep the shock constantly loaded. Now on wider, sweeping tracks with fewer obstacles and more constant chop, the shock's free feel becomes irritating. Why? It never stays settled. As soon as you have to chop the throttle, or the rate of momentum slows (say once you've been in third gear for a bit) the shock doesn't have enough load to keep it down and it climbs high in the stroke. This unsettles the chassis, and without the rear squatted, it tends to wallow around and step out when you hit anything. Then when braking, the combination of the unloaded shock and taller rear area of the seat ends with me getting kicked in the butt and throwing my weight forward, putting too much load on the forks.

My quick fix was to run a few millimeters less sag to add squat, and slow down the rebound to keep things down but then stiffen it with compression as the shock is a bit on the soft side (there's only compression on this shock, no high and low-speed adjusters). This made things work more "normally" and get the bike to drive forward again, but in turn it lost a lot of its comfort and beat my back up a bit. I've been spoiled enough to ride some "works" version of the BFRC and they work pretty decently and don't feel quite as active, and I feel this production version has a lot of room for improvement. Sadly, this problem overshadows the improvements up front. In my opinion the new Showa spring fork is better than what Honda brought last year with the same Showa unit, but the unbalance of the bike puts too much work on the forks at times.

Then there's the weight. It's heavy and feels like it when you ride it. Throwing it around wears you more than the other models and the inertia from the engine may add to its planted feel, but it takes more to work it through the chop. Yes, the Honda and Yamaha are in this bike's weight range, but they really don't feel it (especially the Honda), and both of those bikes introduced electric start this year!

So where are we at with the new RM-Z? Positives...it's thinner, has spring forks, still turns absolutely amazing, and makes more top-end power. Negatives...the shock and the weight. Suzuki went from having a great shock that was near kit level and swapped it for something that needs more development time. Considering how conservative Suzuki has been on the rest of the bike, being the first to bring this shock to production surprises me, and not in a good way. Basically, the RM-Z went from having a great shock and not-so-great forks, to great forks and a blah shock for '18. In the end, it generally is an improvement over the previous model, but considering how long we've waited for this bike, it just feels kind of old on arrival. 

Fifth Place: Kawasaki KX450F

How does the basically unchanged KX450F beat the new RM-Z? Simple, it's still a solid package. Not amazing in any particular area, but pretty good to decent across the board. I personally have spent more laps on Kawasaki KX450Fs over the years than any other 450, so to say I'm immediately comfortable with the ergos and nuances of the bike is an understatment. In stock trim the KX is comfortable for your smaller-to-mid-sized rider, and with some adjustments of the bars and pegs, it's pretty quick to open up for those with a larger build. For me, roll back the bars a bit and I'm pretty happy. As for the engine, Kawasaki was the king of power a few years back, but that's slowly going away. They've slowly improved it, and in this field it feels like it's lacking in pull from mid-to-top but has quite a snappy low-end that pulls good into the mid-range. It makes the KX fun to slide around with the rear and makes you feel like you're being more aggressive with the throttle compared to the other bikes. 

As for the KXF's suspension, the shock really supports that rear end steer as it squats down nicely but not too deep in the stroke. It's just enough to drive forward and make the bike feel planted under power, but leave enough stroke to keep comfort when the rear tire contacts something on the track. Up front, the KX has had what's probably the best setting that a Showa TAC fork has come with, but compared to the new "kit-like" Showa spring forks and the ol' KYBs aboard the Yamaha, it's just an uphill battle for the Kawi. The air settings we started with this year were a bit softer than what I've run the past two years but were noticeably better, allowing the work Kawasaki did a few years ago on the new chassis to shine through. Does it carve in like the Suzuki? No. Can it change directions quickly like the Honda or KTM/Husky? Also a no. But it does offer enough feedback and traction to modestly throw it into some pretty tricky situations and come out unscathed. It still prefers that rear steer, but the front is an option when the situation requires. As for the action, it's just okay, nothing special. It works but isn't as plush as the KYBs on the Yamaha and it doesn't have the bottoming resistance of some of the other bikes. It's a little give or take, the softer pressure settings offered better traction and more initial comfort, but gave away just a tad bit on the far end of the stroke.

As for the overall feel on the track, it's easy to ride off the back and be aggressive. It's also fairly light and is much more playful than say the Yamaha or Suzuki, and for me it's around the same to throw around as the Honda. But the KTM and Husky definitely have it beat in the light weight department. It's stable, as you'd expect from the Kawasaki and I just had to be careful not to go too soft on the fork, or I'd end up with a bit of headshake as the front would be a bit too low in the stroke. As long as I kept the fork settings correct, the bike maintained very good balance and as I mentioned before, it promotes being aggressive. The brakes are decent, strong but not as manageable as the Brembos. The KXF has great power in this department, but the front is just a bit too grabby at times in hardpack. Overall, I don't have as much to say about the Kawasaki because it didn't change and it's just an overall decent bike. Its aggressive nature and rear steer abilities stand out a bit, while the rest of the package is just okay in some sense. And as you'll see as a common theme here, electric start rules. Kawi, please add that for '19...thank you!

Fourth Place: Yamaha YZ450F

I'll admit, it pains me to place the YZ450F in fourth, as that's the same spot where I placed it last year. But I really enjoy this version so much more. I would definitely stand as someone who hasn't been a big fan of this bike since the overhaul in 2010, and while the '14 and later generation was better, it still didn't give me the warm fuzzies. Right off the bat, the '18 felt so much better as soon as I swung of my leg over the seat. They've done a fantastic job of making the fuel tank and shrouds thinner, somewhere around 16 millimeters leaner at the widest portion of the shroud. Instead of bowing out and then in like last year's model, this year's follows a much more tradition line. In other words, the shroud starts skinny and gets wider at the tips. Not where it starts skinny, get really wide way too quickly, and then actually get thinner at the front. This was mostly accomplished by rolling the radiators forward and using that new empty space to fill with the shrouds and air inlets. Beyond that, the seat is a few millimeters lower in the center, and even lower the farther back you get. The downside is the height of the new handlebar. The bar mounts are now five millimeters taller and combined with the lower seat, I felt like I was sitting up far too straight.

Once I pressed the magic button, I was off. Based on previous experience riding this bike before the Vital MX 450 Shootout I knew what to expect, but tried to just spend a bit more time adapting to the bike. With the thinner setup, this definitely took one thing off the list to get used to, but the Yamaha still holds a unique feel to it that's unlike any other bike in the field. It feels long due to the expanded area to move around on the seat, and even with the bike cutting down on its width, the soft and wide nature of the seat itself makes the bike still feel a bit bigger than some of the other brands. That, combined with the upright riding posture of the bars, gave me an impression that the bike was a bit like a couch. Don't get me wrong, it's a big improvement, but that part stands out a little. The lowered seat height was definitely a positive for me, especially at the rear where I could now get back on the bike without feeling like it was going to kick me in the butt under braking or in some rollers. 

"A testament to YZ's easy-to-ride nature..."

The suspension was as you'd expect from the KYBs aboard a Yamaha; they're very good, predictable, and stable on the bumps at the very beginning of the day, continuing so as the track gets blown-out and rougher at the end. Initially, I did struggle a little to get the YZ to turn into the tight lines, but raising the forks a little in the clamps and setting more weight onto the front really helped the new chassis shine. Although something stood out; I wasn't a big fan of the stock handlebars. They felt a little too high, so this contributed to the higher feeling from the front end and my struggle to get my weight forward. A testament to YZ's easy-to-ride nature was the fact of how consistent my laptimes were on it at the end of the day...all within a second on the roughest outings. In the end, I really enjoyed riding the Yamaha and the changes to the 2018 bike were all positive in my eyes...which is why it makes it into my top three.

Second Place: Honda CRF450R

Right before the '18 Shootout kicked off, I actually had the opportunity to spend a day aboard the 2017 version of the CRF450R, so I had a bit of familiarity to go off of and an idea of what to look for in the small changes on the '18 version. Right away, I noticed the stiffer suspension settings, engine mounts, and revised ECU mapping within my first laps aboard the bike. Beyond that, the addition of the electric start was greatly appreciated. ECU changes may sound minor, but the '18 model has notably better throttle response, which gives it a bit more punch from the crack of the throttle than before. This bottom hit was much more to my liking and pulled well through the mid-range and into the top end of the range...much better than the previous generation Hondas. What really drew me to the the Honda was the feeling in the air. While the bike is on the heavier end of the scale, it doesn't feel like it once it's off the stand. Out on the track it felt super-light and nimble, easy to throw around, and gave a lot of confidence.

The bike is aggressive in the right places but also easy to put laps down, as I was able to set my fastest lap on day one of testing on the Honda. The only real negative I noticed was a little bit of a twitch under hard braking from the front end when entering corners. I wasn't so keen on this but a few tweaks to the suspension helped, and with a bit more time I'm sure I could've improved it further. Honestly, it's difficult to put the Honda in second place as I had so much fun riding this bike (putting the biggest smile on my face) and throwing it around off jumps.

First Place: KTM 450 SX-F

Initially, I wasn't sure what I would think of the KTM, but in every department the bike was really quite great. The power on this bike is really what you'd expect out of a race bike, as it was easy to roll on, picked up great off the bottom, without ever needing a touch of the clutch, all while pulling into an extremely strong over-rev. That made it an overall powerful package. The chassis was equally impressive, inspiring confidence to cut inside turns...rolling it on in a new line that hadn't even been used. Or, alternatively, throwing the bike outside of the turn, into the soft berms, as the bike was predictable and easy to control even in these situations.

Suspension was good, feeling progressive and more solid on big hits than some of the softer bikes. That inspired me to push harder in the bigger bumps, although I decided to go a couple of clicks softer on compression, to give the forks a little more supple feeling on corner entrance. That gave me the best of both worlds and gave the front end a bit more of a planted feel. Now honestly, I couldn't find a problem in the rear shock, it took big hits and tracked very well on the small chop exiting the turns. I didn't have any real need to muck around with adjustments, as it was predictable and did what I was looking for. As for the ECU settings, I really liked map two without traction control for loamy conditions, which I used the majority of the time, and map one for slippery hardpack with the traction control on. The adjustability of these maps is a nice feature and if used properly really offers a lot to the rider. Overall, out the crate, the KTM is a fantastic bike and felt like something I could go race competitively on straight away in all conditions. Thus it made it to the clear number one on my list.

Conclusion

Similar to our 2017 Shootout, the Honda, KTM, and Husqvarna are fairly well regarded overall...with their finishing positions coming right down to the wire. Albeit this year, in a slightly different order. The KTM defends it second place finish, while Honda's CRF jumps from third to first, and the Husky being relegated to third. Unlike last year, the Yamaha gained some serious praise and while it didn't finish on the podium overall, it came much closer with a solid fourth. Coming home in fifth is solid for the Kawasaki considering it's a bit longer in the tooth and didn't receive any updates in '18. The biggest surprise of the Shootout however belongs to the bike at the end of the list, the Suzuki. After so many years the RM-Z450 was updated and while many of these upgrades were positive, it needs some more time to get things ironed out before coming back to the fight next year.

Hopefully we've given you the insight you're looking for one the 2018 450s, and if you're looking at purchasing one of these bikes for yourself, you've now got the tools to make a more informed decision. As usual, we'll be back in year's time to give you all of our test rider's thoughts on the 2019 450 models, along with any other shootout we perform. Any thoughts or suggestion on the format? Or maybe a question about the actual results of this test? Drop us a note in the comment section below or join our discussion on on the forum in a special QNA dedicated to the Shootout and its results. You can head here: Forum QNA - 2018 Vital MX 450 Shootout

Article by Michael Lindsay and GuyB // Photos by Max Mandell, Preston Jordan, Steve "GuyB" Giberson, and Chelsea Curtis // Video shot and edited by Jacob Johnson