Yz450fx vs wr450

[thewwkayaker]

Considerations for a future SnowBike....

Which would be easier to convert?

Would want to rub a fan and lights.

I understand the wr gearing is low but I can't see needing 5th on my yz. I also understand the fork is soft.

On the fx I understand the stator and flywheel would need to be changed to run lights and fan.

 

[dooman92]

I had 2017 yz450fx. It came stock with fan. It ran everything, heated grips, fan, lights, gps, without issue. I believe it comes with a 160 watt stator. I believe the wr had same stator. In 2017 the fx engine was more powerful than the wr model. Only issue with the yz450fx was the large gap between 2nd and 3rd.

 

[thewwkayaker]

From what I'm reading the stator of the fx is 75W while the stator of the wr is 140W. I'm reading reports of people swapping out the stator and flywheel on the fx to power lights (this is for 2023 models - which is what I was looking at)

 

[dooman92]

wow, it was not 70w in 2017. sounds like the same stator as the race bike 450.

 

[needpowder]

wow, it was not 70w in 2017. sounds like the same stator as the race bike 450.

Maybe they difd change the stator? Would be something to look into but you could probably swap pretty easily. It depends what you are looking for in a snowbike and how aggressively you want to ride it. I personally would never consider a WR. Would be a total dog out there. I wouldn’t get another FX either. Road a 16fx for three years and then went to an F model and it was night and day difference. The snappiness and fun factor for me was huge. The gap between second and third is terrible on a fx snowbike. It will cost you right when you need it. My FX was super reliable and was a fun bike, but for my style, I would never consider another. When Yamaha says they have the same engine and are tuned the same they are lying.. might not be as noticeable on dirt but on snow it is. By far though, go with the FX over the WR unless you are really focused on trail riding dirt.

my summer bike is a YZ 250 X 2 stroke and I definitely would not want to snowbike it. Sure do love it on wheels though!

Looking at your original question though… they would both be about the same to convert into a snowbike. You will need to modify the fork on either bike. Will need a thermostat/temp gauge, engine jacket etc. for both. Most of us have gone away from electric hand warmers. They are not reliable and just another way to drain your battery and ruin your day. Do yourself a favor and get the C3 coolant heated handlebars. You can regulate the temperature of your grips with a valve. They are amazing and also another way to regulate the temperature of your bike as the bars can act like another radiator.

 

[thewwkayaker]

Maybe they difd change the stator? Would be something to look into but you could probably swap pretty easily. It depends what you are looking for in a snowbike and how aggressively you want to ride it. I personally would never consider a WR. Would be a total dog out there. I wouldn’t get another FX either. Road a 16fx for three years and then went to an F model and it was night and day difference. The snappiness and fun factor for me was huge. The gap between second and third is terrible on a fx snowbike. It will cost you right when you need it. My FX was super reliable and was a fun bike, but for my style, I would never consider another. When Yamaha says they have the same engine and are tuned the same they are lying.. might not be as noticeable on dirt but on snow it is. By far though, go with the FX over the WR unless you are really focused on trail riding dirt.

my summer bike is a YZ 250 X 2 stroke and I definitely would not want to snowbike it. Sure do love it on wheels though!

Looking at your original question though… they would both be about the same to convert into a snowbike. You will need to modify the fork on either bike. Will need a thermostat/temp gauge, engine jacket etc. for both. Most of us have gone away from electric hand warmers. They are not reliable and just another way to drain your battery and ruin your day. Do yourself a favor and get the C3 coolant heated handlebars. You can regulate the temperature of your grips with a valve. They are amazing and also another way to regulate the temperature of your bike as the bars can act like another radiator.

Re the last paragraph: I already have a 2014 yz with thermostat and heated bars etc. What I was thinking/referring to was additional factors that are specific to each bike version (wr vs fx) - suspension, stator/flywheel, addition of lights and fan, gearing perhaps etc. The wr could also be a problem since my fit kit may not work with a wr (coming from a yz). My biggest issue with my yz is the lack of starter. I"d prefer a larger tank (easy to add but no point if I want to get a newer bike with a starter). And I'd really like a fan. Lights I can work around but would be nice to have them run off the bike rather than li-ion batteries I carry. And having something tell me my fuel consumption/remaining would be pretty nice.

So that's why I have started looking at options. I'd stick with a yami because I already have the major things needed including the fit kit which would save me a lot of $

 

[powerpole]

Re the last paragraph: I already have a 2014 yz with thermostat and heated bars etc. What I was thinking/referring to was additional factors that are specific to each bike version (wr vs fx) - suspension, stator/flywheel, addition of lights and fan, gearing perhaps etc. The wr could also be a problem since my fit kit may not work with a wr (coming from a yz). My biggest issue with my yz is the lack of starter. I"d prefer a larger tank (easy to add but no point if I want to get a newer bike with a starter). And I'd really like a fan. Lights I can work around but would be nice to have them run off the bike rather than li-ion batteries I carry. And having something tell me my fuel consumption/remaining would be pretty nice.

So that's why I have started looking at options. I'd stick with a yami because I already have the major things needed including the fit kit which would save me a lot of $

I ran a 2016 WR and a 2016 FX and now a 2018 FX, the gearing is all the same they have a taller 5th gear than the F, the WR comes with the lights already but on these older years you need to put a FX ECM in so you can tune it and bring the power to the FX level. The engines for this years are all the same, the difference is in the ECM, you can check the part numbers to see that all the internals are the same. I have a narrow rail 2016 Yeti and in 5th I can do over 100km on the trail and my FX has plenty of power in every gear to turn the track. My brother in law has a 2018 F on a Camso and he is way slower on the trail,, due to gearing in the lit and the transmission, when we swap bikes I don't notice any difference in power. The WR also comes with the fan, the FX will accept the factory fan and has wiring for it, so it is really what you can get your best deal on.

 

[thewwkayaker]

Can get an unused 2022 wr or fx for exact same price, would only use for a snowbike, which to choose? WR can be verified it hasn't been used since they have odo while fx would have to believe dealer (both at same dealer). From what I've read and from above wr and fx have same gearing, tuning is different and would require different ecm to open it up, wr would have fan and lights which saves $ since I'd want both

 

[dooman92]

kayaker, if you got the wr, added exhaust and intake mods, then programable ecu and tune on a Dyno, you would have race bike with lights and fan.

 

[needpowder]

kayaker, if you got the wr, added exhaust and intake mods, then programable ecu and tune on a Dyno, you would have race bike with lights and fan.

No wonder i am seeing all these guys ripping sick lines on wr’s! Thanks for the heads up.

 

[M5-]

If you are solely worried about E-start buy a 2018 or newer YZ. Yes the older FX has both a kicker and the button but you will never use the kicker. The 2020 YZ and newer has the good gear set. I run a 2020 YZ 1-4 gear with an FX 5th gear, bike does almost 70 MPH on the trail with a 14 tooth front sprocket on a Yeti kit. The 14 tooth front makes the YZ 1st gear great for climbing.

M5

 

[M5-]

Forgot to add the WR=Turd.

M5

 

[thewwkayaker]

What does the snappy power, slight increase in hp, and taller gears provide for snowbike riding? I'm new in this sport so this is a genuine question. I like the trees and so I go pretty slow and I'm not going for big alpine as I'll be on skis by then. I've played in open areas and it's fun but tight trees are more what I find interesting. What would I miss with less snap, etc? Would it get me out of tricky spots (say sudden throttle to get out of a deep ditch)?

Related question: buddy I've gone with has a newer fx to my f and runs a 120 TS with all the fancy extra shocks while I run a 129 TS - both of us have 3" paddles (both ARO) and I think the same ski. Recently I tried going straight up a hill seeing what I (and the bike) could do. He followed but had to bail (or felt he had to). I made it to the top. He might have technically more hp being a newer machine but it's an fx. He said he was in 2nd (I was in 2nd). So was it the machine or the track that let me make it to the top but he had to pull off? It's possible he pulled but could have made it while I, not knowing any better and figured I'd deal with the result if I dug in kept on the throttle.

 

[Lachoneus]

What does the snappy power, slight increase in hp, and taller gears provide for snowbike riding? I'm new in this sport so this is a genuine question. I like the trees and so I go pretty slow and I'm not going for big alpine as I'll be on skis by then. I've played in open areas and it's fun but tight trees are more what I find interesting. What would I miss with less snap, etc? Would it get me out of tricky spots (say sudden throttle to get out of a deep ditch)?

Related question: buddy I've gone with has a newer fx to my f and runs a 120 TS with all the fancy extra shocks while I run a 129 TS - both of us have 3" paddles (both ARO) and I think the same ski. Recently I tried going straight up a hill seeing what I (and the bike) could do. He followed but had to bail (or felt he had to). I made it to the top. He might have technically more hp being a newer machine but it's an fx. He said he was in 2nd (I was in 2nd). So was it the machine or the track that let me make it to the top but he had to pull off? It's possible he pulled but could have made it while I, not knowing any better and figured I'd deal with the result if I dug in kept on the throttle.

I think what group input to your question is, is this -- anyone who has snowbiked the F, FX or WR, almost without exception, agree -- the F is the one to have. I have a buddy who has the best of both worlds -- he has an FX but with gears 1-4 from an F. I have zero experience with WR. If you're looking to trail ride (dirt) and swap kit in the off season, that's another story -- the FX would be my choice there. But if you want a dedicated snowbike, it's the F. The MX gearing equates to better/faster track speed, that carries the day in the snow.

 

[M5-]

Don't fall into the HP spec sheet trap. The numbers aren't all that different on paper, its much more in how the power becomes usable. The primary reasons the F is THE one are: It has a lighter flywheel, it has more aggressive mapping, the bike itself is lighter and the big one, it has the proper gearing. The 1st gear on the FX and WR are granny gears and they are virtually useless. The 2nd to 3rd gear spacing sucks balls on those bikes. The ability to be able to roll on the throttle without downshifting and have the bike pull hard can be the difference between driving away and being stuck. The 2nd-3rd gear gap just screws with any momentum you have going, you are always hunting for the correct RPMs. 1st gear is too low to climb with. There is really no solution to fixing the gearing externally of the bike trans, the perfect combo doesn't exist. An FX with a Camso kit might be the best combo out there for teaching someone how to ride a snowbike, they are so easy to ride but the also become boring real fast. Buy an E-start F, put an Airforce intake on it, remap it and don't look back.

M5

 

[needpowder]

Don't fall into the HP spec sheet trap. The numbers aren't all that different on paper, its much more in how the power becomes usable. The primary reasons the F is THE one are: It has a lighter flywheel, it has more aggressive mapping, the bike itself is lighter and the big one, it has the proper gearing. The 1st gear on the FX and WR are granny gears and they are virtually useless. The 2nd to 3rd gear spacing sucks balls on those bikes. The ability to be able to roll on the throttle without downshifting and have the bike pull hard can be the difference between driving away and being stuck. The 2nd-3rd gear gap just screws with any momentum you have going, you are always hunting for the correct RPMs. 1st gear is too low to climb with. There is really no solution to fixing the gearing externally of the bike trans, the perfect combo doesn't exist. An FX with a Camso kit might be the best combo out there for teaching someone how to ride a snowbike, they are so easy to ride but the also become boring real fast. Buy an E-start F, put an Airforce intake on it, remap it and don't look back.

M5

Thank you fellas. Well said. I had so much more I wanted to say but realized I better just shut up so I don’t look like quite the jerk that I am. WW kayaker soon you will start looking at those ski lines for your snowbike. I am not talking about open bowls at all. I am talking about 30 to 40° downhill through trees and finding your way back up. Anything you can skin you can usually ride. **** I was trying to shut up, you will have fun on anything!

 

[BigAir]

If you are solely worried about E-start buy a 2018 or newer YZ. Yes the older FX has both a kicker and the button but you will never use the kicker. The 2020 YZ and newer has the good gear set. I run a 2020 YZ 1-4 gear with an FX 5th gear, bike does almost 70 MPH on the trail with a 14 tooth front sprocket on a Yeti kit. The 14 tooth front makes the YZ 1st gear great for climbing.

M5

I have a 2019. What changed with the gearing in 2020? I don't remember reading anything about a gearing change or better gears, so I must have missed it.

 

[needpowder]

I have a 2019. What changed with the gearing in 2020? I don't remember reading anything about a gearing change or better gears, so I must have missed it.

If I remember correctly they made the gears themselves a bit thicker because a few were breaking. Don’t think it was a widespread thing.

 

[M5-]

They hardened up the material on the cog gears in 2020. In my case (2018) the teeth on the 2nd gear rounded off after about 150 hours and the bike wouldn't hold 2nd gear. If you check the part numbers the 2020 gears have a new number/replacement ie: -10 part number. In Yami speak that refers to a new part but same use, if that makes sense. When you look at the old gear it doesn't look like much but its enough. There was some guy back cutting an angle into the old gears, an MX dude, but that just seemed like too much work to me so I just bought a low hour 2020 transmission.

M5

 

[thewwkayaker]

I have to ask (I decided to see what would be involved in modifying the gearing with the two rings - front and rear). I think I mathed this correctly and hopefully had the correct transmission ratios when I did this.
Using a 12 tooth front AND a 54 in the rear would make 1st and 2nd pointless but 3rd gear on the fx nearly the same as 2nd on the "f" and 4th gear on the fx nearly the same as 3rd on the "f". Thus the changes I mention give you those two important gears. The first two gears however become very low but other than for loading this isn't important. And I THINK (I didn't check the calc on this) 5th gear would then be similar to 4th gear. So you'd lose the top gear but I can't see much use of that. Basically you'd have 2,3,4 gears similar to a "f" bike for snowbiking.

From what I've read and my little experiences 2&3 are the important gears and 4th on easy roads.

I don't know if you can run a 12 in front and find a 54 for the rear so it might be moot.