The Southern California weather at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (aka Glamis) couldn’t have been more perfect. I hung a left turn off of highway 78 and strolled down Gecko Road toward the site of the annual 2010 Yamaha “Special Edition” Sport ATV Press Event. Our good friends at Yamaha had a number of toy haulers from Camp ‘N Style Vacation Trailer Rentals circled up and waiting for our arrival. In the center of camp, we found nearly two-dozen sport ATVs gassed up and ready for some high speed dune runs.
It’s a favorite event among all of the editors of the most prominent off-road powersports publications. We got to spend two solid days of riding brand new “Special Edition” sport quads with Yamaha’s media crew and project managers (all of which are very passionate riders) as well asYamaha factory pro quad rider, Dustin Nelson. Dustin just earned his third consecutive ITP Quadcross Pro Championship title in 2009, and looks poised to do it all over again this year.
After a quick walk around of the new YFZ450R SE and Raptor 700R SE, we were told to suit up and be ready to ride – pronto!. Yamaha Product Planning Manager, Travis Hollins, lead the pack. The proficiently skilled rider says he only makes it out to the Glamis dunes about ten times a year, and it shows! Pinning the throttle and blasting across the desert floor toward the dunes, we were off testing the high speed capabilities of Yamaha’s flagship sport ATVs.
You better be fast or you’re going get left behind!
2010 YFZ450R SE
It’s easily one of our favorite color combinations for any sport quad and it’s completely unique to anything we’ve seen before. Navy blue and black body plastic ignites the glowing bright blue frame, seat cover and SE graphics. The combination is accented with gold shock springs and adjustment knobs, gold lettering and a D.I.D gold anodized chain. The rear aluminum swing arm is painted black, a first for any YFZ450 model.
Quick release fasteners allow all of the body plastic to be removed swiftly without any tools. This is a great feature to have when repairs need to be made out on the trail or at the track. We wish every ATV came with similar fasteners, but for now they’re only available on the YFZ450R SE.
The special edition model comes stock with a few GYTR add-ons. A large black front grab bar makes tugging the YFZR into the back of a pickup a much simpler chore. It also provides ample room to fasten number plates for racing. GYTR aluminum heel guards replace the standard plastic heel guards and also come with durable plastic heel extenders.
For 2010, all YFZ450R models received the same electronic EFI mapping as the YFZ450X woods machine. “When getting on and off the throttle, the transition is much smoother,” said Hollins. We certainly felt that the new EFI mapping enhanced throttle control in the sand dunes. This engine is a powerhouse that finds no hill too tough to conquer. The YFZ450R is a stellar dune predator, best suiting the most aggressive pilots. It wants to be ridden hard and turns on a dime. The suspension, which comes with high and low speed compression, dampening, and threaded preload adjustment completely absorbs those big jumps and every hard edge we could find out in the dunes.
MSRP: $8,999
SPECIFICATIONS – 2010 YFZ450R SE
Engine Type – 449cc, 4-Stroke Single, Liquid Cooled w/ Fan, Titanium 5-Valve DOHC
Bore x Stroke – 95mm x 63.4mm
Compression Ratio – 11.6:1
Fuel Systen – Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI) , 42mm
Ignition – TCI (Digital)
Starting System – Electric
Transmission – 5-Speed Manual Clutch
Drive Train –2WD; Sealed O-Ring Chain, Eccentric Adjustment
Suspension/ Front –Independent Double Wishbone, 9.8”. Kashima Coated Piggy Back Shocks, High/Low Speed Compression, Rebound and Threaded Preload Adjustment.
Suspension/ Rear – Cast Aluminum Swing Arm, 11.0”. Piggy Back High/Low Speed Compression, Rebound and Threaded Preload Adjustment.
Brakes/ Front – Dual Ventilated Hydraulic Disc , Twin Piston
Brake/ Rear – Wave Style Ventilated Hydraulic Disc, Twin Piston
Tires/ Front – AT21x7-10 Radial
Tires/ Rear – AT20x10-9 Radial
LxWxH – 70.7”x48.8”x41.9”
Seat Height – 31.9”
Wheel Base – 50.0”
Ground Clearance – 4.5”
Fuel Capacity – 2.6 Gal
Wet Weight – 405 Lbs
Lighting – Dual 30W Krypton Multi-reflector Headlights and 3.9/0.5W LED Brake light
Editor’s note: The YFZ450X also comes in a Bill Balance SE model that was not available at this press event.
2010 Raptor 700R SE
It’s tough to go wrong with black and white, and Yamaha mastered the combination against a candy apple frame. While we were beginning to think that the term “tribal graphics” was sounding dated, Yamaha modernized its own design and carried it from the fender graphics through the seat cover. The black rear fenders and hood also contain gold flake, which produces a little extra shine.
The Raptor 700 SE also received some component upgrades from GYTR, which include aluminum heel guards and durable plastic extensions. A black aluminum front grab bar is functional and flows well with the Raptor’s muscular lines. Black rolled edge wheels further enhance this ATV’s bold appearance, and the SE model is the only Raptor to utilize a wave style rear brake rotor for increased brake cooling.
There’s a good reason the Raptor has been the number one selling sport quad for several consecutive years – it defines excitement! The 686cc fuel injected engine produces outrageous torque that never signs off. In fact, when making several runs up Glamis’s steepest drag hill, China Wall, we found it gets to the top faster than the YFZ450R. The ride is plusher than that of the YFZ450R, with more consideration being given to comfort. It still hammers through the whoops and lands big jumps, but with a little softer edge.
MSRP: $8,799
SPECIFICATIONS – 2010 Raptor 700R SE
Engine Type – 686cc, 4-Stroke Single, Liquid Cooled w/ Fan, SOHC
Bore x Stroke – 102mm x 84mm
Compression Ratio – 9.2:1
Fuel System – Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI), 44mm
Ignition – 16 Bit ECU
Starting System – Electric
Transmission – 5-Speed Manual Clutch w/ Reverse
Drive Train –2WD; Sealed O-Ring Chain, Eccentric Adjustment
Suspension/ Front – Independent Double Wishbone, 9.1” w/ Piggy Back High/Low Speed Compression, Rebound and Threaded Preload Adjustment.
Suspension/ Rear – Cast Aluminum Swing Arm, 10.1” Piggy Back High/Low Speed Compression, Rebound and Threaded Preload Adjustment.
Brakes/ Front – Dual Ventilated Hydraulic Disc, Twin Piston
Brake/ Rear – Wave Style Ventilated Disc, Self Adjusting Park Brake Function
Tires/ Front – AT21x7-10 Radial
Tires/ Rear – AT20x10-9 Radial
LxWxH – 72.6”x 46.1”x 44.5”
Seat Height – 32”
Wheel Base – 50.4”
Ground Clearance – 4.4”
Fuel Capacity –2.9 Gallons
Wet Weight – 422 Lbs
Instrumentation – Digital LCD Multi-function display. Speedo, Odo, Dual Trip, Hour, & Clock
Lighting – Dual 30W Krypton Multi-reflector Headlights and 3.9/0.5W LED Brake light
Check out the individual photo galleries of each of these new SE models for studio images, action shots and photos of individual Special Edition components.