I have owned 450FX and now ride a 250FX. Here in middle Tennessee a 450 in tight woods is a real ass kicker. My YZ250FX hits its best power in higher rpms so it's almost to a little too spicy in single track. A 350 would hit somewhere just right in the middle.
A WR350R and/or X would guarantee a sale from me. Even a detuned WR450F/CRF450X for D/S to increase durability and reduce oil change frequency would be ok too because i like the sub 300 lbs weight. Increase the oil capacity, add 6th speed, maybe reduce the frame size a bit would be perfect. Another wish list is tubeless spoke wheel. Chinese CFmoto 450 has them.
I had a Yamaha WR400 and WR450 which I absolutely loved for dual sports. Every few years I had to run the bikes through motor vehicle to get tagged. Such a pain in the ass and I finally bit the bullet and bought the KTM 350 EXC-F that the dealer uncorked. It’s a breeze to get through motor vehicle. I’d still be on a Yamaha but got tired waiting on a street legal bike. I would love to see a street legal Yamaha WR350 with a 6 speed gear box.
350 four strokes used to be a common size years ago: DR350, XR/XL350, XT/TT350. I have an 85 XR350R in my garage right now, it's a sweet machine for being almost 40 years old.
YZ350FX would be a dream come true for many riders! I would put a down payment on one the moment it's released! You forgot to mention that the Austrian factory teams have been racing the 350 in series like GNCC, WORCS, Endurocross, Sprint Enduro, Enduro GP etc. against Japanese 450's with great success for many years.
I’ve been waiting for a Japanese 350 for at least 10 years. I don’t like the air fork and an SSS fork on a blue or red 350 would sell out faster than any other model.
Buying a 450 for me has nothing to do with being macho. For me it’s simply getting the bottom end power and grunt. I’m 230#s with gear and I don’t like wringing a bike out to get it in the power. I can ride a 450 with less throttle application to get it to do what I want.
100% agree with you about owning a 450. I'm 250lbs with full gear and 3/4 full camelback. I've owned several ktm 450s and 525s since 2005. I live in WV and where I ride has a lot of elevation change and some long steep gas line hills. I've owned a couple 250 2 strokes and a Husky fx350 and they just don't have the grunt power right off idle like a 450, and waaayyy less grunt than a 525. For where I ride,and not being a little dude, the bottom end of the 450 is 👍👍👍. The 350 felt like I was riding a late 90s 2 stroke 250 in the woods....a lot of clutching and shifting to keep it in its power band. I feel alot faster and smoother on a 450 since I don't have to work on keeping it revved up all the time. Less wear on the engine not turning 9,000+ rpms all the time too.
Since Yamaha has a partnership with fantic in Europe I don't understand why they don't just bring the fantic in some blue plastic slapped on. The fantic is a 310cc Big bore yz250f. They have an Enduro version that I'm sure could be easily adapted for Motocross
Been watching the Supercross series this winter. Looked like the 250s were getting the same lap times as the 450s? Few can ride a 450 to its full potential.
And the guys getting paid to race are the ones who can use the full potential.i don't want to pay to watch riders that don't have the ability to use things till the full potential.takr top fuel drags.hardly anybody can handle 11k h.p.thats why we watch it
I had a 310 husky. Everyone who rode it from pro to beginners said it was the best motor they ever rode. I wasn't much of a rider so I didn't know but it sure was easy to ride
RedMoto may have shown the way here without having to do big mods (or redesigns) on the Japanese 250/450fs. The current bore and stroke of the YZ450f(x) [97mm x 60.8mm] while the current bore and stroke of the other 450fs [96mm x 62.1mm]. RedMoto created a CRF400R(x) by having Athena create a cylinder that has a 92mm bore for the CRF450R(x) taking the displacement down to 412.8 (413) and designating it a 400. The same could easily be done for the KX & RM-Z 450fs. Taking the bore of the YZ450f(x) down to a 92mm bore would take the displacement down to a 404.1 amd they can designate that as a 400. It seems that the best displacement for open class (unlimited displacement classes) for everyone is 300-400cc 2T or 4T. But a 350f version of the YZ, CRF, KX, or RM-Z would be perfectly fine as well.
Nice video Rado, love the topic! Great insight from Jay as well. You know I love those blue bikes! I’m in for a YZ350F, I think it would be fun at the track, but still have some nice pull on those desert days when I want to just pin it. As I recall, when I rode your Husky 350 I didn’t want to give it back 😂
The WR250R never had a street bike engine, it was designed from the ground up as a high performance (back in 2008) dual sport as you Americans say (we Kiwis and Aussies would call it a trail bike). Now if Yamaha brought out a 350 version of that with updated suspension it would kill the CRF300L.
WR450 should be the street version, 450 FX should offer headlight, rear light as an option. Keep YZ 450F, 250F, 250. Replace YZ 250FX with a 350FX. Replace 250x with a 300x fuel injected with a start button.
These are the hit topics. I agree with you both, the whole evolution was linear amongst all manufacturers, give or take the months and years in the whole schedule. The 350 was always great, hondas xr350 was only marred heavily in the 80s due to their carburetion issues, the xr400 only stopped selling because the suzuki kills it in the market. But they rule. The 350 will be its own thing, the 300 2t is already its own thing, this sport has come back to its former glory.
A yz350fx!, I would trade mine tomorrow. I don't like how high of compression the KTM bikes are. reason they are stall crazy, I love how they say, easy fix for the KTM 350, an ECU and slip on!! ok that is 1,600$$$
By now Rondo you are probably aware that Yamaha hired Kailub Russell to race GNCC (XC1) for them. Here is an interesting possibility as to what might be going on: A YZ350FX (pure GNCC/MX race), a WR350F (somewhat corked for trail), and (down the line) a WR350R (really corked up as a dual sport replacing the WR250R) all sporting 6 speed gearboxes like the YZ250FX. No need for a YZ350F as the FX version could easily cover: 1) average Joe Open MX and ALL "average Joe" off-road applications. 2) Open Pro XC1 GNCC/Enduro, while the YZ450F would cover 450 Pro MX/SX with the FX version covering all the Pro WORCS/NGPC/Desert/etc. For manufacturing purposes, same engine platform (w/the WR350R version probably beefed up for reliability and service intervals). The 450 engine is already bulletproof, a 350 bulletproof engine for all the above applications would sell like hotcakes. How about it Yamaha?
I ride my 350 offroad with several mates all of which have either 450 or 500's . They seem to believe I'm at a disadvantage and often boast they have better low end grunt . All I know is I cover ground as quickly as them rarely using anything like full throttle. To me it's just a macho thing . I believe several of your top GNCC guys have run 350's ?
The Japanese need to quit worrying so much about money from year to year. The reason the Austrians are kicking their ass, is because they took an initial loss, to build their company and knew if they built bikes for the consumer, instead of being so rigid, they’d excel over the years. Which they did. KTM dominates bike sales. Never used to be that way. Honda was the powerhouse for years. If Yamaha built a 350 I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately California's ban of offroad stickers for new race breed bikes will play a big role im sure in sales...pretty sure you ment the 300 doesn't have the linear torque of the 350.. cause it's peak torque is 32 compared to the 350 at closer to 27.. hp 50 ish for the 350 and 48.8 for the 300. So to say it doesn't have the power is a little misleading. It doesn't have it wear you want it... odly.. I would of expected more peak torque from the 300 compared to a yz 250
Regarding the top 450 guys in SX getting hurt, this just doesn't seem to be a legitimate reason. I mean look at the 2 title leaders, neither one of them got hurt because they were on 450s. I say that as a guy who prefers a 350 over a 450, but I think that the extra power in SX actually makes it safer. You screw up a corner on a 450 and you can still make the triple, which to me means safer. I would say that the 450 is more dangerous in outdoors where the bike starts to swap and spits a rider off like swatting a fly.
My favorite bike was 1992/3 (I'm getting old can't remember lol) KTM300exc. But I always thought the 350cc 4T would be best trail bike all-around. I'm almost 50 and still ride modded 2005 Honda 400ex , 2011 Grizzly 450,2007 Yamaha wolverine 450 but want a dirt bike again. Any 350 would be on my radar....
Whixhever Japanese company makes one first is gonna have a massive sales increase & will definitely put a dent in the Austrian brand bikes for sure! The Austrian brands are hoping that the Japanese dont build one.
In my opinion you guys are totally missing the boat. More and more guys are learning that 450s can be detuned via the pcm. Some are doing it for offroad riding, some are doing it for better ridability. Making another bike isn't needed when the power can be bumped up and down via tuners. Yamaha does it with the built in phone tuner, kawi has the kx fi calibration tool and I am sure Honda has some option. Controlling power this way has built in room to grow with zero additional cost, except maybe race gas if you really push it. Compare that to the cost of high end porting or a big block kit and you will see having a 450 is way more cost effective.
no need for 350 Dual Sport. 450 would already be corked up so much, less powerful than an MX 350. Xact spring fork will increase sales for KTM. Can't believe the SX/SXF is still Air Fork. Some people tolerate them, at best. The overwhelming majority swaps in springs. It's absurd. Why would you make something only 1 out of 10 people accept?
Maybe Kawasaki could do a 350 under a different name like the benelli (Kawasaki) enduro bike. And that triumph feels like vaporware. So much talk over the years and not a single tiny glimpse
We dont need anymore fart can junk lawnmower bikes we need zero fart cans....all we need is more two strokes and more and more for the real racers of the world.... Riding a fart can is the same as being a criminal democrat drinking a bud light...
the dirt n iron is one of the worst rider I've ever seen on a dirt bike is normal he doesn't like 450 but for riding a 350 fast you must have a a lot of skills 450 is easier
Follow what is happening in Germany and France, the governments are calling off the end of gas/Diesel engines saying it is not realistic. Time will tell.
WRF 350 with a 6 speed. Endless sales.
Specifically a slightly longer stroke wr350f to help combat flame out and stalling in tight trails. Sign me up!
I think all manufacturers have meets and set up the market in this way. Yamaha Japan doesn't have access, necessarily, to fabs in India.
A WR350R and/or X would guarantee a sale from me
yup
detune it a bit and offer an street legal WR350R/X, endless sales too
If they bring out a 350 it just might be the best seller
To heck with a four stroke 350, let’s see the Japanese build some 300 two strokes!😊
Yamaha should also bring in a yz300x to compete in the hard enduro series.
With Estart 👏
@@rochellestanley9532
And fuel injection
Yz300x, electric start, efi, hydrolic cluch, headlight, 6 speed. Theyd sell millions and id be front of the line
@@2wheelfox yes I would be right there with you and a bigger clear tank.
@@2wheelfox Front of the line 😎
It be good for all us dirtbikers and ktm needs a competitor for the 350. I hope Yamaha does this. It be great just to come out with a 350fx
I have owned 450FX and now ride a 250FX. Here in middle Tennessee a 450 in tight woods is a real ass kicker. My YZ250FX hits its best power in higher rpms so it's almost to a little too spicy in single track. A 350 would hit somewhere just right in the middle.
350 / 400... Much much more manageable power + you will last longer and be riding MORE. Highly recommend everyone go that route. 👌
The pull of any 450 is too much for me. I went with a 350excf and it has *perfect* power.
A WR350R and/or X would guarantee a sale from me. Even a detuned WR450F/CRF450X for D/S to increase durability and reduce oil change frequency would be ok too because i like the sub 300 lbs weight. Increase the oil capacity, add 6th speed, maybe reduce the frame size a bit would be perfect. Another wish list is tubeless spoke wheel. Chinese CFmoto 450 has them.
@@mtube620 you actually just described my KTM 400 EXC :-D best bike ever
I had a Yamaha WR400 and WR450 which I absolutely loved for dual sports. Every few years I had to run the bikes through motor vehicle to get tagged. Such a pain in the ass and I finally bit the bullet and bought the KTM 350 EXC-F that the dealer uncorked. It’s a breeze to get through motor vehicle. I’d still be on a Yamaha but got tired waiting on a street legal bike. I would love to see a street legal Yamaha WR350 with a 6 speed gear box.
Ditto here. Still riding my WR250X while waiting for a WR350.
A WR350R and/or X would guarantee a sale from me
350 four strokes used to be a common size years ago: DR350, XR/XL350, XT/TT350. I have an 85 XR350R in my garage right now, it's a sweet machine for being almost 40 years old.
if Yamaha made a 350f I would buy one for sure
I'd been riding 350s for a while. I love them. I'd buy a Yamaha one right away
If Suzuki wanted to sell more motocross bikes they would do well to drop their 450 and replace it with a 350 electric start bike.
Suzuki needs to decide if they want to be in the motorcycle business or not.
Good info. Kawasaki needs to bring the KDX back! Glad to see you back. Did your channel get hacked last week? Ride safe my 2 wheel friends.
YZ350FX would be a dream come true for many riders! I would put a down payment on one the moment it's released! You forgot to mention that the Austrian factory teams have been racing the 350 in series like GNCC, WORCS, Endurocross, Sprint Enduro, Enduro GP etc. against Japanese 450's with great success for many years.
I’ve been waiting for a Japanese 350 for at least 10 years. I don’t like the air fork and an SSS fork on a blue or red 350 would sell out faster than any other model.
I'd buy one today if Yamaha made them
Glad to have you back
Buying a 450 for me has nothing to do with being macho. For me it’s simply getting the bottom end power and grunt. I’m 230#s with gear and I don’t like wringing a bike out to get it in the power. I can ride a 450 with less throttle application to get it to do what I want.
100% agree with you about owning a 450. I'm 250lbs with full gear and 3/4 full camelback. I've owned several ktm 450s and 525s since 2005. I live in WV and where I ride has a lot of elevation change and some long steep gas line hills. I've owned a couple 250 2 strokes and a Husky fx350 and they just don't have the grunt power right off idle like a 450, and waaayyy less grunt than a 525. For where I ride,and not being a little dude, the bottom end of the 450 is 👍👍👍. The 350 felt like I was riding a late 90s 2 stroke 250 in the woods....a lot of clutching and shifting to keep it in its power band. I feel alot faster and smoother on a 450 since I don't have to work on keeping it revved up all the time. Less wear on the engine not turning 9,000+ rpms all the time too.
WR350F or 300F would be such an awsome bike.
WR350R or 300X would be even more awesome :P
Beta 390 is the sweet spot.
maintenance still too high for me
Since Yamaha has a partnership with fantic in Europe I don't understand why they don't just bring the fantic in some blue plastic slapped on. The fantic is a 310cc Big bore yz250f. They have an Enduro version that I'm sure could be easily adapted for Motocross
Been watching the Supercross series this winter. Looked like the 250s were getting the same lap times as the 450s? Few can ride a 450 to its full potential.
And the guys getting paid to race are the ones who can use the full potential.i don't want to pay to watch riders that don't have the ability to use things till the full potential.takr top fuel drags.hardly anybody can handle 11k h.p.thats why we watch it
I love the torque of a 450 out of a corner. Helps me clear jumps that a 250 can’t and engine lasts
Much longer than a screaming 250
I had a 310 husky. Everyone who rode it from pro to beginners said it was the best motor they ever rode. I wasn't much of a rider so I didn't know but it sure was easy to ride
Will they make it STREET Legal like the CRF450RL ? Can you find out any info?
Good to see you have your channel back
Great video...agree 100 %...love Jay Clark he has such good opinions on things.
I’d definitely buy a yz 350 motocross bike.
RedMoto may have shown the way here without having to do big mods (or redesigns) on the Japanese 250/450fs. The current bore and stroke of the YZ450f(x) [97mm x 60.8mm] while the current bore and stroke of the other 450fs [96mm x 62.1mm]. RedMoto created a CRF400R(x) by having Athena create a cylinder that has a 92mm bore for the CRF450R(x) taking the displacement down to 412.8 (413) and designating it a 400. The same could easily be done for the KX & RM-Z 450fs. Taking the bore of the YZ450f(x) down to a 92mm bore would take the displacement down to a 404.1 amd they can designate that as a 400. It seems that the best displacement for open class (unlimited displacement classes) for everyone is 300-400cc 2T or 4T. But a 350f version of the YZ, CRF, KX, or RM-Z would be perfectly fine as well.
My buddy has a CRF 300, thing is sick, Got the kit from Italy, got ECU re-mapped. Honda sells CRF 300 and 400 in Europe. Red Moto !
Considering the Japanese mindset, they may offer a 390 or 370 in order to build in some reliability. Still would be welcome.
Nice video Rado, love the topic! Great insight from Jay as well. You know I love those blue bikes! I’m in for a YZ350F, I think it would be fun at the track, but still have some nice pull on those desert days when I want to just pin it.
As I recall, when I rode your Husky 350 I didn’t want to give it back 😂
What hill are you going up where a 300 struggles? I would imagine something like that traction would be a way bigger issue.
Yeah, they will.. KR557 😎
300 or 350 dirt bike would be amazing from Honda or Yamaha
Honda, Red Moto sells 300 and 400 in Europe. Google it.
The WR250R never had a street bike engine, it was designed from the ground up as a high performance (back in 2008) dual sport as you Americans say (we Kiwis and Aussies would call it a trail bike). Now if Yamaha brought out a 350 version of that with updated suspension it would kill the CRF300L.
If Yamaha made a WR350 I would buy on tomorrow!
WR450 should be the street version, 450 FX should offer headlight, rear light as an option. Keep YZ 450F, 250F, 250. Replace YZ 250FX with a 350FX. Replace 250x with a 300x fuel injected with a start button.
These are the hit topics. I agree with you both, the whole evolution was linear amongst all manufacturers, give or take the months and years in the whole schedule. The 350 was always great, hondas xr350 was only marred heavily in the 80s due to their carburetion issues, the xr400 only stopped selling because the suzuki kills it in the market. But they rule.
The 350 will be its own thing, the 300 2t is already its own thing, this sport has come back to its former glory.
A yz350fx!, I would trade mine tomorrow. I don't like how high of compression the KTM bikes are. reason they are stall crazy, I love how they say, easy fix for the KTM 350, an ECU and slip on!! ok that is 1,600$$$
MAKE A COMPETITIVE 350CC TWO STROKE TO COMPETE WITH 450S.
You did a video hinting that there might be a YZ300 smoker in the works... Crickets. Any news there?
Yamaha 350s would be epic
Wow the dribble is real
The world needs a yz350fx 🇺🇸
I have a full check waiting for Yamahas yz350fx. I’ll be the first to show up to buy one at the dealers door.
I would love to see a yz350!!!!
By now Rondo you are probably aware that Yamaha hired Kailub Russell to race GNCC (XC1) for them. Here is an interesting possibility as to what might be going on: A YZ350FX (pure GNCC/MX race), a WR350F (somewhat corked for trail), and (down the line) a WR350R (really corked up as a dual sport replacing the WR250R) all sporting 6 speed gearboxes like the YZ250FX. No need for a YZ350F as the FX version could easily cover: 1) average Joe Open MX and ALL "average Joe" off-road applications. 2) Open Pro XC1 GNCC/Enduro, while the YZ450F would cover 450 Pro MX/SX with the FX version covering all the Pro WORCS/NGPC/Desert/etc. For manufacturing purposes, same engine platform (w/the WR350R version probably beefed up for reliability and service intervals). The 450 engine is already bulletproof, a 350 bulletproof engine for all the above applications would sell like hotcakes. How about it Yamaha?
Really??
They are just so slow to pickup the ball ..it would be a winner
I ride my 350 offroad with several mates all of which have either 450 or 500's . They seem to believe I'm at a disadvantage and often boast they have better low end grunt . All I know is I cover ground as quickly as them rarely using anything like full throttle. To me it's just a macho thing . I believe several of your top GNCC guys have run 350's ?
Wr 350f. Please Yamaha. Please...
I’m 47 so I hope they make it before I’m done riding
Suzuki should make one. Could revive the brand
Bring back the TT 350 for us non racing people
I would like Honda to keep it unicam
Honda please give us 350rx 6speed
I gave up on a Japanese 350 5 years ago.
I sure hope so!!!
I just bought a barely used 2015 WR450F and it needs a few things to match my KTM but its close. Good bargains are out there
Glad to see a new video from y-o-u :)
And just today I saw a brand new video confirming Yamaha is testing the 350 right now!!!!!
@@n.elliott9122 send the link!
I bet Yamahas GNCC team has been testing them
The Japanese need to quit worrying so much about money from year to year. The reason the Austrians are kicking their ass, is because they took an initial loss, to build their company and knew if they built bikes for the consumer, instead of being so rigid, they’d excel over the years. Which they did. KTM dominates bike sales. Never used to be that way. Honda was the powerhouse for years. If Yamaha built a 350 I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately California's ban of offroad stickers for new race breed bikes will play a big role im sure in sales...pretty sure you ment the 300 doesn't have the linear torque of the 350.. cause it's peak torque is 32 compared to the 350 at closer to 27.. hp 50 ish for the 350 and 48.8 for the 300. So to say it doesn't have the power is a little misleading. It doesn't have it wear you want it... odly.. I would of expected more peak torque from the 300 compared to a yz 250
Regarding the top 450 guys in SX getting hurt, this just doesn't seem to be a legitimate reason. I mean look at the 2 title leaders, neither one of them got hurt because they were on 450s. I say that as a guy who prefers a 350 over a 450, but I think that the extra power in SX actually makes it safer. You screw up a corner on a 450 and you can still make the triple, which to me means safer. I would say that the 450 is more dangerous in outdoors where the bike starts to swap and spits a rider off like swatting a fly.
When will Yamaha announce the 2024 models?
Just sold my 18' TX300 and bought a 17' 350xcf. Just feel more comfortable and faster on a 350 4 stroke.
I would buy a WR350 or WR 400 in a heartbeat. I have had a WR 426 and a WR 450 they were great do it all bikes with fantastic suspension.
I would buy a yz350f sounds like a good plan 🙏
Hopes and dreams.
I think there's a great missed opportunity for the Japanese bikes. I know I'd buy a crf350rx in a heart beat
Finally mentioned Beta..
My favorite bike was 1992/3 (I'm getting old can't remember lol) KTM300exc. But I always thought the 350cc 4T would be best trail bike all-around. I'm almost 50 and still ride modded 2005 Honda 400ex , 2011 Grizzly 450,2007 Yamaha wolverine 450 but want a dirt bike again. Any 350 would be on my radar....
I just changed out my Rekluse back to stock… How do I fix all the flameouts on my 2018 KTM 350xc-f????
Learn to modulate the clutch better.
@@BAYAREAMX I’m trying… hoping it’s just human error.
Turn up the idle a bit also
Whixhever Japanese company makes one first is gonna have a massive sales increase & will definitely put a dent in the Austrian brand bikes for sure! The Austrian brands are hoping that the Japanese dont build one.
In my opinion you guys are totally missing the boat. More and more guys are learning that 450s can be detuned via the pcm. Some are doing it for offroad riding, some are doing it for better ridability. Making another bike isn't needed when the power can be bumped up and down via tuners. Yamaha does it with the built in phone tuner, kawi has the kx fi calibration tool and I am sure Honda has some option.
Controlling power this way has built in room to grow with zero additional cost, except maybe race gas if you really push it. Compare that to the cost of high end porting or a big block kit and you will see having a 450 is way more cost effective.
no need for 350 Dual Sport. 450 would already be corked up so much, less powerful than an MX 350. Xact spring fork will increase sales for KTM. Can't believe the SX/SXF is still Air Fork. Some people tolerate them, at best. The overwhelming majority swaps in springs. It's absurd. Why would you make something only 1 out of 10 people accept?
Maybe Kawasaki could do a 350 under a different name like the benelli (Kawasaki) enduro bike.
And that triumph feels like vaporware. So much talk over the years and not a single tiny glimpse
I would rather have a WRX 300 two-stroke w/electric start!
i hear yamaha hired russell and is testing the new yz350f and maybe racing gncc again
F$$k the 350, Yamaha will sell a yz300x 2t with estart, 6speed and hydro clutch with ease. Will be a number 1 seller.
YZ 370 would be perfect
I would love to sell my ktm 350 and ktm 300 and buy two Yamaha 350s
🙏🙏🙏
Nope they will not. Nor will they bring a 300cc 2 stroke Enduro anytime soon. They can’t even figure out e-start on 2 strokes.
these new models are ugly i hate that you can see the front of the frame.
We dont need anymore fart can junk lawnmower bikes we need zero fart cans....all we need is more two strokes and more and more for the real racers of the world....
Riding a fart can is the same as being a criminal democrat drinking a bud light...
the dirt n iron is one of the worst rider I've ever seen on a dirt bike is normal he doesn't like 450 but for riding a 350 fast you must have a a lot of skills 450 is easier
Yamaha is way to hard headed and stubborn.
2035 its over .. they dont have time
Follow what is happening in Germany and France, the governments are calling off the end of gas/Diesel engines saying it is not realistic. Time will tell.
Looks like KTM has just ended the argument with their new closed cartridge spring fork .