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18 YZ450F or 18 kx450f

wwillf01

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Aug 12, 2012
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Heber Ut
Yammy... Estart and better intake. I think they are more reliable.. but inown a ton of yammys and ktms

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K

Ktm300

Member
Oct 25, 2014
71
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Cold lake, AB
I rode an 18 YZ450 this past season and it was aweome. Only thing I’d change for next season is the “smart” battery, that does not let the bike have ANY juice under a certain temperature. It’d be easy enough to put a different battery in there, or just do what I did this past winter and just boost it the first time with a battery pack, and then once you’ve run it for a bit the wrap-around exhaust header gives off enough heat to keep the battery plenty warm enough, even in the coldest conditions.

That being said, as mentioned above, e-start was awesome to have, the easy intake set up was great, it was stone-cold reliable, great power, and don’t forget that the Yami has Spring forks still, which are much less of a hassle then the air-forks that the kawi has.
 

needpowder

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Dec 4, 2007
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Huge price difference around here

No deals yet on the yamaha but i am seing big discounts on the kawasaki.
 

POLZIN

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Premium Member
Nov 26, 2007
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Farmington NM
Yammi for lots of reasons !


Intake ( up top and up front makes the most sense for a snowbike )
wrap around exhaust ( tucked in further than any other bike. Keeps engine warmer and doesn't burn your $500 pants quite so easy)
no tuner or ECU required
E start
spring forks
Quality there are lots of good bikes but yammi is hard to beat
The 18 YZ is ****ing sexy
 
A
Jan 15, 2010
121
61
28
Sherwood Park AB
If comparing 18s Yamaha all the way hands down but the 19 kawi will be interesting. Push start, back to spring fork, hydraulic clutch, and a whole new engine. Kawi pretty dam reliable as well. If it stays that way this will put them back in the game.
 
E
Dec 19, 2007
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The new kawi has a hydro clutch? Shwing! its about time. I've been on ktm for 2 decades and the only thing keeping me from buying a yami was the clutch. Don't even talk about adding the "r" word. For me a manual 1 finger clutch is the only way to fly.
 

Sheetmetalfab

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Oct 5, 2010
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……..
The new kawi has a hydro clutch? Shwing! its about time. I've been on ktm for 2 decades and the only thing keeping me from buying a yami was the clutch. Don't even talk about adding the "r" word. For me a manual 1 finger clutch is the only way to fly.

Clake one light clutch.....
 
L
Mar 20, 2018
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Ya I was in at my local dealer and they have new yammys on for 10500 right now and the kawy is 9400. Any other issues with the e start on the yammy bikes? A kickstart would be a nice backup just in case. What about the new camso kit? He told me 14500 for the Yamaha and the kit.
 

Sheetmetalfab

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I’m in sask Canada. There regular 12 on for 10 ish, so what you guys are saying is stay away from the camso kit?

Totally depends how you ride.

Jumps, fast bumps, high speeds in general. You really want good suspension.

Slow cruising, exploring, and no jumping? Totally a good choice.

Think of comparing to dirt riding.
How do you ride?

Enduro or mx (ts aro, snowtech mx or cmx) vs tight single track and cruising (camso dts)

Yeti seems to have some less than desirable reliability when you factor in the high price. (Think stress cracked titanium and carbon fiber)

Just my take on the available choices after 4 years of research and riding/ owning a few different kits.
 
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