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Airforce Intake Yamaha YZ 450

C
Jan 5, 2023
8
1
3
Canada
Hi Guys,

I really couldn't find much information on the Airforce intake systems on this forum in my research. I decided to go ahead and install one of these intake systems on my 18 YZ 450 and let me tell you I'm pretty impressed with this intake system! The motor is box stock no head work, cams or hi comp piston. When I started this test the motor had 60hrs on it.
I do like to run Torco 100 octane fuel because I feel the pump gas around here is not consistent enough for my liking.

The bike is setup for low elevation riding (750ft above sea level) with a Timbersled 120R kit. I mostly do single track riding simulation to MX riding for my winter training.
I'm running tall gearing with this setup with track roll out over 17 inches. I know a lot of people could never run this gearing but in my case the bike loves it for the riding I do.

My pervious intake setup was a C3 intake boot with outerwear pre filter. This setup was okay and felt a little less torquey than the stock filter setup..

This intake system installs like any other intake boot systems for the Yamaha snow bikes. Remove your stock airbox and drop this intake boot onto the throttle body. It has a built in cage that you slip over a outerwears filter. I used a zip tie around the intake tube to help hold the outerwears in place just in case. It fits under the stock airbox cover with no modifications so you can't even tell its installed. Once you start the bike you can tell the intake sound is different at just past idle or at a high idle!

Aftermarket parts on the bike to effect the intake:
Full FMF 4.1 TI system
GET ignition system (Snowbike map installed from GET USA)
100 octane fuel

In my testing I found that this setup loved to be loaded up down low and it would develop tons of torque out of the corners in 3rd gear. The feeling you would get coming through the chassis as the motor is developing torque was really surprising! This is why I kept putting more gear on the bike as it kept feeling better and better!
With the GET ignition system I was running the traction control system at the same time. I have never heard of anyone running this setup on a snow bike bike the theory is there for it to work.
I use the same system on my MX bike and like how it works, so thought why not. The GET ignition system traction control works by retarring the timing to reduce wheel spin in this case track spin. I quickly found out that the Airforce intake liked the timing pulled back down low.
So I started to play with the ignition timing and fuel delivery with this intake setup and found by adjusting my current snow bike map I could get the bike to pull harder down low and keep pulling right to the end of the gearing. This bike was not signing off even the last 1/8 throttle it was still pulling and not falling off. It took a little playing with the timing and fuel for it to pull on top but its making power now!
This impressed me so much how this intake made the bike feel. This bike feels like no other now with this intake system and GET ignition!
I'm going to install this intake system on my 2020 YZ 450 MX bike and do some testing with it on the track, I feel this intake will definitely help with loading the chassis out of the corners in 3rd and keep pulling!
If you are interested in one of these intake systems I would suggest to have a ignition system that you can adjust so you can take full advantage out of the intake!
I would think with a modified motor you would see some really positive gains as well and maybe more than what I found of out my stock motor!
 
M
Jan 14, 2004
3,079
1,390
113
I put one on my rebuilt 18 YZ450 last fall. I never wrote much about it but my findings are very similar to what you have posted. When I rebuilt my engine I added Hot Cams stage 2 cams and had the head ported. I did so many changes that it was hard to know what did what but the bike rips. I also have really tall gearing, so tall that 1st is frequently my climbing gear. I wrote up a map also pulling timing. Same same, bikes pulls really well down low and just keeps pulling. I added venting into the sides of my airbox plastic and covered them with frogskin material . The one thing I really like is the intake does not ice up at all. I haven't stopped once this year to clear my airbox, not once. Its a spendy product but it works pretty well, the no ice feature is worth the price of admission.

M5
 
S
Feb 21, 2023
5
-1
1
Stanley, ID
"So I started to play with the ignition timing and fuel delivery with this intake setup and found by adjusting my current snow bike map I could get the bike to pull harder down low and keep pulling right to the end of the gearing."

I also have the GET ECU but not a "GET USA snow map"
Could you tell us more about GET's snow map and where you went on your adjustments?
Thanks
 
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