Photography by Mike Doran, D&W Images
Roadracing legend Kevin Schwantz, custom-bike builder Roland Sands, Kawasaki roadracer Elena Meyers and I got to take some laps on the four different motocross-based 450 Super Singles for the official introduction of the racebikes during the lunch break at the closing round of the 2007 AMA Superbike series at Laguna Seca.
Actually, we had a chance to sneak in a few laps on Saturday before race day, but while the others rode I pushed and pushed and pushed as they lapped Laguna. The Kawasaki KXF had been ridden around the pits earlier and was flooded! Suzuki Superstock racer Chris Ulrich’s mechanic helped me and we finally got the Kawi going as the other three exited the track and the session was ending. I could see smiles through their helmet openings.
I had a lot more fun on Sunday—with much more time spent riding than pushing―lapping the track in close formation. The demonstration went great; we took turns leading the pack around and left the door open for some passing. I rode the Yamaha YZ450F, and it worked way better then you’d expect for a converted motocrosser. It was stable and not under-geared for the twisty, 11-turn track. Tire grip and braking potential are huge; looking over the bikes afterwards, I noticed the tires had no noticeable wear and were barely warm enough to really start working.
The YZ450F’s relaxed riding position was easy on the knees, but the pegs were dragging, especially at the corner speeds these 250-pound machines are capable of. This is probably because the Yamaha’s frame is wider than the others between the ankles. I’m sure Roland and his team will remedy this before the bikes see battle.
Overall, we liked these MonoGPs. Up-and-coming roadrace talent Meyers said, “I would love to see a class using these bikes take off. They’re light and really fun to ride.” Kevin Schwantz told me, “The Suzuki felt awesome; light, nimble and good brakes, but four laps wasn’t enough. I’d like to have a chance to ride these bikes hard all day before I really tell you how I feel.”
“Peoples’ reaction was overwhelmingly positive about the 450s,” concluded Roland Sands. “I hadn’t ridden Laguna Seca since 2002, so I was a little worried about how I’d go and how the bikes would work on the longer track. The bikes were so unintimidating that I forgot about being worried and started thinking about how hard they could be ridden. It was just so much fun I can’t wait to get out and ride them some more.”
We appreciated the time AMA Senior Race Director Keith Kizer set aside for our laps and hopefully demonstrated to onlookers that 450-class Super Singles can really do the job as roadracers. We all had fun and are convinced the 450 format will make for some exciting and close racing.
