Big Guys Ride Too! | 2023 Big and Tall 450 Shootout
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Dominic Gaytan
Age: 49
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 250 lbs.
Ability: Novice
Bikes Recently Raced/Ridden: 2023 KTM 450 SX-F
- Yamaha YZ450F
- Kawasaki KX450F
- KTM 450 SX-F
- Husqvarna FC 450
- Gas Gas MC450F
- Honda CRF450R
The Yamaha YZ450F engine is magical. The bike is so much fun to ride and it gives you confidence. I love the new slimmer feel of the bike as it matches my own thinner chassis. I feel like I could turn the bike and put it anywhere I wanted on the track. I love the new lower and rearward footpegs. Being a big guy, the new Yamaha ergos are very comfortable.
The Kawasaki is a super fun bike to ride. The bike feels large, but corners surprisingly well and predictably. The bike has a heavy feel on the track, but it’s not neccesarily a bad thing. The engine is very strong and it hits hard and pulls far. There are no weaknesses, power-wise and the Kawi is very snappy and responsive. I love the ergos because they suit a taller rider, plus the bike is super adjustable with the footpeg and handlebar settings. The grips are the worst grips ever made. They hurt your hands and they are impossible to remove because they are vulcanized on.
I have chosen. the KTM 450 SX-F as the winner the past three years and I still love the bike. The ergonomics of the new KTM are amazing, the controls are the best and the brakles are great. The engine is very easy to go fast with as there are no holes in the powerband and it has the best low-end response, period. The forks dive too much for me, even with the air pressure up and clickers in, and this gives the bike a lot of weight transfer.
The Husqvarna FC 450 is a very easy bike to ride! The engine is fun down low and it has a ton of smooth roll-on power. The engine is snappy and fun down low but it does flatten out on top in each gear, so you have to grab the next shift. I felt that the Husky was easier to ride than the KTM when I was tired. The FC 450 is very planted on the track, this could be because of the lower suspension settings. Surprisingly, the bike was hard for me to lean over in the corners. The bike feels small when I am standing on it, but only then. I love the ergos and it is a very comfortable bike overall.
The Gas Gas MC450 feels smaller than. the other Austrian bikes. The engine is soft and very mellow, with no bog hit anywhere in the powerband. It should feel just like the KTM or Husky in map one, but it actually feels slower. I would want the map switch so I could access map two. Still, the mellow powerband makes the bike very easy to ride and I think it would be great for newer riders as it won’t catch you off guard. The bike is very stable and predictable with a super plush feel, but it is just too soft to be ridden at speed.
The Honda CRF450R is strange, The engine has an aggressive powerband that almost feels pipey like a two-stroke. The thing hits so hard down low that it is hard to control, and this is hard to ride when you combine it with the twitchy handling of the bike. I never got comfortable with the Honda because it had a rigid feel and I was never sure what it was going to do. It also feels really heavy on the track., The ergonomics are amazing and the brakes are very good, but I just could not get up to speed on Big Red.
