I have around 50 hours now on my Yamaha 450, and for about 45 of those, it has been equipped with pretty much everything the GYTR catalogue has to offer. I’m not going to go into details with things like axle blocks and oil filler caps, but instead I’ll focus on the items I think have the best value for money and have a worthwhile durability.
First off is the GYTR air box cover. Although it doesn’t look like a big deal, believe you me, it does wonders for the bike. Not only is it more secure than the standard one, as it is held down with an 8mm bolt at the top. It also has a greater volume than the stock cover. More volume around the filter means your bike can suck in more air more easily, rather than almost choking the engine. The air box cover also has two extended bits that cover the frame where a lot of key electrical joins are, keeping them safer in crashes, from roost and even when we’re washing it.
Considering this item costs around £89.00, I personally think it’s great value for money. It really increased the initial pop on the start and secured me many hole shots this year. A lot of people have asked me about the cover, and after my response and seeing it in person how good it it have gone and bought one.
Second up is the GYTR Akrapovic exhaust system. Slightly different to the normal Akrapovic system that you would buy from a shop, in that the normal one has the Akrapovic sticker going down the side of the muffler, where as the GYTR version has the brand name pressed in to the side on the muffler it self. This has no performance benefits, of course, but does keep your £1,400.00 exhaust system looking much newer for longer. The titanium muffler is also incredibly tough and durable. So not only will it hold up in a crash, but little marks from stones, mud and your boots don’t show up, unlike some systems that are anodised, which begin to look faded halfway through the year.
The main benefits, however, come in way of power and power delivery. So, in addition tomaking the power of the YZF more manageable and usable, it also adds around 2 BHP to the bike. I’m not going to sit here giving it large, thinking I’m Eli Tomac and I need as muchpower as possible, but it certainly helps when getting the hole shot is concerned.
As the system is fully titanium, the weight savings is incredible, which grouped with the other benefits, I believe to be a worth while investment.
On to the next. The GYTR carbon fibre skid plate. Now I’ve never been a big advocate for skid plates, as I’ve always found they fill up with mud, making the bike heavy and are a pain when you want to drain the oil.
This isn’t the case with the GYTR skid plate. When you purchase it, you also get a piece of foam mesh that sits between the frame tubes between the engine and the skid plate. This stops 90% of the mud from getting jammed in there and keeps it lighter when conditions are on the heavy side. The skid plate is bolted on by three 8mm bolts. One at the back, one next to the water pump and another under neath.
I’d give it about an 8/10 on ease of removing. So it’s pretty easy to remove when you want to drain the oil. The main aim ofcourse is to help protect your engine, and although nothing is 100% effective, it will certainly help in your goal of keeping it safe.
The skid plate comes in at around £250.00. So it is on the upper side in terms of price for similar items, but it is fully carbon fibre, and it looks awesome on the bike, unlike some other manufacturers that look big and bulky.
Next up are the GYTR clutch and ignition cover. These don’t offer anything in the way of performance, but they are stronger and more durable than the stock covers. Made of billet aluminium and a hard anodised finish, these covers give a factory look as well as ticking the durability box. The standard clutch cover after 10 hours looks like it was found on the wreck of the Titanic, where as my GYTR cover after 4 times as long barely has a mark.
This will set you back about £750.00 for the pair, but can you put a price on looking good? And to round it off, we have the GYTR 2.0 bar radiator cap. Not something I would have
entertained until last year, when at a sand race with the standard 1.2 cap, my bike was just dumping coolant for a hobby. Since then, I have run the 2.0 cap and never had a problem since. Among my fellow Blu Cru members, this does seem to be a very popular upgrade.
It retails around £40.00, but for what you save on coolant, it is totally worth it.
So, at the end of all this, what have we learned? You get what you pay for? I guess that is pretty true. But I can honestly say that every one of those parts has played a part in either my performance on the track or in keeping the bike looking almost new, even after 50
hours of riding.
Tested and written by Brad Wheeler
