Thanks VW! I had the chance to take it out this weekend in some nice Southern NJ tight woods. It worked pretty good! It takes some getting used to since I havent ridden a 500 much in over 20 years! I rode it in some handlebar width, tight trail and with some clutch and throttle control I had it going almost as good as my 250. Its funny, Im usually on the gas much harder on the 250 in the same trails. I found myself listening to the engine and thinking I was just putting along but I know the scenery was going by real fast! Im running 14/49 gearing but may try a 48t this weekend just to smooth it out abit. I dont have much time on 450s either but I did ride a CRF450 in the woods a few years back and hated it! It was way too rammy feeling, too much throttle response and it felt stiff. Partly due to the aluminum frame. Ive ridden a number of al framed bikes over the years and everyone of them had a overly stiff feeling. Thats partly why I went with the steel frame. I have a 02 YZ426 and I think the 500 is easier to ride than that. The 500 feels much lighter also. It flicks between the trees very well and is awesome in the more open trail! I have a little bit of suspension dialing to do and get a bigger tank on it and it should be about done.
