2025 450 SHOOTOUT RATINGS & NOTES: THE WRAP
The 2025 450 MX shootout is a wrap, at least as far as the video production goes. There’s more detail coming in the December print edition, which will include dyno testing and other goodies. For quick reference, here are the rating that we settled on. Also a quick note about the testing process.
As I pointed out in the video, the results of the shootout depend largely on who does the testing. We had Mark Tilley as the chief test rider. He’s a former National Pro who is now in his 40s. He has a number of NGPC championships to his credit and is currently leading both the 30 Expert class and the 40 Expert class in that series. In the video, he was joined by Sean Lipanovich, Pete Murray, Ryan Surratt, Ray Obermeyer and Jared Hicks. All of these are former or current pro riders. Off camera, I offered input as well as riders like Gary Jones (who is now 72 and still rides like the wind). It was a wide cross section of riders, ranging from young Surratt to not-so-young Jones, but the results are weighted more toward vets and seniors. To be clear, all were expert level vets and seniors. i would love to include beginners in my cross section, but I’ve learned over the years that the input you get from inexperienced riders is so inconsistent that it’s rarely useful.
The star ratings used in the video are for easy reference, but don’t try adding them up for overall rating. It just doesn’t work that way. Electronic options can’t have the same weight as Power delivery. On that note, there was one error in the video. The Electronic Options for the Kawasaki was represented as a 4 out of 5. It actually was a 5 out out 5 according to our test riders. Travis Fant is the best video editor in the business, but creating all those graphics is a tough gig. Here are the official ratings:
GASGAS MC450F
PEAK POWER 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
POWER DELIVERY 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
ELECTRONIC OPTIONS 1.0 out of 5.0 stars
FRONT SUSPENSION 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
REAR SUSPENSION 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
STABILITY 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
CORNERING 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMFORT 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMPONENTS AND DETAILS: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
PRICE: $10,499
HONDA CRF450R
PEAK POWER 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
POWER DELIVERY 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
ELECTRONIC OPTIONS 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
FRONT SUSPENSION 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
REAR SUSPENSION 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
STABILITY 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
CORNERING 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMFORT 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMPONENTS AND DETAILS: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars)
PRICE: $9699
HUSQVARNA FC450
PEAK POWER 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
POWER DELIVERY 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
ELECTRONIC OPTIONS 4.0 out of 5.0 stars)
FRONT SUSPENSION 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
REAR SUSPENSION 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
STABILITY 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
CORNERING 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMFORT 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMPONENTS AND DETAILS: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars)
PRICE: $11,399
KAWASAKI KX450
PEAK POWER 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
POWER DELIVERY 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
ELECTRONIC OPTIONS 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
FRONT SUSPENSION 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
REAR SUSPENSION 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
STABILITY 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
CORNERING 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMFORT 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMPONENTS AND DETAILS: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
PRICE: $10,499
KTM 450SX-F
PEAK POWER 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
POWER DELIVERY 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
ELECTRONIC OPTIONS 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
FRONT SUSPENSION 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
REAR SUSPENSION 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
STABILITY 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
CORNERING 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMFORT 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMPONENTS AND DETAILS: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars)
PRICE: $11,299
YAMAHA YZ450F
PEAK POWER 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
POWER DELIVERY 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
ELECTRONIC OPTIONS 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
FRONT SUSPENSION 5.0 out of 5.0 stars)
REAR SUSPENSION 4.0 out of 5.0 stars)
STABILITY 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
CORNERING 4.0 out of 5.0 stars)
COMFORT 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
COMPONENTS AND DETAILS: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
PRICE: $9999
See you next time!
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