Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team will start the 2017 Dakar Rally onboard of the new 2017 WR450F Rally. Riders Helder Rodriguez, Adrien van Beveren, Alessandro Botturi and Rodney Fagotter will make the start from Asuncíon in Paraguay for the first time, before continuing through Bolivia and ending, on the 14th January, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The 2017 WR450F Rally was showcased at the 2016 EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan.
The WR450 enduro machine undergoes a number of modifications for long distance rally riding, building on the bulletproof base motorcycle to become a real Dakar challenger. With over 9,000km to cover, at times in extreme heat and over rough terrain, the WR450F Rally benefits from a larger 33-litre fuel tank to travel longer distances and bigger cooling systems to keep temperatures under control.
The navigation tower at the front of the bike stands out with the quad light set up, with full GPS and roadmap system in place for rider navigation behind. Yamaha off-road chassis and engine technology is aimed to ensure a light, nimble and agile machine with strong linear torque and essential controllability for the riders. Adding to the control for the extreme challenges are a set of BOS telescopic forks at the front and a modified swing arm at the rear.
The Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team is also developing a specific ‘customer’ kit to transform the WR into a true wilderness racer. The kits are expected to be available for purchase from July 2017 onwards.
