Freestyle Motocross 2023 Yamaha YZ450F | Airtime FMX | Bike Builds

On this episode of Bike Builds our partners, Airtime FMX take their brand new 2023 YZ450F and turn it into a Freestyle Motocross bike! Airtime FMX is a freestyle motocross show that travels around Australia performing stunts at various events and locations. The team includes Brad Burch, Kain Saul, Ben Richards and Tommy G who travel around with their truck that not only transports everything but also acts as their important down ramp landing. Airtime's shows are without a doubt one of the best in the country and if you haven't already, you need to check out one of their shows.

Watch the latest episode below!

Freestyle Motocross Show?

Now that you know who Airtime FMX is, let's talk about their show. With a metal up ramp to a truck down ramp set at roughly 75ft the riders jump through the air performing some of the hardest and most technical tricks including backflip variations. Airtime is also one of the only mobile FMX shows that still lands on a hard landing instead of a blow up down ramp, so these guys mean business and put their lives on the line at each and every show. As you can imagine, bike setup is extremely important to ensure they are up for the challenge and to keep the riders safe!

Parts used and why?

Performance:

Freestyle bikes are built with weight, suspension, and torque in mind! So to reduce weight and improve the sound and performance the exhaust was replaced with Stainless T6 Pro Circuit slip on. The air filter was changed to a Uni Filter O2 Rush to improve airflow, and to help with torque the gearing was adjusted from the standard 49t sprocket to a 51t Ballard's sprocket and RK chain. They also changed to Pirelli tyres giving the riders the added grip for take offs and landings. The seat was also cut down and they added a MotoSeat seat cover to help with gripping the bike and performing seat grab tricks!

Controls:

The boys changed over to Pastrana bend Pro Taper handlebars to gain a little height to perform certain tricks along with Ballard's brake and clutch levers and they installed flip levers to allow the riders to have control when upside down! Something else that is unique to FMX, the team runs their throttle cables underneath and mounts their kill switch and electric start buttons to the radiator hoses to keep the rider cockpit as clear as possible to avoid issues mid air! On top of that, they run a GPR steering stabiliser and triple clamp to keep the handlebars straight mid air and to help with hard landings and no handed landings!

Aesthetics:

Airtime had to modify the subframe on this YZ to allow room for grab holes because unlike a traditional bike, the YZ has a reverse cylinder head with the intake at the front and the exhaust at the rear! As for the look, Airtime has chosen a clean factory looking blue Yamaha with KMX graphics and a black seat.

Suspension:

In Freestyle Motocross it's important to ensure the suspension is beefed up so it can absorb the harder and bigger landings that are all too common in FMX! Thanks to Jayo Archer at Raceline Performance after some testing, he managed to get this YZ and the other Airtime bikes performing exactly how they should.

Check it out!

Airtime's favourite bike to date!

The boys were comfortable on the YZs and didn't take long to adjust from their old CRFs. They instantly commented on the power delivery and how good the bikes felt in the air... especially when upside down! The Airtime crew actually has 6 YZ450Fs and 1 YZ250 2-stroke for when they want to mix things up. Make sure you get to a show near you to check out these epic bikes in person. See you there!