And while every year we have found a great new something we could rave about, there really hasn't been that ONE that we thought we would call the BEST, that targeted a wide range of riders, that gave the buyer great bang for their buck right off the showroom floor, that we were confident would not only stand the test of time, but would be the model that other manufacturers would have to catch up with.

We've come close - the 2001 Yamaha Raptor flew off showroom floors, and while we did personally love it (we bought one), it was too much quad for many riders and we found them quickly on the resale market as buyers realized that. The 2003 Suzuki Z400 came even closer (we ended up buying one of those too), but again, while we expect it will be around for many long years as a standard in the family sport lineup, it was a little too much quad for the beginner and not quite exciting enough for the Expert rider without substantial mods. We were even tempted to name the 2004 Yamaha Rhino Something of the Year, but what the heck do you name a vehicle that goes everywhere and does everything?! (We just settled for buying one and not trying to label it.) So we watched the 2004 sport offerings, with rumors of several manufacturers coming out with something long overdue.

Two answered the call last year, releasing their models almost back-to-back. The Honda TRX450R (MSR $6,499) and the Yamaha YFZ450 (MSR $6,899). For Honda, building on success of the 250R since its introduction almost 20 years ago, was admitting it needed updating, and they fought it for years. After all, it was still winning races and enjoying bragging rights on sand dunes all across the country. With regular maintenance as all two-strokes require, those things will run forever, like most of the Honda family.

For Yamaha, they had realized quickly that the Raptor wasn't for everyone, and immediately set to build a quad that was race-ready and still user-friendly right off the showroom floor. So who hit the mark? From our test riders, Honda takes it for comfort. Ergonomically, the TRX450R is a marvel, with comfort you do not expect of a competition bike. And styling - Honda made huge progress here, with bold sweeping angles that the other manufacturers set as the trend several seasons ago. Loyal Honda lovers swooned. But is that enough?

For sheer race-ability out the door, availability of aftermarket goodies if you want to soup it up, for handling, suspension, performance, and fit for the recreational as well as the competitive rider, we have to award our 2004 Sport ATV of the Year to the Yamaha YFZ450. This does not come lightly. We didn't just look at press releases and immediately pick one, just to be the first to press with that title. Off-Road.com staff have been on this ATV for close to a year now, in recreational trail riding, sand dunes, WORCS, Whiplash and local club races. We passed it around to test riders in three states and rode it as hard as YOU would.

We won't say it's perfect - you really only find the bugs if you beat it hard enough. After riding hard almost every weekend of the past year, it has had three mechanical failures: Fairly early on, it was over-heating. We took it to our Yamaha Dealer and they replaced the impeller that moves the coolant through the motor. Under warranty, no problem.

Next, we had the head plug blow out. This plug is a manual compression release when the motor is used for the YZ dirtbike, but the YFZ quad doesn't have one so Yamaha put a plug there. A problem other YFZ owners have also had, there are several aftermarket plugs available for it now.

The final problem is with the battery not holding a charge. After a full night on the charger, it turns over once or twice then dies. Other users have experienced this as well, and there are hints that it is mainly a problem in early-release units (like those that we in the Press snatched up). Watch for an upcoming article on how we'll fix this.

That just shows how great the YFZ really is - it can have those few problems and still be solid enough to warrant ATV Of The Year! It has the low-end torque and the top-end speed that would take many hours and many dollars to get from any other current sport ATV. The only other stock suspension that can even come close to the YFZ is the TRX450R.

The 2004 YFZ450 is the ATV to be on if you want to break records without breaking the bank.

From a company that sells 40% of all new sport ATVs, we think Yamaha has figured something out. Are we the only ones that think so? 24 of the top 28 ProGNC riders chose it this season. 12 out of 22 Pro GNCC riders are on one. 4 out of 6 ProProduction riders at the last WORCS event were on a YFZ...

It now joins the fleet of Off-Road.com test vehicles that we will NOT send back. With pride, it will sit alongside the Z400 and Rhino as long-term residents. (Just like you, even we have to move out the old - Raptor - to make room for the new in the garage.) *While the YFZ is the closest to race-ready we've seen, for serious competition we have embarked on mods the YFZ will benefit most from - Part I of our YFZ Race Ready Series introduced the plan, Part II put on a kill switch & nerfs (required for MX racing). Part III will include a new exhaust by Rossier and a UM Perfomance air box to pump more air into that baby. Then Part IV we take it to another level - complete suspension upgrade by TBR Products. Beyond that, we may just be too busy shining the trophies...

Yamaha Motor Corporation - Sport ATVs