Pulling Power
PULLING POWER
Yamaha WR450F 2-Trac
Losing rear-wheel traction may soon become a thing of the past. How so? All-wheel-drive motorcycles seamlessly transfer power to the front wheel that would otherwise be wasted by rear wheelspin. While the Christini All-Wheel-Drive system mechanically transfers power to the front, the system used by Öhlins (familiar for its higher-end suspension products) features a hydraulic drive to accomplish this.
We rode one of the limited number of WR450F 2-Tracs produced in a co-op between Öhlins and Yamaha Europe.
This particular bike was in the hands of the late Marty Moates, who had imported his WR 2-Trac from France, one of the few European countries that sold the 2004 limited-production machine.
Differences between Öhlins and Christini systems are night and day in both mechanics and performance.
First off, the Öhlins system pumps hydraulic fluid through high-pressure hoses to the front hub, which is fitted with a hydraulic motor and equipped with a single gear. Pretty simple. The Christini uses chains, shafts and gears, and also requires major frame modifications. The appealing aspect of the hydraulic system is that it does not require any frame mods.
When it comes to riding, both systems yield similar advantages. AWD bikes excel in soft dirt, mud and sand. They work well on rocks and hills, too, but sand and mud are the biggest tell-tale that the front wheel is working. Where most dirtbikes dig in and slow down, two-wheel-drivers jump up and pull out. AWD also allows the rider to hug the insides of sweeper turns. The more the
rider puts his weight forward, the better an AWD bike works.
In flat, slick corners with no berms, the front wheel pulls the rider through the corner and the rear end never wants to slide around out of control.
In overall use, the Christini is heaps better than the Öhlins setup, though. It feels like a normal motorcycle in every aspect, except that the bike wants to stand up quicker exiting tight turns. As for the Öhlins, it has several disadvantages. While both systems add a similar amount of weight to the bike-16 pounds for the Öhlins, 1 more than the Christini—the latter hides its weight by distributing it throughout the system. The Öhlins, on the other hand, has most of its weight up on the front end where you can really feel it. The weight causes steering to feel quite unusual and the bike is not very agile in turns. Also, the front end twitches when hitting square-edged bumps or rocks. In the air, the
Öhlins front end gives off a weird gyro effect that makes the bike feel very odd.
For now, these oddities make the Öhlins 2Trac second best and a hard sell over a conventional rear-wheel-drive only bike. When it comes down to optimal traction, however, AWD bikes are supreme. The future, then, looks promising for the spinning front wheel. Who’s next? -Ryan Dudek
