There’s no doubt that Yamaha is going after KTM with the YZ65. In amateur racing, the 65 class is dominated by KTMs with just a smattering of Husqvarna TC65s and even fewer Cobra 65s. The Kawasaki KX65 is aimed at play riders and true beginners, so when it comes to racing, the Yamaha’s target is clearly the KTM. When you put the Yamaha and KTM side by side, it’s striking how similar the two bikes are in size and features. They have the same wheelbase (45 inches), the same fuel capacity (0.9 gallon) and both have six-speed gearboxes with nearly identical overall gear ratios, gear for gear. On the track, the two bikes have nearly identical performance. They both are amazingly powerful. In the end, the track performance of the two bikes is so similar that you really shouldn’t make a decision based on that alone. Yamaha did an excellent job of hitting the target. If the bike was any faster, it might have alienated beginners; any slower and it would have lost the serious racers. At this point, it’s more about dealer support and brand identity. Yamaha has made the 65 class a race again.
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