We recently had the
opportunity to ride Suzuki's new QuadRacer LT-R450 in the dunes. While we
had a very limited time on the new LT-R450 we did get a good feel for the
machine. The fuel-injected motor offers plenty of power out of the corners
with good top end performance. The suspension with its' long travel shocks
and low and wide stance is, in our opinion, the best OEM suspension
available today.
The motor is a single cylinder, fuel injected,
liquid cooled, 4-valve power plant with dual over-head cams. It's designed
to be lightweight and offer plenty of power. The aluminum cylinder is
electro-plated for improved heat transfer and a tighter piston clearance.
Helping to keep weight down the clutch and magneto cover, along with the
cylinder head, are made from magnesium. The motor features titanium valves,
a forged aluminum piston with a 3-ring design, and a 12:1 compression ratio.
Suzuki's 5-speed transmission is also a compact, lightweight design. First
and secondgears are mounted 'outboard' while
third-fifth and mounted inside. Suzuki claims this offers a compact layout
and better handling. Suzuki tops off the power plant with a center mount exhaust pipe and an electric start!
The race ready suspension features fully
adjustable front piggyback shocks with huge
14mm shock rods. The rear shock is also fully adjustable and has a 18mm
shock rod. Suzuki claims this is long travel suspension, but only gives a
rear travel amount of 290mm (11.41 inches) in their specifications. It looks
to be the longest on the market with Honda at 9.3" and Yamaha at 10.6". It's
definitely the widest on the market sitting at 49" where Honda is at 46.3"
and Yamaha at 46.1". We found that the extra 3" made a big difference in how
it handles.
So how does it ride? The biggest thing we noticed was the suspension. With
its wide stance, the LT-R450 cornered similar to a TRX250R with +3 a-arms.
At high speeds, in a large bowl at the Glamis sand dunes it felt very stable
and gave the rider a secure feeling. Other 450 based ATV's, in our opinion,
don't offer this high-speed comfort. With a 250+ pound rider the shocks
soaked up the whoops with style and didn't bottom out on some of the hard
G-outs.
How about the power? We'd have to say the power is 'on par' when compared to
other 450 based ATV's. While we found that it's not the fastest in stock
form, with a $40 modification it could be. In stock form the fuel injected
motor offers extremely smooth throttle response, plenty of low-end grunt and
decent top-end speed. Through a few Internet searches we found claims of 35
HP while in stock form. With the addition of a $40 'cherry bomb' from
Yoshimura, removing the air box lid, and removing the 'pea-shooter' out of
the exhaust, you get about 7 more HP. Not bad for $40! The cherry bomb is a
plug and play device that takes about 2 minutes to install. It changes the
fuel management parameters thus maximizing engine performance.
We were very impressed
with the new Suzuki LT-R450. We feel the suspension is the best available on
any OEM ATV and the power is right there with the other OEM's. We feel
Suzuki hit the nail on the head with the new LT-R450!
Mike has been ATV'ing since the mid 80's, starting with an ATC250R. He traded up to a TRX250R a few years later and over the years, built it to be a serious dune machine. In 2006 he built a long travel sand car to roost the sands of Glamis and other dune areas. If you see him out in the dunes, get in line and try and keep up!
Articles by Mike Lyon
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