In 2006, Suzuki bedazzled ATV enthusiasts with its performance-packed LT-R450 in 2006. A racer from birth, this new hot rod quickly proved to be a top contender in the world of motocross, winning its first championship in the inaugural WPSA series and earning ATVR's '06 Sport ATV of the Year. So while there's no doubt that this new 450 is moto-ready right off the showroom floor, racing it in the woods would be a whole other story. Its track-friendly, 50-inch width can be a liability when trying to squeeze between a couple of Eastern pines. Always seeking a good challenge, we set off to transform this not-so-woods-ready Suzuki into a lean, mean, tree-dodging machine.
Getting the width closer to 46 inches was our first priority, so I contacted Lone Star Racing to come up with an effective solution. This was a no-brainer for LSR; the company was four inches ahead of me with -2-inch A-arms and an adjustable cross-country axle. These were just the fixes I was searching for; they would allow me to run a factory offset wheel yet accomplish my predetermined width goal. The company also had a 1-inch-longer-than-stock steering stem to offer up greater comfort for those lengthy endurance races.
Now that the LT-R could make the squeeze, it was time to get the power from the fuel-injected 450 to the ground. Because of the new A-arm dimensions, I needed new shocks to fit and perform properly. Over the past several months, I had been hearing tons of hype about a new company called MotoWoz and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to give its shocks a run. If they performed as well as they looked, they would be ideal for this project.
Eager to get these bad boys bolted on, I broke out the tools and got to work. My setup was cut short when I realized ride height was going to be difficult to adjust without the essential, taller off-road tires. Checking out the pro racers at the GNCCs to see what tires were working well, I discovered something very strange. Many of the guys were using Maxxis Razr2 tires in the front for their superior traction in the turns and the Razrs, which are less aggressive, in the rear. I heard that the Razrs allow the machine to slide more easily and predictably. Sounded logical to me, so I chose this Maxxis setup as well. After mounting these tires on a set of blue HiPer carbon-fiber wheels, I could finally see the transformation taking place.
Now that I had a rolling quad again, I couldn't wait to haul it out to my local ORV area and give it a whirl. But I still had quite a few things to address, such as giving the quad a high-capacity fuel tank. I have installed countless IMS tanks, but the LT-R unit proved to be challenging, thanks to the fuel circulation and venting required by the EFI system. Fortunately, the IMS instructions were dead-on and made sense of the bag of hose connectors, nuts and bolts. Adding some armor to protect against rocks, stumps and anything else that may be hanging around waiting to ruin my day is also an important step in aggressive trail-riding or cross-country racing. Pro Armor had everything I needed to bestow this machine with much-needed protection, including the mandatory kill-tether for AMA-sanctioned events. My Suzuki was now suited up like a medieval knight and another step closer to heading off to battle.