Low Buck Track N' Trail Suzuki LTR-450R

If you know about sport ATVs then you're very familiar with the Suzuki LT-450R. It was the first sport ATV that was claimed to be race-ready right out of the box. The wide a-arms and adjustable rear axle made the machine extremely stable in turns and the powerplant provided enough punch to be competitive for most amateur racers. Since many recreational riders look for the same performance that racers do, this machine is popular for them as well. With a simple swap of tires and wheels, the Suzuki LT-450R is a capable machine for both track and trail riders.

This is where fine-tuning the overall handling of the quad comes into play. As they come from the factory most sport ATVs are set up for riders in the one hundred sixty to one hundred eighty pound range and the last time I checked, I was nowhere close to that number on my scale and I'm sure this applies to more riders than just me. As we were out at Milestone MX doing some testing with the family from Hinson Racing, one of our test riders complained that the stock suspension felt really stiff and seemed to dive pretty hard into the corners. This tester is one of our regular A-class riders and tips the scales at around one hundred ninety pounds and although close, felt that the bike could handle better.

As we were leaving the track that night, the Hinson Clan offered to take our machine back to their shop and give it a little more life across the board. One of the main areas they would focus on was the suspension. Hinson Racing knows quite a bit about the in's and out's of most sport quads but especially the Suzuki LT-450R, as they have a very strong relationship with Suzuki and their race team. They noted that the stock KYB shocks on our unit were of good quality but just needed a bit of reworking and they could get it handled. Who were we to argue with the guru's of our sport?

One thing I did not know about the Hinson's, was that they also had a sister company to their racing clutch components that goes under the name of Technical Touch USA, which is a distributor for KYB genuine parts. They know that stock the stock shocks and how they're setup won't exactly work for every rider and can be improved with some re-valving and servicing. Once they had our bike back at their shop, the shocks were stripped off and sent out to DeWayne Jones Suspension to be completely torn down and properly set up. While Jones handled the duties of properly valving the shocks, Technical Touch USA supplied genuine KYB shock service kits and shock oil for each of our shocks. Our goal was to get this bike handling its best without having to spend thousands of dollars in aftermarket shocks. The stock springs were left alone as the suspension company felt that most of the rider's issues could be solved with simple valving changes and adjustments. While they used DeWayne Jones Suspension for this project, Technical Touch USA also supplies parts to companies like PEP, Baldwin Motorsports and Race Tech which are all well known for their expertise in setting up ATV suspension systems and are highly recommended.

With the suspension handled, the Hinson's felt that our LT-R could probably use a few extra ponies as well. They contacted Kory Ellis at Yoshimura Exhaust systems and he sent them one of their RS-5 Slip-On exhaust systems to be installed. By simply installing this exhaust system, pulling off the air box lid and installing one of their Cherry Bombs. These simple add-ons are supposed to give this machine an increase of almost 7hp and put this almost equal to many modified motors of other machines. A little extra power never hurt anyone right??

The final touch to this machine in the functional parts additions was in the form of a Precision Racing steering dampner. Nothing is worse than riding down a track or trail and having the bars ripped from your hands because something caught one of your front wheels. If you've read any of our builds in the past, you'll almost always find a steering dampner of some sort installed. The Precision unit has both high and low speed adjustability to keep the bars securely in your grip through any terrain. While some people may think items like this are too expensive since the part is so small, just try one out for yourself. You'll never ride without one again.

With all of the performance and stability modifications done it was time for two final items to be installed. First was the set of Pro Aluminum Double Net Pro-Peg nerf bars that would help keep our feet safe in any riding condition. These nerfs feature a huge foot platform where your feet will stick like glue, but also have an integrated heel guard system that uses webbing much like the nerf bar itself to keep your feet safe from going back and being sucked into the rear wheels. The black powdercoat finish gives the overall look of the quad a nice look as well. The Hinson's put the finishing touch to this machine by installing one of their trick clutch covers. These covers resist being scratched up far better than the stockers do so your ride doesn't look hammered.

When they were finished with our bike, we arranged for a testing day at Glen Helen Raceway in Devore, Ca. Glen Helen is known for being one of the roughest tracks in Southern California and would truly put the entire package of our completed machine to the test with its deep whoops, big jumps and huge up and downhill sections that are filled with acceleration and braking bumps. After our test rider put in a few warm-up laps on the revamped machine, he brought it back to the pits for a few minor tweaks to the suspension. When asked about his initial impression of the quad since we made the modifications, he said it was a night and day difference from his previous experience.

With adjustments made, he was off to the track and quickly became comfortable with the overhauled LTR. It was apparent that he found his groove as he put the hammer down in every section of the course. We could hear the deep growl from the Yoshimura exhaust system as he blasted out of the corners with vengeance. The tone of the exhaust was significantly louder than stock but not as ear-piercing as many other systems on the market. Not only was it apparent that he could come out of the corners harder, but watching him on the uphill sections of the track, the LTR seemed to pull much harder than before.

As our rider crested the large uphill, he charged the tight hairpin corner and leaped off the top as if he was trying to land at the bottom of the slope. The suspension soaked up the landing and he was back on the gas approaching a hard left hand turn at the base of the slope. The entry of the corner had plenty of square edged braking bumps from the previous weekend filled with racing and really put the high-speed action of our revamped suspension through the wringer. Our tester exited the corner almost as hard as he entered it, seemingly unaffected by the huge braking bumps. The aggressive footpegs on our Pro Aluminum nerf bars helped keep our rider planted on the bike and allowed more foot placement for better weight distribution in the corners.

We could tell that our test rider really took a liking to this machine because we had to flag him off of the track and back to the pits to look everything over again. This time I wanted to know his opinion since I could tell how comfortable he was on the bike. " It's awesome! Riding this quad is like a night and day difference from when I rode it at the last track, which is much more tame than Glen Helen. It seems as if the engine make gobs more power which lets me shoot out of the corners and scream up the hills almost effortlessly."

When I specifically asked about the overhauled suspension, he said that was the most noticeable out of everything. "When I rode the bike before, it felt very stiff when landing off almost any jump I hit. Overall it was really harsh and left me riding somewhat reserved. With the new setup I feel that I can hit everything with a ton of confidence. The shocks feel as if they are now able to take advantage of the entire stroke." In our conversation, he also expressed how he felt this bike would be extremely competitive in the A Class of the ITP Quadcross series. That statement says quite a bit since many of the bikes in that class have modifications to both suspension and engine, which can cost thousands of dollars.

At the end of the day, I felt great with our end product. We let the Godfather of our sport take our machine and got it back better than we could have ever imagined without destroying our budget. The bike has more power and handles much better which gave our tester more confidence on the track. This ultimately translates into faster lap times and a more enjoyable riding experience. While we did our testing on one of the harshest MX tracks in California, all you need to do is install a set of taller tires and this machine will perform equally as well on the trails. Just make sure you slap on some skid plates to protect you from the rocks.

Product Information

Technical Touch USA, Inc.
909/949-4155 www.kybgenuineparts.com
Revalve/Service
$300.00 per shock
KYB Genuine Parts Shock Svc. Kit
$89.95 per shock
KYB Genuine Shock Oil
$17.50 per Quart

Hinson Racing
909/946-2942 www.hinsonracing.com
Clutch Cover
$169.99

Pro Aluminum
www.proalum.com
Available through Tucker Rocky Dealers.
Double Net Nerf Bar (Blk Powdercoated)$419.95

Yoshimura
909/628-4722 www.yoshimura-rd.com
RS-5 Slip-On Exhaust System
$435.00

Precision Racing Products
209/365-1850 www.precision-rp.com
Standard Steering Dampner w/ mount $485.00