Suzuki Z400
Back in June, Suzuki made vast changes to the already popular Z400 sport ATV. When we had our chance to look at it for the first time, there were plenty of reasons for us to be impressed. The biggest and most notable change was the introduction of a fuel-injected powerplant that caused many heads to turn. Suzuki claimed the engine put out a significant amount of power across the board, which left it beginner-friendly with options of upgrading in the future.
Another major change for the Z came in the form of a new suspension package. The front of the quad was widened by an inch and the shocks were sprung and valved in a way that was similar to that of the LT-R450. The reason engineers at Suzuki went in this direction was that in their research they found that the average Z400 owner/rider used this machine not only as a recreational trail or dune quad but also occasionally raced it. The Z400 has definitely proven to be competitive in the past, and Suzuki wanted to make a product that was a little more geared toward this group.
Anxious like a kid on Christmas morning, I threw my leg over the new Z with plenty of expectations to be filled. In the department of the engine, I was definitely happy. There was much more of a pull on the bottom and in the midrange of the powerband, which was exactly as claimed. The suspension department is where I felt the engineers' upgrades went in the wrong direction. In an attempt to make a recreational sport ATV that was capable of being raced, the suspension was made far too stiff and I felt it a bit unpleasant to ride. Although the front end was wider, the machine still felt tipsy, and the front end severely pushed in the corners and didn't track very well in rough terrain.
What To Do?
I thought long and hard about what I wanted this quad to do and where I wanted to do it. My first thought was to make a better handling trail machine but one still capable of racing a grand prix or motocross race. Since I'm stationed on the West Coast, keeping the machine narrow isn't so much of a necessity as it would be for racing on the East Coast. This meant I could make it even wider for good stability on some of the faster off-road trails that cover my local riding areas. Additionally, I wanted the controls on this machine to suit me a little more. The steering stem has been shortened this year, and at 6-foot-1 I want this quad to fit my frame a little better. Not that this is a big negative for the Z, because this is a mod that I usually end up having to make on all sport ATVs.
The Roll Design/Elka combination...
The Roll Design/Elka combination offered a smooth ride while the ITP tires provided plenty of traction on every surface.
After all of the hype around the suspension upgrades I was relatively disappointed. Since the Z was released, it has been known as a great trail machine with race possibilities, but redesigning it to be more of a racer out of the box took away its comfortable trail riding characteristics. That's when the wheels in my head began turning to figure out what needed to be done to make this new and improved machine better than ever. I presented myself with a challenge and was ready to take it on.
With suspension being my primary focus, I turned to a company that has been in the business for many years and in my eyes understands suspension like no other. Doug Roll of Roll Design has been making ATV suspension for years, and his products have been seen on almost every factory race quad at one time or another. I explained to him what my goal was for this Z, and he set me up with one of his Lobo II long-travel suspension kits. Not only would this kit widen the track of my Z to 50 inches, but it would also increase the wheel travel and overall handling on all terrains.