At what lengths are the world's top ATV MX competitors willing to go when building the absolute best possible equipment for Championship bids?
The answer, there are no limits, especially with high-dollar Factory budgets backing the top-tier riders at the national level! When competing in the top ranks, every single performance advantage possible is required for those with winning as their ultimate goal. Curious about what it takes to build Factory-level equipment, we decided to take on the challenge of building the ultimate MX racer, not merely just jumping on a Pro-level machine for a quick spin, but rather laying out and attacking a plan from bare frame to finished product all while taking advantage of every possible enhancement that we could along the way.
Goldspeed's new MXR/F tires...
Goldspeed's new MXR/F tires broke loose when entering corners and offered the perfect amount of bite when exiting on the gas.
ATP took on the task of building...
ATP took on the task of building and tuning our motor.
Custom Axis, JB Racing and...
Custom Axis, JB Racing and Streamline supplied our incredible suspension setup.
As our platform, it's no shock that we chose to work with Suzuki's innovative MX-inspired LT-R450. With three National MX Championships since its introduction in 2006, a fuel-injected engine and race-inspired chassis, the LT-R450 just seemed to fit the bill. In order to create our own custom look, we started by stripping the quad down to its bare frame. Steel Products Inc. handled the task of powdercoating our frame and stock swing-arm into the black stealthy style that we were looking for and accomplished a quality finish for the base of our project. From this point forward, it was all about pouring our best efforts into this project and leaning on some of the best aftermarket companies in the industry in order to transform our tame 450 into a potent high-performance race contender.
We increased our motor's cooling...
We increased our motor's cooling capacity with an oversized Fluidyne radiator.
Fuel ATV's air intake kit...
Fuel ATV's air intake kit allowed our LTR an improved ability to breath.
A Fastway steering stabilizer...
A Fastway steering stabilizer was an absolute must for our LTR.
Unlocking Power Performance
The LT-R450 is stout right out of the box; however it has gobs of hidden power just waiting to be discovered. Further opening both the exhaust and the intake tracks would prove to be a heavy dose of hard-hitting horsepower. We wanted one of the best horsepower-producing exhaust systems available so we hooked up with Rossier Engineering. Rossier has developed an exhaust system that not only sounds mean as hell but also makes more power than most other exhaust systems we have tested on the LT-R450. For the intake, we really wanted to open this thing up, as the stock airbox is small and awkward only allowing for a small replacement filter. With that in mind, I researched and discovered Fuel ATV and their airbox-eliminating intake system. Boasting a 3.25hp improvement over stock with a dyno chart to back it up, I was sold. With a stock LT-R450 putting down about 35 hp to the rear wheels, this combo really woke our quad up by now slamming down nearly 48 hp, but we still weren't satisfied.
G4 Graphics helped us with...
G4 Graphics helped us with a clean factory-looking custom graphic kit.
If you are familiar with the high level of competition at any given national race, you'll for sure understand that 48 hp is not going to cut it. After thorough research, I was settled on one person I knew could handle this task, someone who knew the LT-R450 better than most people know their own mother. Mike Walker at ATP Racing has been building high-performance engines for years. You can be assured that ATP has done their homework and applied their racing knowledge to the very same products available to the public. When I approached Mike, I told him we needed a motor that was not only capable of winning a race but had enough juice to grab a holeshot and do so while retaining the ability to run pump gas. Mike set our motor up with a custom port and polish job, a performance intake cam, a competition valve job, and a 12.5:1 custom ATP piston. Sure, we could've gone bigger, but with the shape the economy is in, we really didn't want to empty out our wallet every time we ride just to pay for race gas. If this motor was going to put down anything close to the power we expected, we knew the stock clutch would not be up to the task. Nobody in the industry knows clutches better than Hinson Racing. With a complete Hinson clutch kit swap behind us, Mike at ATP Racing went to work on their in-house Dyno. Custom tuning would mean replacing our Cherry Bomb with a device capable of dialing in the air/fuel ratio. DynoJet's Power Commander allowed Mike to work his magic. After several hours of dyno tuning, the results were in. How does the tune of 55 hp on pump gas sound? In order to keep this beast from overheating while being pushed to the limits, we mounted up a Fluidyne oversized radiator and outfitted a pair of yellow CV4 hoses. This radiator offers 50 percent more fluid capacity than our stock radiator and reduces engine temperatures up to 30 percent.
Rossier offers one of the...
Rossier offers one of the better horsepower-producing LTR pipes on the market.
One of the essential goals for building our racer was to shed as much weight as possible. That minute amount of weight savings could be the difference between a win and a loss. Yoshimura makes a kick-start kit for the LT-R450 that eliminates the electronic ignition system, saves almost eight pounds and helps with center of gravity. This is a good weight saving mod as it eliminates the battery, battery box, wiring harness, starter motor and starter gears. We were a little nervous about the trade-off a push-button starter for a kick starter, but were pleasantly surprised as it usually started with one or two kicks.
Suspension and Handling
Ecstatic with our newfound power, it was time to redirect our focus over to the suspension. In order to make full use of our new power, absorb the rough track conditions and that occasional overshot jump, we turned to Custom Axis Racing Shocks to get the job done. With mention of our goal for this build, the guys at Axis recommended their recently developed long-travel Pro Air Shocks for the front and a single-rate coilover shock with a remote reservoir for the rear. One of the many benefits to an air shock is that the air replaces the need for springs, which significantly reduces weight and allows adjustments to be easier than ever. Operating off two air chambers, one chamber controls ride height and initial plush feel, while the other controls roll stiffness and bottoming resistance. This allows you to rail the corners while still maintaining control over braking bumps and choppy track conditions.
Working in conjunction with our Axis suspension, we wanted an A-arm setup that was fully adjustable (caster and camber), provided maximum ground clearance and was set up for our longer-travel shocks. JB Racing had exactly what we were looking for. Not only were they caster and camber adjustable, but they also provide maximum ground clearance with their arched lower A-arm design. The JB Racing A-arms feature aircraft-style gussets and crosstubes for extreme strength. Another must-have from the JB arsenal was the steering stem, which is stronger than the stocker and comes with anti-vibe bar mounts. Should I roll this quad over, which I have been known to do from time to time, the JB Racing stem will stand a much better chance of not bending.
ASV levers are a nice addition...
ASV levers are a nice addition to high-performance race machines.
Goldspeed MXR/F font tires...
Goldspeed MXR/F font tires were predi-ctable and increased steering confidence.
Goldspeed MXR/F rear tires...
Goldspeed MXR/F rear tires offered incredible forward bite.
When you ride at high speeds, it's an absolute must to have a good steering stabilizer. To help keep this monster from getting out of control when hitting rocks and ruts at high speeds, we chose to roll with a Fastway System 5 steering stabilizer. With impact-damping technology, hitting obstacles that otherwise could end your day the System 5 actually allows you to stay on the gas with added confidence. Steering stabilizers will also save the body from a lot of abuse out on the track and keep your quad going in its intended direction, which makes it a must-have mod for any performance quad.
Moving to the rear of the quad, there was the stock axle staring me in the face. There was no way I was going to trust this little stick landing an 80-foot table. Lonestar Racings Axcaliber axles is one of the strongest axles in the business comes with a full lifetime warranty. If you somehow manage to bend this axle, LSR has you covered. In addition, we lightened our rotational mass by replacing the stock steel hubs with LSR's billet aluminum hubs. Not only are they lighter than the stock hubs, but they added a trick look to our project.
JB Racing's anti-vibe steering...
JB Racing's anti-vibe steering stem added the strength we needed.
PowerMadd handguards will...
PowerMadd handguards will protect our hands from painful flying objects.
Lonestar Racing provided an...
Lonestar Racing provided an extremely tough axle, lock-nut and brake rotor for the LTR.