Outbreak Alert: Yellow Fever Type LT-R

Caution Yellow Fever Epidemic Type LT-R Within
By John Pellan and Brit Mansell

 

Over the weekend an outbreak of Yellow Fever Type LT-R broke out in the Southern California area. At this time it appears that American Suzuki Motor Corp is to blame. The epidemic is said to have evolved a few month’s prior when Suzuki released news of their made-for-motocross-racing LT-R450 QuadRacer. Over the weekend many susceptible hosts ignored Suzuki’s warnings only to fall victim to this contagious outbreak themselves. “They brought this thing over from Japan a few weeks ago, and since then nothing has been the same”, says our trackside correspondent John Pellan. What’s more is Yellow Fever is predicted to make its way east in catastrophic proportions.

Fortunately, many scientist in disguise as ATV magazine editors, have determined that catching LT-R Yellow Fever is not as bad as one might think. As of this date, it has been determined if one were to come in contact with a new LT-R 450 QuadRacer, the only symptoms are extreme euphoria, an overwhelming need for speed and an indescribable sense of desire. If yellow fever is indeed induced, (typically brought on by actually riding the LT-R) side effects include a sense of completion, extreme happiness, a sense of intoxication and an overwhelming urge to compete.

In an effort to further educate, we purposely contaminated ourselves with Yellow Fever Type LT-R by riding and actually racing the culprit. With that said, below is our review of the situation and a prediction of what the future may be for those infected with this new virus.

Then and Now
1985 Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki continued to develop their flag ship 250cc three wheelers, but quietly – to everyone’s surprise, Suzuki was working on a new machine that would revolutionize the sport of ATVing and the 1985 Suzuki QuadRacer LT250R was born.

Knowing they had a winner on their hands, Suzuki wasted little time in putting together a team to campaign their new machine. By the end of 1986 Suzuki had assembled Jim Putman, Jeff Watts, Gary Denton (who won the championship in ’87) and Rodney Gentry (who won the 500 championship in that year as well).

Despite the continued popularity of the 250cc high performance ATVs, the pressure from the CPSC proved to be too much as Honda discontinued their TRX250R in 1989. Three years later, Suzuki followed suit producing the last LT250 Quad Racers in 1992.

Now in 2006, with as much hype as we can ever remember about any machine in the sport’s history, Suzuki stands ready to once again rejoin the high performance ranks with their LTR450 QuadRacer. And their race team marketing approach used in the eighties continues as well with Suzuki’s “serious-about-the-sport” factory race team of Jeremiah Jones and “Digger” Doug Gust.

First Diagnosis
Since we wanted the most accurate description possible, our subject needed to be as established and educated as possible. Expert rider Brit Mansell showed no fear in being our guinea pig in our recent 2006 YFZ experiment so once again he got the call to be on hand at San Bernardino, California’s Glen Helen Raceway where masses of LT-Rs stood waiting to latch on to a curious host. We rolled up on the lavish Suzuki pit area reminiscent of the Supercross-like pit setups you see spotted throughout each issue of Motocross Action Magazine. It was obvious that no expense was spared. As we drove through the Glen Helen pits and inched closer to Suzuki’s prime trackside spot we finally got our first look at Suzuki’s fruits of labor. There we stood gazing at the direct result from their three-year commitment to ATV racing. There is was in front of us. A “race ready” ATV in stock form. ”I knew I had it as soon as I sat on it. It’s hard to describe but all the sudden all the symptoms were definitely present”, said our test rider Brit Mansell on the exact moment he was first infected with Yellow Fever. Isn’t it written somewhere, perhaps in Asian law, that we should only be given machines that fall short of being worthy for ATV motocross racing? Either they were playing a very twisted trick on us or Suzuki just laughed in the faces of all lawyers throughout the land who previously wrote the rule book on manufacturer involvement in ATV racing. To our dismay the perfectly aligned columnar formation of 15 brand new Suzuki LT-R450s cast their spell on us. Through every attempt to gather the entirety of the situation, only one thing was clear; the area was absolutely infested and it appeared that everyone in the proximity was clearly high with Yellow Fever aroma.

William Yokley’s Take
William Yokley came to Suzuki’s QuadRacer intro and joined us in our lap after lap of fun. Here’s what he had to say about the new QuadRacer R450…
“This motocross stuff is a lot of fun but I really still like the woods. The rougher and nastier the races are the more I like it.”

“The new machine is so much lighter than the old LTZ, it’s a pretty noticeable difference for sure.”

“I’ve got to narrow it up some for the woods, but man the power is smooth… and there’s a lot of it! I’m going to be working with IMS/Roll on all the chassis stuff for the woods, big fuel tanks, all that.”

“My motor man, Chris Grissom, is going to have an easy time with this thing. It’s pretty darned fast bone stock.”

“The Quad is great, my program is good and I feel like this should be a very good year for the team.”

Heartbeat
The 450cc RMZ-based engine was tweaked into a high-tech modern-day high performance ATV power plant. The motor would need to resist the rigors of the added stress an ATV demands and Suzuki engineers went all out to do just that. In their accomplishment a lightweight, rider friendly, high performance engine with loads of torque was realized. The engine is liquid cooled, features titanium valves and uses a magnesium clutch cover, magneto cover and cylinder head to reduce weight. Not only have they beefed up the resilience of this engine, but they also meticulously transformed the RM’s four speed transmission into a five speed tranny without widening the gears. This beast also features crank balancers on both sides of the crank to reduce vibration. Even with this and the addition of a fifth gear it still remains just as narrow as the RMZ engine. This is a true testament to the detail that was put into this ATV.The engine comes stock with a 11.7:1 high compression ratio and is fired with an electric starter. Exhaust leaves the motor unlike any high performance ATV of the past. Suzuki’s center exhaust system not only looks cool it contributes to a perfectly centered weight distribution. In this design the QuadRacer R450 also gets a lower center of gravity. If all this hasn’t yet made you sick, read on.

Diet
The obvious feature added to this quad’s engine over other off-the-shelf ATVs used for racing is the addition of a 43mm bore and a multi-hole-type fuel injector, which electronically sips fuel from the 10 liter tank. The Suzuki RM-Z bike that Ricky Carmichael races doesn’t even have this kind of technology! Not very often does an ATV sport quad received more modern-day advances than the manufacturer’s dirt bike. Adding fuel injection to the mix greatly aids in a smoother and more precise throttle response, reliable starting even in cold weather, smooth engine characteristics and reduced fuel consumption. In addition, Suzuki’s fuel injection system, (taken directly from their high performance GSX-R motorcycle development) automatically optimizes air / fuel mixture under any situation or condition; including atmospheric pressure, temperature, and even engine coolant temperature. But we have to mention yet another benefit. Since the air to fuel mixture is now controlled by a computer, the guess work of jetting is no longer. Jetting will soon be something you do on those old dinosaur machines that you just might have in your garage, not this one though. “If I just had ten minutes for every hour I’ve spent trying to jet in a quad I would have enough time to build my practice track with a shovel”, joked our test ace, Brit Mansell about his past jetting experiences. Improper jetting meant lost horsepower. The new racer from Suzuki doesn’t succumb to this mortal fate. It automatically adjusts itself to suit the present environment. With that said, since improper jetting is no longer in the equation, in our opinion, the QuadRacer R450 with its EFI leads to a gain in horsepower over the competition.

Coping with Yellow Fever on the Track
If you come in contact with a new LT-R QuadRacer and don’t come down with Yellow Fever, trust us, you will after riding one. This quad is fast in bone stock form, but by taking two twenty dollar bills to your dealer for Yoshimura’s “Cherry Bomb” and ten minutes of your time, you can turn this already fast machine into a fire-breathing-monster. This is hands down the all time best horsepower-per-dollar add-on in the ATV industry! Yoshimura claims 7.5 HP for this addition and we believe every single claimed pony. This is a must have as far as we’re concerned, especially at the price of just five bucks per pony! What a deal! More than likely there are skeptics reading this right now that might think they’ll be immune to Yellow Fever. If so they’re very fussy. We could only find minor flaws in this incredible showroom motocrosser. The power out of the hole, otherwise known as bottom-end power is a little weak. However, the motor’s mid range hit and the top end pull impressively overshadow what’s missing on the bottom end. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the Suzuki is lacking horribly on the bottom. I’m just saying that the mid range and top end are so good that they seem more powerful than the bottom end”, claims our expert test rider. “I’m sure that when aftermarket exhaust systems are available this gap will be narrowed and the already very usable power curve will become even more impressive.” We must say however that Brit’s comments in no way insinuate that you need to go out and spend money on a pipe if you want to be competitive. By simply pulling out the baffle and removing the restricting airbox lid you have most of the benefits from an aftermarket exhaust system already in place with the stock pipe. What’s more, we feel the center mounted exhaust is without a doubt the coolest thing ever put on a stock ATV. All in all the engine in this machine is brilliant! If you’re looking for smooth, controllable – yet beefy power without breaking the piggy bank, you might think about catching the flu for yourself.

Invulnerability
“The very first thing I noticed about this machine was its stance”, says Brit. The QuadRacer R450 offers the longest wheelbase and widest width in its class. With its independent double wishbone steel A-arms and KYB piggyback shocks it also provides the longest front wheel travel in its class. Upper arms are 25.4mm in diameter and lower are 28.6mm in diameter. Knuckles are made from forged aluminum. All three shocks offer fully adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping. Suzuki even went so far as to angle the front reservoir tanks reward and horizontal in an effort to slightly aid to a closer center of gravity. Check out the photos throughout this page and you’ll agree that Suzuki is serious about producing a motocross race ready quad. The rear gate of the Suzuki race team semi trailer even backs this up with their “Serious about the sport” slogan. Combined with the wider stance is a set of shocks that look beefier than a lot of aftermarket shocks we’ve seen. Gone are the days when the first thing you do to your new quad is pull the shocks off and throw them aside. Believe it or not, these shocks are keepers! The initial ride quickly revealed that the LT-R shocks were not only up to the abuse thrown at them by true motocross conditions, but they may be slightly too track ready. The front shocks were a little on the stiff side as far as we were concerned, even for a heavier rider. After a few track sessions we finally settled on removing all of the preload, softening the compression one turn, and slowing the rebound one half turn. These adjustments made a serious improvement over the initial ride. After tinkering with the front shocks we definitely improved the performance, however if you’re after the absolute ultimate in shock performance a double or triple rate spring system with a softer main rate would drastically improve these shocks. Again, don’t assume you need to rush out and buy a set of shocks to make this thing ready for the track. That’s not what we’re saying at all. Suspension is a personal setting and everyone’s preference is different. Before you make any shock purchases, ride it for yourself. It’s very possible that you’ll love it just the way it is. Although we had the small complaint above, we must also mention that the bottom resistance of the stock shocks was excellent. Brit weighs in at 195lbs and this machine soaked up everything he threw at it without a single whimper. Along with the track-ready-shocks and motocross-must-width, we should also comment on the stability of this quad in the corners and in the air. “I think I only rode this quad for about five minutes before I felt 100% comfortable with it. By the second lap around I was jumping the bigger jumps without any hesitation. The lift was very predictable and the front to rear balance was truly perfect”, proclaimed Brit. “It is a very stable jumper and destined to make each and every one of us better fliers.”

 

Slow down and take it easy
The QuadRacer R450 comes stock with excellent stopping power. Up front a two piston slide caliper is fed with a Redin/rubber hose material that offers a more rigid and smaller diameter than conventional hoses and this improves lever feel. In the rear a 190mm disc with a NISSIN-made single piston hydraulic caliper is used. A forged aluminum rear brake pedal saves weight.

Spinal Exam
Suzuki claims to have the strongest frames in class. Tube diameter, thickness and shape was carefully crafted in regards to offering the lowest center of gravity possible, rigidity, durability without the expense of adding weight. Suzuki claims their QuadRacer R450’s frame is so durable that Doug Gust and Jeremiah Jones raced with the stock high-tensile steel frames with no gussets whatsoever.

Axle Fatigue
The next aspect of this category is something that you typically don’t often see reviewed on a stock quad ride review; the axle. For the most part, there hasn’t ever even been a thought of running a stock axle on a motocross track until now. Other than the obvious length restriction of a typical stock axle, the durability alone is enough to warrant the $400 to $800 spent on an aftermarket axle. Suzuki used a perfectly symmetrical tapered shape that helps to make cornering left or right exactly the same.

“My first thoughts on the Zuke axle was — sure it was a good idea, but there’s no way it would hold up to my riding style. With my weight and innate ability to land jumps wrong, I’m very hard on axles. To my surprise, the stock axle withstood everything I threw at it. More than a couple of times I landed jumps on one wheel and was sure that those landings were going to leave their mark on the poor stock axle. To my surprise, after four motos and quite possibly more laps logged than any rider at the test or competing at the Glen Helen GNC that weekend, this axle was perfectly straight at the end of the weekend”, explained Brit. We asked the engineers how they managed to achieve this previously out of reach goal and they explained that it was a careful balance between axle strength/flex, swingarm flex, and shock settings. At this time, seeing that the stock swingarm is steel, which has a much larger flex factor than aluminum, and that the stock axle is definitely up to par on this quad, we see no reason to spend money on a replacement axle. Once again, she’s ready right out of the box!

JJ’s Abuse
In moto one of the Glen Helen GNC opener JJ was slammed from behind in the rear axle / swingarm area while racing through a tight high speed turn.

Jeremiah and several other riders ended up on the ground and scrambling for their machines. In between motos the Suzuki team looked over and prepped their equipment for moto-two. But what no one had noticed was that the impact on Jeremiah’s Quad had been so severe, it had bent his swingarm.

In moto two Jeremiah was on a mission to finish with a respectable overal after the tangle up in the first moto.

Just past the halfway point as he closed in on the close in leaders, the rear suspension broke on his quad. The bent swingarm had created a bind that after half the moto finally let loose. A dejected Jones limped back to the pits. It took the crew the better part of two hours and a lot of measuring to finally figure out what happened. Although imperceptible to the naked eye, when the bike was placed on a chassis jog, the swingarm was indeed bent to the side by almost an inch!

When asked what could be done to prevent a future occurrence of this happening again, team manager Wayne Hinson said. “Nothing really, it’s just one of those racing deals. It takes about an hour to jig the frame up and get the measurements. There isn’t enough time in between races to do it. There’s no way to prevent it either, you get a 400 pound quad wide open in 4th gear hitting your swingarm and there’s nothing on God’s green earth that is going to keep it from getting bent!”

Rider Fatigue
It’s without question that fatigue can occur while riding. On the race track this can surely ruin hopes for a good finish, so it’s imperative that manufacturers build their machines with as much comfort-consideration as possible. With the first glimpse at this machine the QuadRacer trademark seat is very present. “After thrashing this quad for five days, that big plush seat ended up being my best friend”, said Brit. Not only did Suzuki put in a lot of thought and design into the seat, they also positioned the handlebars, clutch lever, brake levers and gear shifter right where they should be. Well, where they should be for a 6’2” rider. “I was a little surprised with the height of the bars in stock form. Being a little taller than the average rider, I’m used to feeling a little cramped on the other stock quads, but this thing fit like a glove”, said Brit. While the instant fit was great for Brit, it may be a bad thing for the average rider. If you come in at the low end of the height spectrum the bar height may become an issue. Bolting on a set of CR High or CR Low bars should cure this problem for the affected.

Brit mentioned that the only thing he really disliked about the feel of the quad was the upward curve of the rear grab bar. It probably won’t be a big issue for most, but while trying to maximize traction by stretching over the rear of the quad during starts, long up hills, etc. the aluminum bar can tend to beat a larger rider up. We believe the reason for this design is so the tail light will still be visible above the exhaust, but since most motocross racers remove their tail lights anyway, we’re predicting that several racers will opt to modify their rear grab bar.

Appearance
This new machine is very reminiscent of the now 20-year old QuadRacer LT250. Suzuki kept with tradition in the design, but added great lines to bring this quad into the 21st century. Since it is a racer at heart, it has that sharp pointed racer look in stock form. You can get this new quad in any color you want as long as it is yellow or white. Suzuki traditionalists will go with the yellow while the current-age team Suzuki fans will plead for the white version. Both color schemes feature the blue seat and Suzuki-blue frame. The yellow quad will have red shock springs while the white quad will have white springs. Steel silver swingarms and blue A-arms are found on both. The multi-reflector headlight with its 12 volt 40/40 watt bulb is held on by only one bolt for easy removal. One common problem associated with motocross quads after widening them is that the stock fenders become more for looks than for functionality. Since this machine comes wide from the factory the fenders are actually the perfect width to work as fenders should.

Dunlop Intervenes
Suzuki teamed up with Dunlop to produce a truly motocross-ready tire combination specifically for this ATV. Through laps and laps of testing with team riders Jeremiah Jones and Doug Gust, this quad has a tough set of shoes that rivals no other OEM tire on the market! In the front a set of 20x7R10 tires are used while 18x10R8 tires are found on the rear.

These are the smallest tires in its class and should be more compared to high performance aftermarket tires than stockers. In fact Gust and Jones will race the stock Dunlops this year at the ATVA Grand National Motocross Series. And Gust has already finished in podium position with stock tires at round one of the GNC Series.

Not only are the tires the best motocross tires available on a stock quad, but the front and rear lightweight pressed aluminum wheels are actually usable. So you no longer have to go out and buy eight inch rear wheels for your brand new quad. Feel free to put that money straight in your pocket. Last in this this department is the hubs. In the front, cast aluminum is used, while forged steel is found in the back.

 

Treatment and Vaccination
This is by far the best performing stock quad on the market today. If you’re looking to get into the sport of motocross quad racing and want to be able to race the same day you buy the quad, (after bolting on nerfs and a kill switch of course) this is the quad for you. Not only can you race this quad on day one, but you can win on it as well! At Glen Helen this past weekend, over 500 machines were present. Of the 500, some 15 bone stock LT-R QuadRacers competed in four different classes. Three, including our test rider Brit Mansell’s, finished with a first place plaque! “If it weren’t for my unfortunate mishap in turn two of the Production A class, (Brit was hit from behind by an unnamed rider), we might have had another podium finish to brag about”, said Brit about his race experience. “This quad is truly a force to be dealt with on the track, even in stock form. I loved it!” As for team color choice, Suzuki will race with white plastic in an effort to resemble the Suzuki road racing team.

Gust’s Podium Finish
Doug Gust was the first to put his QuadRacer on the pro podium by placing third at the 2006 Glen Helen opener.

After the race Doug has this to say, “I had trouble getting my head into the race today. I didn’t really feel 100% for some reason so I tried to ride smart. It paid off in the end. I’ll go into Texas with good points and we’ll whip ’em out there hopefully.”

Team Manager Wayne Hinson was a little happier about the QuadRacer’s race debut and had this to say; “I found out that we are very competitive today. We had some bad luck, but this new bike is really fast. I think we are going to win a lot of races this year and be in serious contention for the title. I’ve never brought a brand new quad to a race and been this dialed in so quickly. The LT-R450 is unreal.”

Prognosis
Look for this quad to arrive at your local dealer any day now. Two hundred have already been dispersed throughout each AMA District. And as we predicted, Yellow Fever is currently spreading rapidly throughout the world. There’s no doubt in our minds, you’ll be seeing many riders infected with Yellow Fever Type LT-R at tracks all over the country and beyond. A further word of warning – use caution, or you too may be infected.

Despite the continued popularity of the 250cc high performance ATVs, the pressure from the CPSC proved to be too much as Honda discontinued their TRX250R in 1989. Three years later, Suzuki followed suit producing the last LT250 Quad Racers in 1992.

Now in 206, with as much hype as we can ever remember about any machine in the sport’s history, Suzuki stands ready to once again rejoin the high performance ranks with their LTR450 QuadRacer. And their race team marketing approach used in the eighties continues as well with Suzuki’s “serious-about-the-sport” factory race team of Jeremiah Jones and “Digger” Doug Gust.

Knowing they had a winner on their hands, Suzuki wasted little time in putting together a team to campaign their new machine. By the end of 1986 Suzuki had assembled Jim Putman, Jeff Watts, Gary Denton (who won the championship in ’87) and Rodney Gentry (who won the 500 championship in that year as well).

1985 Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki continued to develop their flag ship 250cc three wheelers, but quietly – to everyone’s surprise, Suzuki was working on a new machine that would revolutionize the sport of ATVing and the 1985 Suzuki QuadRacer LT250R was born.

Interested in racing your stock ATV on the motocross track? Check out our cost comparison estimate below…
Component	Yamaha YFZ450	Honda TRX450R	Suzuki LT-R 450
Axle RPM Dominator:	$409.95	$509.95	Stock $0
Tires All Four:	$300	$300	Stock $0
Wheels 8″ rear wheels:	$90	$90	Stock $0
A-arms +2″ standard travel:	$735	$735	Stock $0
Pipe Aftermarket Pipe:	$450	$450	Stock $0
Shocks Revalve:	$850	$725	Stock $0
Total	$2474.95	$2809.95	$0
Note: At this time we do not know if there are any weak areas of the LT-R’s frame and whether or not an aftermarket gusset kit will be needed for pro level competition. Thus the above cost comparative estimate does not include any gusseting.

Specs
Engine:	450cc, 4-stroke, single cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve*
Bore Stroke:	95.5 x 62.8mm
Compression Ratio:	11.7:1
Fuel System:	Fuel Injection
Lubrication:	Dry sump
Ignition:	CDI
Transmission:	5-speed constant mesh
Final Drive:	chain
Overall Length:	1845mm (72.6 in.)
Overall Width:	1245mm (49.0 in.)
Overall Height:	1085mm (42.7 in.)
Seat Height:	780mm (30.7 in.)
Ground Clearance:	240mm (9.44 in.)
Wheelbase:	1285mm (50.6 in.)
Dry Weight:	167kg (368 lbs.)
Suspension Front:	Independent, double A-arm, fully adjustable preload, compression & rebound damping
Suspension Rear:	Linkage-type, gas/oil damped, fully adjustable spring preload, adjustable compression and rebound damping
Brakes Front:	Dual hydraulic discs
Brakes Rear:	Single hydraulic disc
Tires Front:	AT20 x 7 R10
Tires Rear:	AT18 x 10 R8
Fuel Tank Capacity:	10 liters (2.6 gal.)
Color:	Yellow, White

 

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