SUZUKI LT-R450 RACERS
Pro MX racer, Paul Smith's two LT-R450s are prime examples of how to make the already competitive Suzuki into the mother of all MX quads.
First up, the base package we have to work with is pretty good from the outset with a strong engine and chassis combo, amazing standard suspension and the most comfortable seat in its class.
Both Paul's Pro and Production class quads have copped similar treatment in the extremities with Hiper Technology carbon fibre wheels all round, to cope with the first corner biff and barge, and the occasional off-track excursion.
Wheels and tyres:Around the Hiper's are Maxxis Razr MXs front and rear for the production quad while the Pro quad gets ITP Holeshot MX fronts and recently released Holeshot SX rears. The SX rear tyres are specialist hardpack tyres that give better drive on tracks with a hard base and help get the extra power of the Pro quad's engine down to the ground.
Once again, both quads got the same alloy gear. Blingstar supplied Extreme Peg Nerfs and matching heel guards, while up front Blingstar Victory bumpers to keep the LTR's nose clean. Both quads also get Renthal Jimmy Button-bend alloy handlebars with Pro Taper ATV grips. Also part of the package is the Quad Tech front plastic beak to fill the void created by removing the headlight and surround.
Suspension:The Production quad retains the standard suspension componentry with only minor tweaking to set it up. These shocks are by far the best of the standard fare from any of the Japanese factories. The only complaint we have is that the rear needs a bit of work to stiffen it up a bit more than you can with the available adjustment.
Engine:Around the engine all that's been added is a DMC Afterburner slip-on muffler, a DT-1 air filter, with the airbox lid removed, and a Yoshimura Cherry Bomb to call up the second on-board fuel map in the EFI module so it can cope with the extra airflow.
Paul's Pro Classer underwent quite a transformation during the mid-season break in the Victorian MX series, with the addition of Walsh Racecraft long travel A-arms and Fox Float air shocks up front. The shock is a PDS spec Ohlins (with a remote reservoir) running on a Walsh linkage.
The Fox Floats are very adjustable but do take a bit of playing with to get right. Plenty of testing time was spent on this setup. The Ohlins shock arrived only a week and a half out from the end of the break but it was sorted quite quickly in a couple of test sessions.
The engine got some treatment, inside and out, with a full DMC Afterburner exhaust system, Twin Air air filter, and a Yoshi Cherry Bomb. All this was set around the freshly-flowed cylinder head by Power Flow. We also installed a pair of TC racing cams, which yielded a few more ponies and turned what was an already strong engine into an absolute fire breather.
This whole package with the Pro quad really showed its potential when Paul took it to an overall win on the big hills of Barrabool. He followed that up by taking two round wins in a row on the way to winning the Victorian Pro MX Championship.