I'm not sure what I believe about the 450 but it being the same as the Z dosn't make any sence. They could have developed that in about 3 months. Plus why build something that wil directly compete with your best selling machine. I have a feeling it will have a suspension and geometry geared tward racing and not trail riding like the Z.

 

i think your right. why would suzuki just slap a 450 motor in a Z frame??? doesnt make any sense. they have had much devlopment time to make it better than the YFZ. I'm definatly a honda guy but im extremely upset with the trx. what a hunk of crap! i will be a suzuki fan if this z450 is anything like people are talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I said the same BASIC design.I'm sure there will be differences.But why not the same design? GUST has proven that the Z can compete easily with the YFZ and TRX; And most racers will change A-ARMS and SHOCKS anyhow so why not just an engine change?........Food for thought

 

Suzuki would do well to understand that the vast, vast majority of the people buying these 450 "race" bikes are recreational riders that dont race MX on a sanctioned track. If they built the 450 that took that into consideration, Yamaha and Honda would be choking on overstocks.

 

personaly i think if it has the power for the right price .... people won't care if it caries an "MX Ready" badge. if this suzuki is anything like everyone is talking about yamaha and honda will be choking anyways!!!! just an opinion

 

It will be interesting to see the factory take on "aftermarket style suspension" as Dirty Wheels stated in this month's issue. It won't be wider than 49" since they want a "race ready" quad, but can't ignore the GNCC/woods & trails guys, 50" would be too wide, but perfect for Desert and MX racing.

That is the answer...instead of pre-building track and trail editions of their quads a-la Cannondale, offer the option of creating and financing "Tuner Editions."

Buy a stocker off the showroom floor, or order one and add options from Exhaust, Cams, graphics and suspension to tailor the quad to your needs, be it track, trail, desert or dunes. I think that's the next step in the evolution of our sport.

The Phantom's......legend continues to grow.....

 

That makes sense because saying it's race ready is very vague. Many different types of racing exist be it MX, XC, sand drags, desert, TT and I'm sure I'm missing a few. What the manufacturers try to do is build a machine with the capability of excelling in any of these areas with the proper modifications. While still having a machine that the non-racers can use as an all around top of the class performer. The auto industry does the same thing look at the Camaro (gone but not forgotten) and the Mustang. When your average Joe buys one he thinks he has a rocket and does have a car that is relatively fast but not a race car. It does make for a great starting point for one though. What Suzuki and all of the other makers are trying to do is sell the best starting point, therefore the customer has to change more components to be completive.

 

waa I dont want a kickstart. Whats happening to the ATV comunity. I really dont mind a kick start at all. In fact I kind of like throwin a leg over and giving it a whack or two when i start mine up. They shouldnt be that hard to kick over anyways dont they have a compression release when your starting them??? I kick my Quadzilla over with no problems it doesnt have a compression release.

My humble opinion is if a bike comes with a kick start and your not up to the chalenge you were already too cripple, too old, or too lazy to ride it anyways so go buy somthing else