What quad for MX racing?

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uncledavid218

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Well, I've gotten bit by the bug and now want to start racing. We have a 25-foot enclosed racing trailer (5th wheel) and an 06 Duramax to haul it, but the Warrior just won't do. I love this thing to death but there's no way I'll be winning (or finishing) any races. The reason I like the LTR is because its 49" wide stock. It doesn't have the power band of the YFZ but after spending $7000 on a quad my dad won't want to buy a new front end. I really don't want a TRX but I added it on there anyway... I hate Hondas. As for the Z400, well probably not because I would still be racing against the 450s. Obviously a lot of people will vote for the YFZ, and that's fine because it's a super nice quad... but please try and keep an open mind.

Only mods I plan on doing are RAZR MXs, Hipers all around, AC Racing Bumper and Pro Peg nerfs... uhh air filter, bars, steering stem. No front end or rear shocks/arms/etc. Oh and a killswitch of course.

List reasons for voting/why one quad is better than the others.
 
ltr: i like the uglyness that has never been seen before, but it is all set and ready to go, and the tester in the 450 shootout said the stock tires are better than holeshots, they are better in the trails than the yfz except forthe fact that it has 18'' tires


and its stance with the camber is just amasing
 
i voted for the suzuki 450. i'm not a fan of first year models, but it looks like it is set up a little bit better than the other right off the showroom floor. the yfz might be a better quad, but there is something about the suzuki that appeals to me. i am really curious to hear about the kawi 450 though. unfortunately, i wont have the money to buy one, but it looks like it might be exactly what i'm looking for. the power of a 450 but with reverse.
 
A few of the things I like about the Yamaha over the Suzuki is it is $300 cheaper right out of the box. That will buy quite a bit of stuff.

The Yamaha engine is a 5-valve setup, which means it has the ability to pull in more air/fuel. By adding a filter and pipe I think it has more potential to gain more power than the others because of this and making a smoother power band.

I am still undecided on the fuel injection on an MX machine. The Suzuki is fuel injected, so by adding a filter and pipe are you going to also have to fork out $250-700 for a new command module. The stock electronics can compensate for small changes but you start changing too much and they can not compensate for it. Just ask some of the 700 Raptor owners who are finding this out now.

According to the reviews the YFZ has a more forgiving suspension for the rough stuff and the jumps.

The Suzuki corners better in the reviews but how much of this is because the Suzuki comes with the 18" tires already? I think once you put the 18" tires on the YFZ like you are already planning on doing the Suzuki's cornering edge might disappear some.

Of course you know this is a Chevy vs Ford question and if it was me I would have to sit on each one and see how my body frame fits the machine. At the same time the rumors are out there about a lot of changes for the 2007 machines, so I think I would wait. Suck to spend that much just to have something you really want come out a few months later.

I am jealous of you having to make this "Hard" decision.. ;)
 
Heh. I'm 5'5" and only weigh 120lbs, if that influences anybodys decision.

Thanks for the feedback!
 
You're hieght and wieght arent a big factor, I have a friend who races, He's only 12 and is like 4'7 riding a 450r.
Wait for 07 is the best thing you can do. I must say i am very brand loyal to suzuki, but that doesnt make me dumb, the yfz is probably the most popular name in Mx. Those bikes are bad ass and i may just be upgrading next year to one. Thier stock suspension is great, i think they set it perfect.
The honda 450r is ok, but i think the lt-r is better. I dont really like the stock suspension, too stiff for me, atleast the one i rode. The 450r is definetly tippy, just about as tippy as a z400.
I own a z, and i am going to start racing it soon. The bike is great for me, I love it, with some money its a badass quad.


I would say go for the yfz first, If you cant find anything then go for a 450r, if not, then the z, I dont like the Lt-r, its not really powerful enough, the 06 z400 may be able to beat it, I know they beat 04-05 yfz's.
 
trackwise:

ltrs aren't as great as everyone says... they still need to be ridden very hard to get enough power out of the engine to push that wide stance around from what i have seen.

i have seen them on the track with an average rider, and an advanced rider with pretty good skills. they weren't moving very fast at all. i could tell he was pushing the bike because it was screaming.
no doubt an awesome bike, but i feel it has to be ridden very hard.

the yfz i rode felt very heavy and hard to turn. suspension worked better than any sport quad i have ever ridden.

my r definatly needs to be corrected through body english. i have my ass off the seat all the time to get it to turn the way i want.


powerwise...

ltr- decent power, but gearing is very low and off engine power/ good pipe gains
yfz- smooth power accross the board with massive pipe gains
450r- excellent power/ easiest to ride.

suspension:

nod for the ltr, with the yfz close behind.... 450r falls short

overall its just what fits you better..i would say 06-07 yfz is your best bet. everything seems to be right there where you need it.
 
i would wait and see what comes out in 07 but if you had to buy one right now i would say the ltr is the way to go. if doug gust can race that bike completely stock with the exception of aarms and fox float shocks then thats a well built bike. he's even racing with the stock tires. thats pretty amazing. you wouldn't have to do anything to it to be competitive.
 
i would wait and see what comes out in 07 but if you had to buy one right now i would say the ltr is the way to go. if doug gust can race that bike completely stock with the exception of aarms and fox float shocks then thats a well built bike. he's even racing with the stock tires. thats pretty amazing. you wouldn't have to do anything to it to be competitive.
Click to expand...
He doesnt always race stock dude, he usually rims holeshots on beadlocks, and i HIGHLY doubt suzuki would chance a championship and run that bike stock, they run a yoshi pipe and cherry bomb atleast.
 
THe YFZ is still rated as more race ready out of the box than Suzuki.

I say get a yfz, proven to be better time and time again, yamaha hit the nail on the head with it. Plus you are still carburated, if your trying to save money, the last thing you want is fuel injection.
 
that motor is still worked by yosh guys.... his bike is as stock as everyone elses on the circuit.
 
Doug gust could probably win on a ******* blaster... I agree a worked Z400 (pipe, filter, etc...) comes close (with in 4-5 quad lengths) to a STOCK YFZ but once piped/cam modded/and intake they are off like a prom dress - it ******* toasts them. The LTR is wide out of the box yes... BUT its OEM quality hardware here... (**** that) - I will buy a YFZ and throw a lonestar/Axle and Roll Design/Houser A-Arms on it any day and it will be much better then the LTR. I have raced an LTR and I have raced pretty much everything else I could find out on the track right now - the YFZ just straight up hauls and I have not lost a drag yet...
 
Doug gust could probably win on a ******* blaster... I agree a worked Z400 (pipe, filter, etc...) comes close (with in 4-5 quad lengths) to a STOCK YFZ but once piped/cam modded/and intake they are off like a prom dress - it ******* toasts them. The LTR is wide out of the box yes... BUT its OEM quality hardware here... (**** that) - I will buy a YFZ and throw a lonestar/Axle and Roll Design/Houser A-Arms on it any day and it will be much better then the LTR. I have raced an LTR and I have raced pretty much everything else I could find out on the track right now - the YFZ just straight up hauls and I have not lost a drag yet...
Click to expand...

If its an 06 yfz then yes, a stock 04- 05 yfz 450 wont beat an 06 z400, and if it does not by much, the 06 z will keep up good with a litghly modded yfz.
I say this because I have seen it, Their is a sand drag at one of the track around here, their is a stock 06 z that beats most stock yfz's he goes up agaisnt, and its not the rider's fault either, my neighbor with a yfz who races b-class lost by about a bike to the z.
 
[quote:k1woo478]Doug gust could probably win on a ******* blaster... I agree a worked Z400 (pipe, filter, etc...) comes close (with in 4-5 quad lengths) to a STOCK YFZ but once piped/cam modded/and intake they are off like a prom dress - it ******* toasts them. The LTR is wide out of the box yes... BUT its OEM quality hardware here... (**** that) - I will buy a YFZ and throw a lonestar/Axle and Roll Design/Houser A-Arms on it any day and it will be much better then the LTR. I have raced an LTR and I have raced pretty much everything else I could find out on the track right now - the YFZ just straight up hauls and I have not lost a drag yet...
Click to expand...

If its an 06 yfz then yes, a stock 04- 05 yfz 450 wont beat an 06 z400, and if it does not by much, the 06 z will keep up good with a litghly modded yfz.
I say this because I have seen it, Their is a sand drag at one of the track around here, their is a stock 06 z that beats most stock yfz's he goes up agaisnt, and its not the rider's fault either, my neighbor with a yfz who races b-class lost by about a bike to the z.
[/quote:k1woo478]

A sand/dirt drag isn’t really an attest to acceleration it all depends who actually hooks first (the Z would with less wheel spin or a slightly better rider) and even then due to no traction many quads will be "close" in dirt/sand. I raced a Falicon 500cc Stroker Piped/Camed/filtered Z400 on concrete and won by an ass-load - over, and over, and over, and over. A Z400 is a little bit faster then a 400EX lol. A race on pavement is a true test due to no wheel spin (not the case for the YFZ it still rips wheel on the road lol). You may find on trails many quads will be close but when racing on terrain with traction the YFZ and other 450s are gone.

A piped/filtered/Z400 with a bore kit produced 36 HP on our Dyno here in the shop - A piped/intake/cam modded (retarding the exhaust cam) YFZ puts down 49 - 51 HP.

The Z400 is 20 more lbs heavy, has a much slower revving motor, and 14 less HP. A stock YFZ or one with out the cam mod or intake/flywheel mod is MUCH slower then one with those cheap mods done to it - watch this video:

http://www.yfzcentral.com/videos/modunmod.wmv

Our 440EX was with in 4-5 quad lengths when I raced with my stocker 06 on concrete - when I did the pipe, cam mod, intake, and flywheel (a total of less then 500$ in mods) It went from our 4-5 quad lengths to over 17!
 
Is that the video of the stock YFZ VS the cam mod YFZ....If so the cam mod kills the stock yfz by a bus lenght!!
 
[quote:2152c7qi]

If its an 06 yfz then yes, a stock 04- 05 yfz 450 wont beat an 06 z400, and if it does not by much, the 06 z will keep up good with a litghly modded yfz.
I say this because I have seen it, Their is a sand drag at one of the track around here, their is a stock 06 z that beats most stock yfz's he goes up agaisnt, and its not the rider's fault either, my neighbor with a yfz who races b-class lost by about a bike to the z.
Click to expand...

A sand/dirt drag isn’t really an attest to acceleration it all depends who actually hooks first (the Z would with less wheel spin or a slightly better rider) and even then due to no traction many quads will be "close" in dirt/sand. I raced a Falicon 500cc Stroker Piped/Camed/filtered Z400 on concrete and won by an ass-load - over, and over, and over, and over. A Z400 is a little bit faster then a 400EX lol. A race on pavement is a true test due to no wheel spin (not the case for the YFZ it still rips wheel on the road lol). You may find on trails many quads will be close but when racing on terrain with traction the YFZ and other 450s are gone.

A piped/filtered/Z400 with a bore kit produced 36 HP on our Dyno here in the shop - A piped/intake/cam modded (retarding the exhaust cam) YFZ puts down 49 - 51 HP.

The Z400 is 20 more lbs heavy, has a much slower revving motor, and 14 less HP. A stock YFZ or one with out the cam mod or intake/flywheel mod is MUCH slower then one with those cheap mods done to it - watch this video:

http://www.yfzcentral.com/videos/modunmod.wmv

Our 440EX was with in 4-5 quad lengths when I raced with my stocker 06 on concrete - when I did the pipe, cam mod, intake, and flywheel (a total of less then 500$ in mods) It went from our 4-5 quad lengths to over 17![/quote:2152c7qi]
I'll have to seeif my frend withthe 06 zad my friend withthe yfz want to line up a a nearby airport( been closed for many years)
I dont haveay buds nearby with an 06 yfz so i cant compare those two togather, and i really doub a z is a littl ebit faster then a 400ex, when i first bought my z, all it had was he pipe amd filter, and i raced my friends 416 ex that had a pipe, filter, jets, the obvious motor work( even though 16 cc's isntmuch), and topend sprockets.
I murdered him off the line, and still pulled away throughout all gears.THe z's have quick revin motor's though, atleast hats what i feel from mines everytime i jump off my old warrior, thing pulls like a beast.
aside from that, holy crap, that cam fz killed he otherm one, do all cam mods produce the same results? Im thinking about getttig one now.
 
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