ATV Riders Message Board Articles Reviews Videos Photo Gallery wallpaper Links ATV SxS News Interviews Racing News Models Donations Quad of the Month Contact Us

  ATV MODEL REVIEWS | ATV Product News
Arctic Cat | Can-Am | Honda | Kawasaki | KTM | Polaris | Suzuki | Yamaha | Other

2008 Suzuki LT-R450 QuadRacer Sport ATV Press Intro
2008 Suzuki LT-R450 QuadRacer Sport ATV Press Intro

::Continued::

Larger 18" Dunlop KT386 Rear Tire
Larger 18" Dunlop KT386 Rear Tire
Suzuki also increased the tire size to a 18.5” tire to help the ECM in the reduction of wheel spin and add a little more ground clearance for the more casual rider. “We listened to comments from our consumers telling us what they would like to see changed on the machine and we made quite a few changes based on those comments.” Stated Lopusnak.

Along with changes to the tires, Suzuki also changed the suspension a bit. “One thing we heard quite a bit was that the stock suspension was to stiff for the average to intermediate rider, so that was one of the things the engineers went back to the drawing board on. The front shocks now have the Toshima coating like the rear shock, all of the internals on the fronts and rear shock were changed and improved to make much better performance and suspension action across the board. It now has a smoother ride and better absorption, which is probably one of the most noticeable improvements when you actually go out and ride one.” Concluded Lopusnak.

2008 Suzuki LT-R450 QuadRacer Sport ATV suspension
2008 Suzuki LT-R450 QuadRacer Sport ATV
The LT-R450 Suspension updates were very evident and made a huge difference as the stock suspension is much more enjoyable for trail riding as it is soft enough to soak up the terrain yet it still stiff enough to absorb hard impacts from flat landing a jump, and Doug Gust gave the suspension 2-thumbs up as he launched the stock LTR450 over a 90 foot gap, which he never attempted on a previous model.

New Rubber mounted handlebar clamp helps reduce vibration
New Rubber mounted handlebar clamp helps reduce vibration
We could also tell the difference in the suspension out on the track. Watching Gust and our test rider take on the biggest jumps on the track, and not bottom out, and pound through the whoops like they weren’t even there, was really quite impressive for stock suspension. “The new suspension really soaked up the big jumps, and was real smooth through the short choppy stuff where the ‘07 you could feel it through the bars more.” Said Davis. We have to note that Suzuki has also included a new anti-vibe steering stem on the ’08 model that makes a noticeable difference in reducing arm fatigue in rougher conditions.

With all the changes to the ’08 QuadRacer, there was one thing that Suzuki left unchanged: the steel frame. While manufacturers such as Can-Am and Kawasaki are using aluminum frames to make their race machines lightweight, Suzuki decided that wasn’t a necessary change for the Quadracer. “Right now we just don’t see the durability factor with aluminum. We’ve looked into aluminum to save weight, but we don’t want to save weight just to be able to say ‘Hey our ATV is the lightest.’ We want it to be durable and hold up to the pressure and demands that the rider puts on it.” Said Lopusnak.

::CONTINUED::
1 ::Page 2:: 3 Videos

Copyright 2002-2022, ATV Riders All Rights Reserved - ATV Riders Forum - Message Board - Archive