bye bye yamaha 426

[coryatver]

"Check out Houser Racing's newest quad. Or should I say - dream quad? It's a Houser/Pro Fab ATV CR450R. They did their homework on this project. Everything is perfect on this quad. Houser Racing refuses anything less. Aaron Slingluff will ride this beauty at the '02 GNC motocross nationals" - ********.com
http://www.********.com/Images/ProFabATV450R2.jpg

[Chef]

Is it just me or does that thing sit really high in the back?

If i ever blow mine up real bad, I plan on trying to do that...

[Tommy 17]

yep that sits high to me... i would love to ride that i was just riding with a 450f today and man that thing flies we dragged and he smoked me it wasn't even close....

[Dave400ex]

That is Sweet. Hitt and Jones will also be racing 450`s this Season.

[coryatver]

Thats awsome. I hope they beat the cannondales and yamahas. I want to ride that bike! I am sure it flys!

[NJ300ex]

Dana Creech will be riding a yamaha too.

[86atc250r]

I personally hope the C-Dales are able to compete with these 450R machines.

Although I love to see a Honda win any race, and I would love to see the CRF450R engine in a new Honda quad - I don't like seeing 25,000 aftermarket chassis'd, motorcycle engined, non production machines out there racing against guys on good production machines that may not be able to afford to buy their wins.

Making $25,000+ the entry point to be competitive is not doing good things for our sport. It also makes companies like C-dale and even Honda less likely to give us cool production machines if they know top pros are going to be hand picking aftermarket chassis' and engines anyhow.

[FullBloodFreak]

Can I have it??!!!

[superraptor]

honda already has a few prototype 450ex's as well as yamahas 426cc quad. the question is will they ever sell them? i think if the pros keep using them the manufactors will step up. didnt ATVA just open an production quad class (production frame and engine case)? this gives the companys a reason to step up and make this sport what it deserves to be. AMA supercross didnt start in a day but i belive we are not getting the respect we deserve. as for the cost of the bikes now, none pf the pros are building them out of there pocket. they have a god given talent to ride and race and they do it well enough to get the sponors to fork over the big money and parts. i only hope i have that oprotunity to get that far some day.

i will stop preaching now.....

[86atc250r]

honda already has a few prototype 450ex's as well as yamahas 426cc quad. the question is will they

Maybe they do, maybe they don't. None of us really knows - heck if they do exist, only a few people within Honda knows and they are bound by NDA's.

Why would they sell them? There selling every Raptor, 400EX, etc they are currently making for recreational riders. If you want to win racing, you run an 86 to 89 model quad and load it with aftermarket stuff.

If they do make them, hey, all the better - thank Cannondale for stepping up & getting things hot. Sport ATVs are finally headed in the right direction, still a very long ways to go though.


i think if the pros keep using them the manufactors will step up.

That's been working so well for the last 13 years.... Maybe if we give them 13 more years they will step up, maybe not...

didnt ATVA just open an production quad class (production frame and engine case)?

The new production classes are because of the problems the motorcycles engines & aftermarket chassis' have created.

My question is why do we need a production class? Motorcycles don't need it & motorcycle racing does just fine.

The aftermarket chassis & engine setups played a very important role in racing when the manufacturers had no interest in making anything but utility clones. Now that the climate has changed something needs to be done to promote them building more and better choices for us.

AMA supercross didnt start in a day but i belive we are not getting the respect we deserve.

Neither did ATV racing, we've been around forever - all the money we generate goes into SX, MX and even XC motorcycle racing. I think it sucks that the price of my new 400EX helped pay for Ricky Carmichael's race Semi.

How does having aftermarket chassis'd & engined quads out there dominating high exposure races promote competition between the quad manufacturers?

I propose that if Joe Consumer sees stock chassis'd & engined Yamaha Raptors (with typical racing mods) out there dominating races by national Pros, he's going to want one instead of a Honda 400EX or Cannondale Cannibal.. Or vice-versa if it were Cannondale's or even Kawasaki Mojaves. This would promote competition amongst the manufacturers to build & offer the best quads out there (much like how it works in the motorcycle world, see where this is going?).

Right now, our buddy Joe sees aftermarket 250Rs out there winning - so instead (especially since 250Rs are no longer available), he buys what his buddy tells him is the "best", or he just goes out and buys the biggest, "baddest" thing he sees.

as for the cost of the bikes now, none pf the pros are building them out of there pocket.

Is that right?

How do you think top pros became top pros - they didn't just show up at a race one day, spank everyone with their stock Warrior, and have sponsors lining up to serve them everything they need on a silver platter.

Only with years of racing, building their own race machines, lots of cash, and lots of work do they get where they are - and even being a top level pro is not really a career like it is for the bike guys.

How many potential "Pros" are out there that can't currently afford the high price of competing at the National level? What quad can you jump on stock and win National races on (with maybe the exception of the Cannondale) - What dirtbikes can you jump on stock and win a National level race (just about any of them).

If you don't think there are any pros out there paying for their own stuff, you're dead wrong - maybe a couple at the top aren't, but there certainly quite a few that are. The pro classes are made up of far more than the top 1 to 3 names we all know & recognise and this isn't motorcycle racing - almost every (even top) pro has to have a REAL job on the side just to live.

In what way do you think competition would be hurt if the motorcycle engined completely aftermarket quads were not allowed? Are aftermarket chassis' allowed in Supercross racing, Motocross, etc? Some of even the aftermarket chassis builders feel the same way, just talk to Mr Arens.