ith the advent of the new Suzuki Quadracer LT450R there is a lots of interest in what is available for this current racer. However, don’t overlook the lucrative service work potential involved in motor rebuilds and performance upgrades of the older units that are already out there. Suzuki’s LTZ400 has been out since the year 2000 and is still going strong with many woods and recreational riders, so Parts Magazine recently did a makeover on one to show how an older machine can still be upgraded with a few select products found in your Parts Unlimited catalog.
     When it comes time to rebuild an LTZ400, the 430cc Hot Rods kit is an easy way to pick up more power at the same time. This kit is designed to require little-to-no extra work to the cylinder or cases. The Stroker crank is a drop-in unit and the special CP Stroker piston is designed so that no spacer plate is needed. So you pick up 30 cc’s of power and no one can see the visible difference from the outside of the engine.
     After rebuilding the engine with the Hot Rods kit, Hot Cams and Cometic gaskets we installed an FMF stainless steel Megabomb header with a Q-2 muffler for even more performance. All of these mods combined required some jetting changes (main 167, pilot 45, fuel screw 2 out). When we rebuilt the engine and installed these new parts we adjusted the valve clearance using Hot Cams 9.48mm shim kit.
     We didn’t want to waste our additional new horsepower spinning our wheels, so Dunlop took care of the traction in the rear with their KT335 and up front with the KT331, both well proven and long lasting tires that still give optimal bite in a variety of terrains.
     For some added bling, we added a front bumper and a rear grab bar from the Moose line that are anodized black, and for a more safety and functional add-on we went with the Moose race peg with heel plates. All three of these pieces were easy to bolt on with little extra work.
     So, what did we get with our new 430cc engine package once we took it out for a ride? We got a LTZ400 that now has much more top end and torque where it counts. It revs out on top and feels like a totally new machine.      With the Hot Rods kit installed you can feel confident you will have good power but also in a very reliable package. With the Stroker kit you can expect to pick up mid- and top-end power however you can also look to lose bottom end power. With the addition of the Hot Cams and FMF pipe this does not appear to be an issue. These parts compliment the Hot Rods kit very well and make a full and usable power band that is substantial stronger than stock.
Ride on!