LTZ453 Duner

By Bill “WBGO” Lanphier

We’ve ridden Suzuki’s Z400 performance quad in the dirt–a lot.
There’s no question it’s one of the best in that element–it may not be
the fastest, but it handles great and puts out more power than Honda’s
400EX.

Suzuki’s Z400 is a great woods quad. With some mods, it makes a very serious duner, too.

Dunes, though, are another thing altogether. The wide-open spaces
give the illusion that you’re not going as fast as you actually are and
the sand itself robs the machine of some power. The high speeds favor
larger-displacement quads with longer wheelbases, like Bombardier’s DS650.
In short, the sand is a great equalizer. What can be done to the Z400 to
make it more competitive in the dunes? We asked Southern California-based
CT Racing, which came up with some darn good ideas.

The first thing CT suggested is to get a little more out of the
motor–not a difficult task for the Z400, as it responds well to mods.
CT’s 453 kit includes a resleeved cylinder, high-rev cams,
high-compression (12:1) piston, head porting, exhaust and a Keihin 41mm
carb kit. To help modulate the extra power that our Z400 now had, a Hinson
Racing clutch basket was added. Just how much power can be gained? Dyno
runs at CT showed the modified machne now pumping out 48 horses–up from
the stock 28.4. Now that’s a decent gain!

“Everyone who’s ridden it falls in love with it,” CT’s Allen Knowles
told us. “Though a fully built 250R will beat it, the 453 kit is a good
match for a Banshee with pipes and high compression. The kit would blow
off a Raptor with a pipe.”

To widen and lengthen the Z, we went with a Durablue rear axle, as
well as a +2″ swingarm and +2″ A-arms from Laeger’s. Shocks from TCS allow
more wheel travel, but the quad actually rides lower for better cornering
stability and tracking through whoops. Skat-Trak eight-paddle Haulers in
the rear get the power to the ground and Skat-Trak Mohawks up front
improve steering precision.

 TO THE SAND!

Every quad should have a super-light Works Connection clutch lever! Powerslides are possible with the straight paddles (here), but our choice for the Z would be V-paddles for overall duning.

Our test day at the Pismo Dunes (on California’s central coast)
was overcast and gloomy, but once we got a look at the Z, we forgot all
about that. Like all the recent CT machines we’ve tested, it was set up
meticulously by Kevin Avina. Everything feels comfortable and looks solid,
and the CT graphics kit works wonders at improving the Z’s appearance.

Pismo’s Comp Hill is puny, but provides a good test through a few
gears. Here, just as Knowles predicted, the 453 smoked many moderately
modified Banshees (although in the flats the Banshees would eventually
move ahead). Still, the Z pulls hard and hauls. Though the rev cams raise
the power curve by 300 rpm, bottom end is still good.

Out in the dunes, the straight paddles make turning a little more
difficult, and carving a nice turn requires a little more body english.
The Mohawk fronts do a great job of improving steering precision, though,
and with a little practice, massive powerslides are possible.

The longer Laeger’s swingarm helps loosen up the back end for slides
and keeps the front planted, but the machine still wheelies easily enough.
As we expected, the wider axle and A-arms dramatically improve turning
stability. Jumping fanatics will love the TCS shocks; they provide cush
landings and great tracking through whoops and chewed-up sand.

MORE HORSEPOWER?

Even with the lower ride height, the TCS shocks do a great job of soaking up hard hits like this small, steep-faced jump.

After our trip to Pismo, Knowles added two more goodies to the Z.
We had problems bumping the stock rev limiter only when we made a mistake.
The new Dyna programmable ignition, however, allows setting the rev
limiter to any point, so overrevving now and then isn’t a problem
(ignition curves can even be tailored for running pump gas with a
high-compression piston!).

On the intake side of things, CT switched to a Honda 400EX intake
boot, which required some trimming at the front of the stock Suzuki airbox.
How much good do this and the Dyna ignition do? How about an additional
four horsepower! Now, at 52 horses, the Z is rapidly approaching twice the
stock output!

Yes, the Z400 is a great machine to start with, and with some
well-thought-out mods it’s really a screamer in the sand (by the way, all
these mods can be performed with identical gains from the Z400’s twin,
Kawasaki’s KFX400).

For more info contact CT Racing at 562/945-2453;

email: info@ctracing.com website: www.ctracing.com.

The CT Sonic exhaust is available with the 453 kit, or separately for $529.00	Yes, it looks fairly stock, but this motor makes way more horsepower than stock. After our test, CT installed a Dyna ignition, which allows, via mini switches, writing up to four different ignition curves.	A wider rear axle and longer swingarm are the hot setup for duning the Z. The Skat-Trak paddles provide more than enough hookup for the quad.	Check out Laeger’s new upper A-arm ball joints, which have a greater range of movement, allow more shock travel and are more durable. The lower ball joints are also more durable. We really liked the steering geometry of the Tag bars, which give you more room to move around and work the quad.

 CT RACING/SUZUKI Z453 DUNER SETUP

 MOTOR

• CT 453 Kit: Resleeved cylinder, cams, 12:1 piston, gaskets, valve stem
  seals, head porting, complete exhaust, Keihin 41mm FCR carb kit 400EX
  intake boot
• K&N filter
• Hinson clutch basket
• Sunstar sprockets (14 x 34)
• Tsubaki Alfa Gold O-ring chainCHASSIS
• Durablue 2+2 rear axle
• Fastline brake lines
• CT brake line guides
• Skat-Trak Mohawk fronts 21×7-10
• Skat-Trak 8-paddle Hauler rears 20×10-10
• Golden West Cycle steering stem +1″
• Tag CR hi handlebars
• Works Connection clutch lever
• Tag grips
• CT graphics kit and seat cover
• Ricky Stator lighting
• Braking brake pads
• Douglas Blue Label wheels
• Motion Pro twist throttle kit (push/pull)
• CT front bumperSUSPENSION, SWINGARM, A-ARMS
• Laeger’s round housing swingarm +2″
• TCS SGS shocks
• Laeger’s A-arms +2″

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