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August 7th, 2008 by dirtbikes001Late in the 2003, Yamaha announced the YFZ450 for the 2004 model year. This ATV represented the first time a major manufacturer built a high-performance sport ATV suited for racing. While it wasn’t as wide as many wanted for motocross and didn’t have long-travel suspension, it featured a four-stroke engine very similar to the motocross dirt bikes Yamaha was manufacturing at the time. The YFZ450 also came stock with fully adjustable front suspension, the first time this was available on a production ATV. After the Yamaha announcement, Honda announced it was going to bring the TRX450R to market in 2004. 2004 also marked the return of factory supported racing teams to national competition for the first time since 1986.
In the summer of 2005, Suzuki announced it was going to produce the 2006 LT-R450. This sport ATV was the most competition-ready ATV ever produced. It featured electronic fuel injection, a high performance four-stroke engine, and a chassis that could be competitive in stock form. The front end used a steel swingarm with high quality shock absorbers using 10 inches of travel and a width approaching 50 inches.
The manufacturers started paying closer attention to the sport ATV market, and in 1999 Honda released the four-stroke TRX400EX. While it wasn’t as powerful as the hybrids racing on the tracks, it showed that manufacturers had begun to take ATVs seriously. In 2003 Suzuki released the LT-Z400 that featured a liquid-cooled four-stroke powerplant. That same year, the ATVA instituted a Pro Production class at the motocross nationals in order to showcase “stock” ATVs. The traditional Pro class still allowed two-strokes and hybrids. Many professional racers raced both classes, but the premier class was still the Pro class.
ATV / Quad Motocross
The United States continues to see a rise in popularity in ATV racing at motocross tracks nationwide partly due to manufacturers providing competition-ready ATVs. Some example tracks would be Sleepy Hollow, and Flying Dutchmen, and Theobald Track in North Carolina
However, in order to be competitive, it was necessary to spend upwards of $20,000 to race an ATV. In the late 1990s, rules were changed to allow racers to use dirt bike engines in ATV frames. Durng the 1993 Mickey Thompson Off Road Racing Series, 15 year old Daniel Powell from Auga Dulce, CA entered the scene with the first Doug Roll Design and development ATV. Soon hybrid machines began to dominate competitions.
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From 2002, ATV Motocross started to see a dramatic increase in participation across the United States. This was a direct result of the major ATV manufacturers getting involved in the sport. In the past, ATV racing floundered after Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha dropped ATV-racing support in the mid 1980s due to the bad publicity associated with the alleged dangers of operating these vehicles. Throughout the late 1980s and all during the 1990s, aftermarket companies kept the sport alive, but barely. Racers would build expensive, custom ATVs with parts from major aftermarket manufacturers. The engine that kept racing alive was the Honda TRX250R engine which was manufactured from 1986 to 1989. Again, the aftermarket helped racers get all they could out of the dated engine. Accessory companies produced enough modified parts so that the only stock component of the 250R engine were the left and right engine cases. Suspension upgrades made it possible for ATVs to ride over jumps and rough terrain that were previously impossible. Suspension companies produced long-travel A-arms and rear suspension links which helped negotiate harsh terrain.
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