Sneak Peak - Long-term Evaluation

Here's a sneak peek at an upcoming story on ATV.com that will examine the TPR project YFZ450R after riding the quad and testing it for a year. In case you missed our full-on 2009 Yamaha YFZ450R motocross build, click on the link above.We'll let you know when the story on ATV.com goes live. In the mean time, stay tuned here as we evaluate products tested on this quad.

For Sale - TPR Project YFZ450R MX Quad

FOR SALE is a 2009 Yamaha YFZ450R ATV. Fully MX race ready!

This quad has never been raced. It has about 3 hours total on the entire build, with the exception of a Power Commander V that was just installed.

This is a National Pro-Am caliber quad. You don't have to do anything to this quad but put your numbers on it! Asking $14,000 or best offer.

Transferrable, full 5-year warrantee. Serious inquiries only, please. Quad is in Ohio. Call 330-569-4324.

Parts list:

ENGINE
JE Piston Pro Series 3-ring
YFZ450 camshaft exhaust
ATP Racing Engines R&R top end including valve adjustment; Port and polish cylinder head; Competition Serdi valve job; Custom dyno map
Motoworks SR4 full exhaust system, stainless head pipe
with aluminum muffler
DynoJet Power Commander V
Hinson Racing clutch pack plate and spring kit
Hinson Racing billet aluminum clutch cover
Twin-Air PowerFlow air filter mounting kit with filter
CV4 blue silicone coolant hoses

SUSPENSION, TIRES AND WHEELS
ATV Four-Play Maximum Ground Clearance (MGC) Gen II Long Travel A-Arms (camber, caster adjustable)
ATV Four-Play Soft Bars Gen II
Fox Shox Float X Evol front shocks
Fox Shox Podium X rear shock
RPM Dominator II rear axle

Maxxis RAZR MX M931 19 x 6-10 front tires
Maxxis RAZR MX M932 18 x 10-9 soft compound rear tires
Douglas Wheel Technologies (DWT) Alumilite Ultimate Champion In A Box Kit
Featuring Rok'n Lock front wheels and G2 rear wheels

BODY PARTS
Tarantula Performance Racing (TPR) Race Safer Pro nerf bar/heel guard/foot peg combination-black powder coat
Tarantula Performance Racing (TPR) MX front bumper
Powdercoated stock rear grab bar
B-Tek Performance SKID EZ single bolt aluminum full chassis skid plate
HMF Exhausts front headlight block off plates


CONTROLS/MISC.
Spider Grips SLT ATV Grips
Cycra ATV Stealth Handshield Racer Pack hand guards
Quad Tech SCS-H1 gripper seat cover
Galfer braided stainless steel extended front brake lines
Galfer braided stainless steel rear brake line
GYTR Tether kill switch w/TPR kill switch bracket

Tons of extra parts include: oil filters, spark plugs, Twin Air Air Filter, Hinson clutch stack, stock seat cover (immaculate), Fox shocks air pumps, etc....

All powder coating (a-arms, body parts, brackets, etc.) done by Capital Powder Coating in Suffield, Oh.

Pics - Graphic kit on project YFZR

I've been asked to post up more pics of the Danger UK Graphics kit on the TPR project YFZ450R, so scroll down to check out the pics.

It's hard to believe that the picture at the right is where we began with this project about one year ago with ATP Racing Engines. The absolute last piece of the puzzle came together this month with the installation of the graphic kit, which you can read about by clicking on the link or scrolling down the home page.

The TPR project YFZR was a long journey that proved well worth it in the end, as you'll see in the photos. And we've still got one more story to go with ATV.com

Click on the images for a larger picture.

How-To: Graphic kit install

Graphic Images - Installation

Installing a graphic kit is a "bolt-on" mod any ATV owner can do. The process just requires a little patience and some solid preparation. In this post, we'll walk you through the installation of our Danger UK Graphics kit on the TPR project YFZ450R.

The real work begins with your preparation. The graphic kit you're about to install needs to be flexible, so the best way to prep the kit is to leave it in the hot sun for at least 15 to 30 minutes. We left our kit in its white shipping envelope and set it on the hood of our hauler while we prepped the quad.

When it comes to the quad, you need to remove all the stock graphic kits, any stickers or previous kit you had on the plastic. Then you'll want to soak a rag with a generous amount of contact or non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner and wipe down the plastic to remove any glue residue.

Spray a generous amount of brake cleaner or contact cleaner on a rag and wipe down the plastics to prepare them for the new graphic kit. Be careful not to touch painted parts or to spray the cleaner on the bike, as these cleaners will remove paint.

Your kit should be warm and flexible by the time you've finished prepping the quad. Now it's time to start installing it. Here's where patience comes into play.

Be sure to line the kit up a few times before you start removing the backing and affixing the graphics to the plastic. Just remove a little of the backing at a time and gradually peel it back as you press the graphics onto the plastic. A squeegie or credit card wrapped in a towel will apply sufficient pressure to work the kit on and keep air bubbles from forming beneath the vinyl kit.

You'll need a hard, flat tool to use in applying the kit to make sure no air bubbles form beneath the vinyl graphics. My wife's cleaning scraper for her pizza stone worked perfectly. If you use a similar kitchen utensil be sure to wash it when you're done!

As you're applying the graphics, you're going to come across some spots where the kit just doesn't line up perfectly or may be a little too large to fit in some spots. Our Danger UK Graphic kit was practically perfect, but there were a few small spots where we had to make an adjustment by trimming the kit slightly. The most obvious was the right-side gas tank panel, where the kit was a little too long and covered up the hole for accesing the stock rear shock compression adjusters.

If you have to trim your kit, use a sharp razor blade and put a piece of cardboard behind the vinyl so you don't cut into your plastic and leave a mark.

The last piece of advice has to do with air bubbles. On a quad like the YFZ450R, you're not going to be able to eliminate every air bubble. The YFZR just has too many bends, curves and lines in the plastic to adhere a graphic kit with absolutely no bubbles. If you have to leave a few, go back after you've installed the whole kit and use a sharp needle or safety pin to put a small hole where the bubble is. The hole should let the air out and let the kit adhere to the plastic.

The kit made a huge improvement on the TPR project YFZ450R. After several rides, the black plastic on the stock YFZR rear fenders started to wear and scratch to the point that it looked like a 20-year-old quad. The graphic kit covered up the scratches and gave the overall quad a brand new look again.

The carbon-fiber print background of the Danger UK Graphic kit blended nicely with the stock YFZR plastics, especially around the tank and mid section of the quad. The graphic color scheme also fit nicely with the quad's black and blue theme.

Installing graphics on an ATV are much more difficult compared to a dirt bike, which has fewer body panels that are primarily flat with almost no curves, ridges or separate lines. Our Danger UK Graphic kit fit on the front of our project YFZR perfectly despite all the different cuts and ridges in the stock nose plastic.

For more tips on installing ATV parts, check out our How-To page at the top of the site.

Sneak Peak - Project YFZR graphic kit

'Graphic Images'

SINISTER sponsors graphic kit for TPR project YFZ450R

You know what they say; the third time's the charm. And so was the case with the Tarantula Performance Racing's gnarly YFZ450R motocross build - the TPR project YFZ450R.

TPR spent months working with sponsors throughout last season getting new performance motocross parts for Yamaha's latest race quad. Twice we tried and failed to work out a deal with two different graphic makers.

Not that we didn't try, but these guys were busy and didn't recognize the opportunity. The un-finalized version of the build appeared sans-graphics on: ATVScene.com, with January Scene Girl Holly Winchester; in two stories on ATV.com on the build and the review, with a third long-term evaluation story on the way; in a killer video on ATVonDemand; and on sites throughout the world wide web.

At long last, a third graphic kit maker recognized the opportunity this build continues to afford - mass exposure. UK-based Sinister ATV Accessories hooked up with Danger for this sweet graphic kit for our quad and sent us this all the way from the UK, so I thought I'd share some pics. For now, you can check out the kit and see what could be yours.

We'll post up a build tip on installing the kit in the coming days...

ATVonDemand reviews TPR project YFZ450R

Video: TPR project YFZ450R ride review

ATVonDemand.com finished their review of the Tarantula Performance Racing project YFZ450R. Click the link to watch TPR's latest project quad in action on the big motocross track at Crow Canyon Ride Park in Uhrichsville, Ohio.

This quad featured performance parts from the industry's top aftermarket race companies, but ATVonDemand.com left the video shoot most impressed by TPR's new Race Safer Pro nerf bars. These bars are strong, safe and stylish. What more could you ask for?

There's still more coverage to come of this quad, as ATV.com is planning a third story examining the long-term durability of the quad and all it's go-fast goodies. Stay tuned.