The Weapon: 2006 Yamaha YZ450F

The Victim: Enzo Racing Canada suspension

Test riders:
Jason Burke: CMRC National #22
Timmy Burke: Intermediate MX1, MX2, 2005 125 and GP Junior Ontario Provincial Champion, star of Walton TransCan DVD, All the Marbles

Location: Georgia Practice Facility, Cairo, Georgia

Experience:

One of the many benefits of racing under the Machine Racing canopy is their in-house suspension company, LGS, and the experience a rider gains while testing with Adam Robinson. I have also enjoyed the good fortune of growing up in a racing family. My brother, my uncle and my cousins all race which allows me to ride many different bikes and assisting with their bike setup. Throughout the last two years, I believe I have substantially improved my knowledge with respect to suspension, which now gives me the knowledge and ability to find the right settings at different tracks and in different conditions.

2006 YZ450F with Enzo Suspension

Preparation:

According to some guy or thing named “Giver” at RXC, my brother, Tim, and I were the perfect candidates for this assignment. We both had brand new, completely stock Yamaha YZ450Fs, plenty of time on our hands, and not afraid to burn fuel. Prior to our journey, we had not ridden for two months so Tim and I loaded up the truck and headed south. To say we were anxious would be an understatement.

I drove straight through to GPF as Tim practiced his Muay Thai, slept, reaped the rewards of drinking chocolate milk and then slept some more.

Upon our arrival in Georgia, Tim and I unloaded, rode a little bit and soon realized that we weren’t quite as prepared as we had thought. You see, for the past two years, during the winter months, I have had my butt handed to me in the gym by some old, never-has-been [Ed. note: Rob McCullough] from five to six days a week. That was until osteoporosis set in and he busted himself up while unloading a bike. So without a serious training partner to motivate me, I wasn’t able to work at the same intensity level … and now I was winded.

Testing at Georgia Practice Facility

Track Tested:

The track at GPF has everything required to complete a comprehensive suspension test: choppy ruts, sandy corners, rolling whoops, sharp-edged braking bumps and bomb holes in front of most jump faces. In my opinion, it was the perfect testing ground for suspension.

As we all know, with every new bike, there is a break-in period for suspension. Since we had both been riding Hondas for the past two years, we thought it would take some time for us to become accustomed to the new Yamahas. To our surprise, however, the initial feel of the Yamaha didn’t differ greatly from the Honda, allowing us to feel comfortable right away.

Luckily, Tim and I had a few days to ride before the Enzo suspension was scheduled to arrive, which allowed us to become somewhat familiar with how the stock Kayaba forks and shock worked. We were encouraged during the first couple of days of riding as the forks and shock seemed to be perfectly suited to our soft 175 pound bodies—working in unison everywhere on the track. It was during the third day, after about six hours on the bike when we noticed that the suspension had become too soft and quick, causing our bike to wallow in the whoops and skip through braking bumps. This made it difficult to choose a rut while braking and the suspension was bottoming out on jump faces and landings.

After lunch, Tim and I checked the rider/race sag. It was at 118mm, which explained some of our problems. With Tim on the bike, we then set the rider/race sag at 100mm, resulting in 29mm of free sag, indicating the stock titanium spring was correct for our weight. Once again, we went out on the track and soon realized that we had solved one problem but created another: the bike now had headshake, kicked when entering corners and generally felt out of balance. Stiffening the front end and playing with the high-speed compression in the rear helped, but that balanced feeling was gone. We spent the rest of the day on the track and in the pits adjusting the settings in an effort to maximize the stock suspension before the test.

Just after breakfast the following morning, much to our delight, FedEx pulled up and unloaded a hard-shelled gun case containing the Enzo suspension. As I started unbolting the front end, Tim decided it would be an excellent time for a nap. Left alone, once again, I completed the swap and suited up, eagerly anticipating the new suspension. 

Thanks to Tim Zacharias of Enzo Racing Canada, the forks and shock were re-valved for our weight, speed and the intended terrain we would be riding. Anticipating a break-in period, Tim and I put in about two hours of riding and stopped for a healthy lunch of chocolate milk and runny eggs.

Our impression after the first two hours of riding was as though we were riding a different motorcycle. The chop in ruts, braking and acceleration bumps seemed to disappear. The bike turned better on flat corners and it allowed us to ride quicker for longer periods of time. The harshness we were experiencing with the stock suspension had been eliminated, encouraging us to attack the track.

We were now familiar enough with both motorcycles to begin a true test for the Enzo Suspension: riding the bikes back to back. We set it up so the tester would ride two laps to loosen up and get comfortable, then pound out a 20-minute moto while each and every lap was recorded. After briefly showing Tim how to use a stopwatch, we took turns riding the stock and modified bikes and recording each other’s lap times. We kept the lap times from each other until the end so as not to influence the outcome.

The Burke Brothers put in plenty of laps on the new suspension.

Outcome: 

The results weren’t surprising because after riding the Enzo suspended bike, I could barely ride the stock one. I guess the saying, “You’re only as good as you’ve tested,” rings true in this case because prior to receiving the re-valved forks and shock, I thought that the stock Kayaba suspension was pretty good and I felt that I could race the bike as-is.

My lap times with the Enzo suspension over 20-minutes only varied by two seconds. My fastest lap came at the 15-minute mark and it was two seconds quicker than with the stock equipment. My lap times with the stock suspension varied by five seconds and the slowest lap times came near the end of the moto, mainly because the bike was wearing me out as I felt I was fighting it the whole time. With respect to Tim, he had essentially the same results as I did but he wasn’t as harsh with his criticism of the stock setup.

We have now had the Enzo suspension for over three weeks and we haven’t noticed any adverse changes in the action. I also feel that the Enzo Suspension has allowed me to ride more aggressively and with more confidence, which results in quicker lap times as the days go by. As for Tim, he’s just happy that he’s not getting up at 4:00am to install insulation with Dad.

Lastly, Tim and I would like to thank everyone at Racer X Canada, Tim and Dacy Zacharias of Enzo Racing Canada and, of course, our parents for paying for the trip! We tested to the best of our ability and feel privileged for the opportunity, as we are better riders for it.

Later,
Tim and Jay

For pricing and more information on Enzo Racing Canada, visit www.enzoracingcanada.com.

Enzo Racing Canada
215 Lineham Acres Close NW
High River, Alberta T1V 1W6
Phone:  403-668-1375
Fax:  403-601-8444
Technical Stuff: tim@enzoracingcanada.com
Administration & Sales Stuff: dacy@enzoracingcanada.com

About Enzo Racing Canada:
Tim Zacharias has over 12 years of experience as a top Canadian Pro rider, placing 1st in Alberta Provincial Championships and 3rd in Canadian National rankings. Tim works directly for Kayaba Industry Company as a test rider, suspension technician and representative. He works closely with Ross Maeda and Enzo Racing in California to develop the best suspension settings available. Enzo Racing has worked with almost every top factory rider on their way to success. Currently we sponsor the Yamaha of Troy Supercross team as well as Kyle Beaton and many more in Canada. Enzo Racing Canada is also the suspension technician for the Blair Morgan Racing Team on their Bombardier snowmobiles.