Rath Racing’s anti-vibration stem
and stem mount are strong. The stem is
offered in different lengths and different
bar-mount sizes.
Tucker Rath is one happy dude with
this machine. This hybrid is helping him
make a name for himself as he comes
through the ranks.
Even with a fast engine, this quad
is one of the best-handling machines
we have ridden with no front-end
push in corners. We haven’t been
in an F1 car, but we’re sure this is
how it would corner! Rath Racing has
really done its homework with the
geometry of its front- and rear-end
suspension components. This hybrid
quad rails corners with perfection.
There was minimal body roll thanks
to the sway bar, which meant we
could pitch it into a corner at a high
rate of speed and it just kept tracking in the right direction. That was a
huge confidence booster for us. The
Fox shocks soaked up small chatter
bumps on the track, yet could easily
handle the rollers. Both ends felt a bit
soft for us, but Tucker is around 130
pounds compared to our test rider
at 200 pounds. We just dialed up the
compression to make the shocks stiff-
er, and it felt better. The ergonomics
of the quad were very comfortable.
The RR Monster stainless steel pegs
are longer than standard pegs and
keep your feet planted very well. The
Fly handlebar was a good fit for the
quad and worked well for TT racing, and there was minimal vibration
when coupled with the Rath’s anti-vibe steering stem.
The best part of this quad is how
light it is. A stock TRX450R weighs
350 pounds without fuel or oil in it.
Tucker’s quad, filled with oil and fuel
and completely race-ready, weighs
an outstanding 315 pounds! You can
really feel how light it is when you
are on the track. We felt less fatigue
while riding this compared to anoth-
er TT TRX450R we rode at the same
time, and that has a lot to do with the
weight of the machine. Rath might
be adding some titanium goodies in
the future that could possibly put the
weight under the 300-pound mark!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tucker Rath is a very lucky young
man to have such an awesome quad!
He has already been on the podium
several times this season, and we can
see that happening more often. Blood,
sweat and tears were involved building this masterpiece, and it was our
pleasure to be able to put it to the test.
We give it an 11 out of 10 on the Dirt
Wheels scale of approval. The question remains in our minds is, “Will
hybrid quads make a comeback?”
We think, “Why the heck not?” To add
a quote from a great movie, “If you
build it, they will come.” ❏
