Anyone every owned a long travel blaster and a 450?

[Blaster200_117]

Ok so I used to own a blaster back in the day and I loved it. So much fun. However as most of you are aware they have a pretty bad chassis… no travel, narrow, etc. I’m currently on a bone stock trx450 with a cam and port work. 4 strokes are damn expensive to maintain and work on. For the price of my top end I can rebuild a complete blaster engine. So… I’m kicking around the idea of going back to a blaster. However, my trx chassis is way better. I ride hard and rowdy, fast whoops, desert, etc.

Iv thought about getting a blaster and throwing some fireball +3 up 1 long travel arms (or something equivalent), elka triple rate shocks, extended swing arm with elka 400ex shock, and a gusset kit for the frame. +3 axle, and a yz250 swap. As well as hydro discs.

The pros of this are: faster (50hp in a 300lb machene), funner, cheaper to maintain, and lighter. Not to mention parts for blasters are CHEAP! Anything for my 450r costs double what the same part on a blaster costs

Cons… it’s a blaster. It’s not a 450 or a racing chassis.

My question: how does a long travel handling compare to a stock 450r (yfz, LTR, trx, etc)

I’m aware the travel is shorter than a stock 450 even with a long travel kit. Although it would have triple rate shocks vs stock 450r bricks.

Is it much of an improvement over a stock blaster? My blaster wanted to buck me off at any chance it got with its solid 6 inches of suspension travel.

Anyone that’s owned both (as to not be biased towards the blaster just cause that’s all you’ve owned) let me know. Or has extensive saddle time on both.


One of the main reasons I want to do it is for a fun project. Build a modern 250r if Yamaha ever made one. Project YSF250r

 

[Blaster200_117]

Ok so I used to own a blaster back in the day and I loved it. So much fun. However as most of you are aware they have a pretty bad chassis… no travel, narrow, etc. I’m currently on a bone stock trx450 with a cam and port work. 4 strokes are damn expensive to maintain and work on. For the price of my top end I can rebuild a complete blaster engine. So… I’m kicking around the idea of going back to a blaster. However, my trx chassis is way better. I ride hard and rowdy, fast whoops, desert, etc.

Iv thought about getting a blaster and throwing some fireball +3 up 1 long travel arms (or something equivalent), elka triple rate shocks, extended swing arm with elka 400ex shock, and a gusset kit for the frame. +3 axle, and a yz250 swap. As well as hydro discs.

The pros of this are: faster (50hp in a 300lb machene), funner, cheaper to maintain, and lighter. Not to mention parts for blasters are CHEAP! Anything for my 450r costs double what the same part on a blaster costs

Cons… it’s a blaster. It’s not a 450 or a racing chassis.

My question: how does a long travel handling compare to a stock 450r (yfz, LTR, trx, etc)

I’m aware the travel is shorter than a stock 450 even with a long travel kit. Although it would have triple rate shocks vs stock 450r bricks.

Is it much of an improvement over a stock blaster? My blaster wanted to buck me off at any chance it got with its solid 6 inches of suspension travel.

Anyone that’s owned both (as to not be biased towards the blaster just cause that’s all you’ve owned) let me know. Or has extensive saddle time on both.


One of the main reasons I want to do it is for a fun project. Build a modern 250r if Yamaha ever made one. Project YSF250r

Honestly I would love a project like this but I don’t want to do all that work just to have it handle worse than a bone stock trx450 (which it might, iv never ridden a long travel blaster)

 

[RIDE-RED350r]

Or, you could spend about the same money and get yourself the best quad ever made, a TRX250R and trick it out a bit.

In all seriousness though, it sounds like a cool build. I would definitely want to stretch and widen a YZ250 powdered Blaster. Banshee hubs fit on the Blaster axle, so that opens up wheel spacer and 9" wheel options, which gives you a lot more to choose from for rear rubber. I found myself looking for AM A-arms when I had to cut one out the Blaster I got fixed up with my daughter. Found there aren't a ton of options out there compared to other models, but they can still be had. On drawback I think the Blaster has, it's a smaller sized machine. I stand 6' tall and go 210lbs and while it carries me ok and is still a peppy little guy, I find the ergonomics of it cramped for my size. I definitely feel more at home and a better fit to my pair of '85 ATC250Rs. I like your thoughts about gusseting the frame too, definitely a good idea if thinking about tripling the HP.

I think your biggest obstacle to overcome will be radiator placement. Definitely going to take some fabrication to make that work. Exhaust is liable to be a bugger as well.

Maybe a CT big bore sleeve with stroker crank, exhaust, carb (Keihin PWK hands down) and port work would be a more feasible way to up your HP a good bit, then do all the chassis goodies? Honestly, if I wanted to build a Blaster to that extent, this is probably the route I would take.

IDK, definitely sounds like an interesting build if you can put it all together.

 

[Blaster200_117]

Or, you could spend about the same money and get yourself the best quad ever made, a TRX250R and trick it out a bit.

In all seriousness though, it sounds like a cool build. I would definitely want to stretch and widen a YZ250 powdered Blaster. Banshee hubs fit on the Blaster axle, so that opens up wheel spacer and 9" wheel options, which gives you a lot more to choose from for rear rubber. I found myself looking for AM A-arms when I had to cut one out the Blaster I got fixed up with my daughter. Found there aren't a ton of options out there compared to other models, but they can still be had. On drawback I think the Blaster has, it's a smaller sized machine. I stand 6' tall and go 210lbs and while it carries me ok and is still a peppy little guy, I find the ergonomics of it cramped for my size. I definitely feel more at home and a better fit to my pair of '85 ATC250Rs. I like your thoughts about gusseting the frame too, definitely a good idea if thinking about tripling the HP.

I think your biggest obstacle to overcome will be radiator placement. Definitely going to take some fabrication to make that work. Exhaust is liable to be a bugger as well.

Maybe a CT big bore sleeve with stroker crank, exhaust, carb (Keihin PWK hands down) and port work would be a more feasible way to up your HP a good bit, then do all the chassis goodies? Honestly, if I wanted to build a Blaster to that extent, this is probably the route I would take.

IDK, definitely sounds like an interesting build if you can put it all together.

Yah I get what your saying. My old has a 250r and it’s what a grew up on. I’m definitely getting something 2 stroke as I’m done with 4 strokes. However the cheapest 250r in my area for a while has been 5200. I have a buddy who has a blaster rolling chassis I can buy for 300$ and I can get a wrecked yz250 in my area for about 400-1000$. Depending on year

I’m very experienced In fabrication, the engine swap will not be used for me. And other poeple have 250 swapped these and there is a way to fit a radiator and pipe although it’s tight.

Im f*ckin small dude 5ft 7 150. My old man’s about the same size. Tiny genetics. Blaster feels right at home for me. To me the size of the blaster is what draws me. If I could build a small quad with big suspension i would have all the upsides of a full size and all the pros of a light chuckable quad.

Hell I’ll be happy if it handles as good as my stock 450 which I don’t think would be hard. It’s a brick dude.

 

[RIDE-RED350r]

Yeah, 250Rs are getting to be big money and they won't ever get cheaper.

For your size, I think the Blaster hybrid/mod would be pretty awesome. My daughter stands about 5'-6" and is slight of frame at about 130lbs. We just got the last couple bugs worked out of her Blaster tonight and it fits her great

 

[Blaster200_117]

Or, you could spend about the same money and get yourself the best quad ever made, a TRX250R and trick it out a bit.

In all seriousness though, it sounds like a cool build. I would definitely want to stretch and widen a YZ250 powdered Blaster. Banshee hubs fit on the Blaster axle, so that opens up wheel spacer and 9" wheel options, which gives you a lot more to choose from for rear rubber. I found myself looking for AM A-arms when I had to cut one out the Blaster I got fixed up with my daughter. Found there aren't a ton of options out there compared to other models, but they can still be had. On drawback I think the Blaster has, it's a smaller sized machine. I stand 6' tall and go 210lbs and while it carries me ok and is still a peppy little guy, I find the ergonomics of it cramped for my size. I definitely feel more at home and a better fit to my pair of '85 ATC250Rs. I like your thoughts about gusseting the frame too, definitely a good idea if thinking about tripling the HP.

I think your biggest obstacle to overcome will be radiator placement. Definitely going to take some fabrication to make that work. Exhaust is liable to be a bugger as well.

Maybe a CT big bore sleeve with stroker crank, exhaust, carb (Keihin PWK hands down) and port work would be a more feasible way to up your HP a good bit, then do all the chassis goodies? Honestly, if I wanted to build a Blaster to that extent, this is probably the route I would take.

IDK, definitely sounds like an interesting build if you can put it all together.

Part of the reason I want to yz250 Swap is that a worked over blaster at the end of the day is a worked over motor. The reliability of a bone stock motor such as a yz250 is better any day.

Iv also heard Yamahas 490 2 stroke bolts right into these without modification?? But I’d have a hard time finding a motor.

The goal if I end up going the blaster route would be taking the best out of every build iv seen into one. Iv seen plenty long travel blasters, plenty 250 swapped ones, and iv even seen some blasters with ds650 and even raptor 250 plastics. But never with all thay whacky stuff in one. I want to build a costume one off more or less. Plastic swap, engine swap, suspension, everything.

At that point the blaster wouldn’t have nice suspension and power, the suspension and power would have a nice blaster.

 

[RIDE-RED350r]

I was going to suggest a YZ490 engine but wasn't sure if it's workable. A trike buddy of mine did a 490 Tri-Z and it's nasty. And you're probably right about scarcity and price, I know CR500 engines being serious money nowadays

 

[Blaster200_117]

I was going to suggest a YZ490 engine but wasn't sure if it's workable. A trike buddy of mine did a 490 Tri-Z and it's nasty. And you're probably right about scarcity and price, I know CR500 engines being serious money nowadays

Yah and liquid cooled is a must. I ride desert.