Pure Sport in Mike Hagen’s Tricked Out Sidekick.
Editor: Eric Bewley Photo: Mike Hagen
Mike Hagen is no stranger to hard core wheeling with Suzuki Vehicles. He has owned and operated, or shall we say thrashed on, several Samurai and Sidekicks over the years. His last creation, however, is a mobile work of art. It is the best culmination of trial and error, proper parts selection, and vehicle tweaking we’ve ever seen.
The vehicle is a ’97 model with the 1.6 16 valve engine. The only engine mods are a 2 inch exhaust and a Supertrapp muffler system. Power is transferred through a 5-speed manual gear box, Calmini 4.23:1 transfer case, to the Hybrid front end and stock rear both loaded with Calmini Lock Rite lockers and 5.89:1 ring and pinion.
The real magic comes from the highly tweaked Calmini 3 inch suspension. Mike has taken an already extremely capable kit and added his touches to get even more out of this one of a kind Sidekick. Old Man Emu front struts and a pair standard F-150 rear shocks are what dampen this rock monster.
Mike is running 15×10 inch wheels and 31×12.5×15 Radial Swampers SSR to get the grip. A Calmini winch bumper hold the 6,000 lb. Warn winch but the intriguing parts of the car are the custom Strut Brace, full Belly Pan, 4″ gas tank lift, and custom CV shafts that are 4 inches longer than stock.
There are just too many neato features on this car to list in a single article. So we are ZUKIWORLD are pleased to announce that we will be following up with Mike to get some how to’s, tips and tricks, and detailed coverage of how he did some of these great mods. Stay tuned…
For more interesting action shots, be sure to visit his club’s website at http://www.rpm4x4.com
