Different styles of racing with one quad?

1034 Views 9 Replies 4 Participants Last post by danos660r, Mar 9, 2007

pewterpecker

Discussion Starter · Feb 13, 2007

Is it possible to do it all with one quad? I'd like to be able to race my quad in many different forms of racing to keep things interested and keep active year round. I wouldn't mind doing MX, and trying flattrack, TT, ice racing, and hitting the dunes. I'm interested in trying everything except I'm not into drag racing.

If I basically build a good all-around quad, could I make minor mods (like changing tires or throwing on a sway bar) and be halfway competative?

Or will I need thousands of dollars worth of different shocks, a-arms, axles and the such?

My setup for this season is TCS zero preload shocks, +2 a-arms, +2 swing arm, and durablue axle. That's good for MX, XC (as long as I narrow the axle and use lower offset rims to bring my width down a bit) and duning.

So if I want to race ice, I can just drop the ride height and throw on a sway bar. I think that would probably also cover TT or circle track.

Am I thinking correctly?

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Mad Dog

· #2 · Feb 13, 2007

With my bike I:

trail ride
ice race
dune ride
drag race

I've considered flattrack (not enough tracks nearby) and GNCC (not ambitious enough) as well.

I swap swingarms (3), front and rear shocks, a sway bar, front and rear lowering kits, and tires from time to time to set things up for the coming event.

It works well but what I end up with is a quad that is respectable at a lot of things but tops in none.

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pewterpecker

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 13, 2007

I doubt I'd ever be king of the hill at any races, so that sounds fine to me.

If you don't mind, could you get into more detail of what you're changing for each style of racing?

The TCS shocks I will be getting are zero preload and ride height adjustable. Do you forsee a need for lowering kits even with these shocks?

Do you think suspension needs for flat track, and ice are similair enough that I could have one setup for those, and then one setup for MX, trail, and duning?

XC and TT would probably be the two forms I'm least interested in, but wouldn't mind giving them a shot. I'd also really enjoy hitting up a baja race if I can ever afford it.

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Mad Dog

· #4 · Feb 14, 2007

Trail Riding:
YFZ front shocks
OEM rear shock
+2 swingarm
12/40 gearing
21/20 tires (will get 23/22 when I have some extra cash)

Dune Riding:
YFZ front shocks
OEM/Elka rear
+6 swingarm
12/44 gearing
dune fronts/22" haulers

Drag Racing (flat sand, sand hillclimb):
lightweight shocks
+6 swingarm
various gearing
dune fronts/22" haulers

Ice Racing:
Short front shocks w/ and w/o lowering kit
OEM/Elka rear w/ lowering kit
swaybar
stock swingarm
various gearing
ice tires f/r

In between I shed/add/change things like heel guards, bumpers, grab bars, nerf bars, skid plates, etc, etc, etc.

You're correct in your suspension assumptions, one for each will work but you'll have to have adjustable suspension so that it can be changed for different situations.

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pewterpecker

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 14, 2007

Thanks Mike.

So it looks like I'll need a +0 and a +2 swing arm (I have my lengthened stocker but that's temporary until I can afford a good one)... a couple sets of wheels and tires.. a couple sets of gears, and a sway bar.

That's actually not too bad of a list.

The shocks I'm getting are ride height adjustable and zero preload, so I don't think I'll need lowering kits. Is that correct?

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Mad Dog

· #6 · Feb 14, 2007

I just use my +2 stocker for trails, just need to find a way to mount the skidplate.

I use my stock for ice, but that's only because I haven't found the funds for a good one. You'll want a good one, you may even want a -1 or -2 depending on the size of the track and the power you end up with.

ZPS and preload adjustment are nice, but at some point the only way to go lower is to shorten the shock body which will make the non-lowered ride rather rough. To be competitive here your nerf bars should be at least as low as the center of your wheel hubs when you are on the bike. TT requires better shocks than flattrack and ice, so it's likely you could use your mx/xc shocks with some adjustments for tt and have a cheap set of shocks for flattrack/ice.

An example:

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pewterpecker

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 14, 2007

Maddog56 said:
ZPS and preload adjustment are nice, but at some point the only way to go lower is to shorten the shock body which will make the non-lowered ride rather rough. To be competitive here your nerf bars should be at least as low as the center of your wheel hubs when you are on the bike.

My apologies, but I'm confused by that statement. Are you saying that I couldn't achieve a low enough ride height with the shock adjustments alone and would need a lowering kit?

Would it be a good idea to use my current YFZ shocks and a stock rear for ice/flatrack? Or would that be going too cheap?

The light is at the end of the tunnel, my questions are almost over!!! :lol:

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Mad Dog

· #8 · Feb 14, 2007

YFZ shocks would be fine if they weren't so tall, even 14" OEM banshee shocks are too tall for the ice. The quality of the shock takes a big backseat to the ride height. The hope is that a zps shock with its preload cranked all the way down will drop you enough. But don't be suprised if you end up needing a lowering kit anyway.

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mcnugget22

· #9 · Feb 15, 2007

2006 raptor 700... all stock cept for tires.
Trail ride
moto x
ice race
harescramble
duner
You can do anything you want with a stock bike also..
All depends on how good of a rider you are not so much your bike

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danos660r

· #10 · Mar 9, 2007

im best at bench racing

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