ATV learning curve!

[FastDoc]

God saved my bacon, again. I bet He's getting tired of my antics. Almost fell off a 30 foot cliff my first day riding my Kawasaki. These ATV things are indeed a lot wider than the dirt bike. Thought I could squeeze through a narrow ledge/trail but not so much. 8O

I was crawling along and the trail's edge started to give out, leaving the right front wheel in the air. OK, we can work with this. Be cool. Don't shake the machine, reverse, back out the way you came in. Toss dirty shorts in the sagebrush and get on with the ride. 8)

I had a good couple of hours, I like the ATV thing. So different than a bike, nothing in common really.

The ATV's don't cover ground nearly as fast, they beat you up much more, and they are not nearly as agile. On the plus side they are much better in the slime and muck, and climb well.

The 250 is big and fast enough for me, and will do everything I'll ever need, except deploy a parachute.

[Weldangrind]

Glad you made it out ok; you must be one of God's favourites!

I find that I get beat up more on a dirt bike, although that's likely just my riding style. Like you say, nothing in common between the two machines.

I'll bet that a parachute is doable.

[Cal25]

When I got my first three wheeler I had the urge to put a foot down while turning. At least till I ran over both feet. Amazing what goat like qualities they have.

[TurboT]

Yikes Doc, I might need to change my shorts just from reading this!

As W&G can attest, I don't like heights much, and riding beside cliffs is uncomfortable for me on my bike or the quad. I can't imagine how I'd feel with a wheel hanging over the edge!

I'm like you, the quad really kicks my arse and I'm sore after riding it, not so much the bike anymore. I'm attributing it to the quad perhaps being a bit small for me, and the position my legs are in on it.. other that or I'm just getting wimpy!

Glad again you managed to finesse your way out of a scary spot. Be safe, ride in two's, and go fast!

-TT

[FastDoc]

I think the main reason I get beat up mure on the quad is being a 2 track vehicle, there are many obstacles and bumps I just have to eat rather than ride through a 4 inch smooth spot I could do on Q. Also, the tires are so wide there is no way to avoid many bumps and rocks. On gravel/dirt roads it does fine though. The suspension is good and the seat is great so that helps.

I also think a quads front suspension has to be pretty stiff to reduce tipping in turns.

[BillR]

Glad to hear you made it through OK.

Reminds me of a friend who bought a Yamaha Banshee as his first ATV.
He was trail riding with us one day and went right up the "Hill That No One Would/Could Climb". :twisted:
Probably 100 yards long, 60 degrees and the exit at the top was between 2 oak trees about 3 feet around, each. Just enough room to get a 4-wheeler through.
He didn't understand what we were all excited about. 8O
Bill

[ron9969]

I found leaning forward and unweighting the rear wheels made the atv,s turn better,i have wondered if the china atv,s had decent shocks?my buggys shocks were so stiff the front suspension barely worked.I bought atv shocks off ebay and it was so much better,my front end is very soft but works great.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by ron9969

I found leaning forward and unweighting the rear wheels made the atv,s turn better,i have wondered if the china atv,s had decent shocks?my buggys shocks were so stiff the front suspension barely worked.I bought atv shocks off ebay and it was so much better,my front end is very soft but works great.

Easy answer. No.

The Chinese ATV shocks are brutal. My daughters 110cc I can barely get them to depress by shoving hard on the front end. It's probably my biggest complaint about any of the china quads I've had.

[FLASHLIGHTBOY]

for the problem of stiff shocks.. there was a post I think by WELDANDGRIND.. ( I may be wrong) to help with this problem.. he took the springs off and shorten the spring .. this relaxes the stiffness.. a very good idea.. check the forum for this ..

[FastDoc]

I'm getting the hang of it. I rode about 4 hours this weekend and I'm having a great time. I need to back off and get back on the dirt bike, Q is feeling neglected 8) .

These things sure do climb, I love the slow motion aspect, you don't tip over like a bike. Same for going downhill. I could get used to this.

To smooth out the ride, I've been going faster, and standing partway up. Makes a big difference.

I rode my buddy'd giant 650 V-Twin Artic Cat today and I think I really like my humble little Kawasaki better. It's about half the size and weight, and much easier to handle and turn. For what I do on an ATV the little 250 is all I need. I think I bought the right machine.

[ron9969]

Cutting coils out dosent make the spring softer,or the ride better.i learned this on anouther web site where some guy went nuts buying shocks and modifying them and testing them.i think the chinese must think were giants(or really fat!)i bought shocks from yamaha quads on ebay a few brackets later,a nice soft ride.My buggys shocks were so stiff you would hit a big bump and the wheels would just bounce off the bump and the shocks wouldnt compress.

[MICRider]

I also agree on the horrible quality of the chinese shocks. I think a big part of the reason that my Beast handles so poorly is because of the deflection off of bumps that should be absorbed by the suspension... Well, that and overly tight steering! You really have to horse on the bars to get it to turn, then you have to horse them back. I am tossing around the idea of buying the aftermarket shocks, but haven't made up my mind yet. I think you definitely bought the right machine Doc

[waynev]

Originally Posted by ron9969

Cutting coils out dosent make the spring softer,or the ride better.i learned this on anouther web site where some guy went nuts buying shocks and modifying them and testing them.i think the chinese must think were giants(or really fat!)i bought shocks from yamaha quads on ebay a few brackets later,a nice soft ride.My buggys shocks were so stiff you would hit a big bump and the wheels would just bounce off the bump and the shocks wouldnt compress.

It did help on my sons 50cc, the springs were really preloaded, i did before and after testing on them and after cutting 3/4" off the tighter wound end the rate did end up softer on my 1/2" and 1" compression test. Before i cut them the front end on the quad would not move at all with my weight in it, i now get about 1-1/4" movement.
The springs on my T1 110cc were more linear though and the rate did not change on those so i went with the GIO performance shocks for the front end of the T1.
IMHO i think the problem with my T1 ( and probably most others ) is the rear single shock is the same as the fronts whereas the fronts should have a much softer spring rate, not the same as the single rear spring.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by MICRider

I also agree on the horrible quality of the chinese shocks. I think a big part of the reason that my Beast handles so poorly is because of the deflection off of bumps that should be absorbed by the suspension... Well, that and overly tight steering! You really have to horse on the bars to get it to turn, then you have to horse them back. I am tossing around the idea of buying the aftermarket shocks, but haven't made up my mind yet. I think you definitely bought the right machine Doc

Probably stealing Doc's thread here a bit, but you should speak to W&G about your steering. His Beast is a lot smoother and easier to turn the bars on than mine. I know he did some front end work there and we plan to do it on mine. I'm not sure if he's chronicled his steering adjustments in this forum, but I know it included a grease zerk and some other work. It turns like butter compared to mine. If it's not already done here somewhere, we'll have to post the changes we make to mine for all to read up on.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by waynev

It did help on my sons 50cc, the springs were really preloaded, i did before and after testing on them and after cutting 3/4" off the tighter wound end the rate did end up softer on my 1/2" and 1" compression test. Before i cut them the front end on the quad would not move at all with my weight in it, i now get about 1-1/4" movement.
The springs on my T1 110cc were more linear though and the rate did not change on those so i went with the GIO performance shocks for the front end of the T1.
IMHO i think the problem with my T1 ( and probably most others ) is the rear single shock is the same as the fronts whereas the fronts should have a much softer spring rate, not the same as the single rear spring.

I need to do some shock adjustments on both my daughter's quads. I need to measure them but I may have a plan! Stay tuned.