the not recommended 300ex a arm swap

[Treehunter]

Well I just finished the 400ex a arm swap. Kinda wondering what all the fuss is about. I am pretty sure that it is a great low buck improvement. I would like to see some hard facts of why it is bad. The caster and camber seem to be in line? about 4 to 5 degrees of caster. tracks great! I did do something different I used some old elka shocks from my banshee. So I did not have to use a lowering kit. I had to cut down the bushings to get them to fit in the stock shock mounts. they are about 14.5 " from eye to eye. zero preload. same ride height and will extend about 2 " when lifted. the ride is great as well as cornering. I will have to do some more jump testing later.

[LuckyOxygen]

get some pics

[bradley300]

problem 1:those shocks are too short, a 300ex with 400ex a-arms needs 14.75 inch shocks
problem 2:i highly doubt the strojke on those shocks is correct for the geoetry
probelm 3: those are banshee shocks, the valving and springing is set up for a banshee, not a 300ex with 400ex a-arms
probelm 4: you only want about 3 degrees of caster
problem 5: the 400ex a-arms put the tierod at the wrong angle, they should be paralell with the a-arms
problem 6: the steering flag has the tierod ends in the wrong spot for 300ex spindles thanks to the 400ex a-arms. the problem still exist with 400ex spindles, the flag isnt in the right spot then either

there have been many people that know much much more about suspension than either of us that has tried every way possible to make this work, i have done plenty of testing myself with thequadshop. Tracci cecco's hsuband rick has also done a fair amonut of measuring back when traci still raced a 300ex. the consensus, IT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY

[300exOH]

Well said bradley. Also because of the tie rod position when the wheel moves through it's arc the toe in will change drastically. Also with the banshee shocks you may bottom the frame before the shock bottoms out. I tried the setup myself and even with the proper shocks it was never as good as a proper setup built FOR the 300ex.

[Treehunter]

Not really saying that it is as good as a $1200 aftermarket set up, but a low buck option it is. The geometery is not perfect but it does still a decent job. A stock 250 quadracer is much worse.
I gained 3" of width a 2 " of travel for about $75 minus shocks. It may not be right but I could definitely drop some lap time woods racing.

[300exOH]

Keep in mind also that the angle of the tie rods give the front wheels more leverage against the bars. If you hit a tree the bars could hit you even harder than normal.

[hondardr4life]

You gained 3 inches of width???? I am still waiting for a set of 400 a arms so I can do the swap, but I have the same legnth works shocks as your elka's, and I was only expecting to gain a little under 2 inches. I am actually heading out to baldwin racing today to maybe pick up a set of offset rims.

[Treehunter]

I am not a fan of offset wheels for gain width. Might work flattracking but woods riding no way. I don't really see that a 1/4 change in tierod angle is really going to product that much leverage on the bars if any. But offset wheels would. The change in tierod angle does cause some more bump streer at the last 2" of the travel, but only about 1/2 more than stock. Not perfect I know. On my woods practice track I am much much faster and safer with the new setup. The shocks help alot but the width is the main reason. Also look at the old 5.0 mustang suspension its a nightmare, I does things that the designers never thought possible yet its a race track hero.

[Treehunter]

300ex

[hondardr4life]

What did you do about brake lines?? Did you just use 400 front brake lines?

[Treehunter]

Just using stock lines

[hondardr4life]

Really?? I didnt think they would be long enough.

[orangeEX]

how do those shocks feel on jumps are they stiff enough or to stiff? just wondering cause i have some banshee shocks! and some 250r a-arms now i need the steering arms!

[Treehunter]

The brake lines are at the limit. Shocks are great I. don't have any big jumps to test but much better than stock. It is just not the same bike anymore. I really works in the rough. Now when I ride it I look for things to hit. If they are stock banshee shocks I am not sure it would work due to the upper mount width. You will have to grind the body down alot and might not have enough sag. Never know till you try.