Lt80 Reliable?

[EXMARK]

Hello, all mini owners. I bought my son a lt80 and I'm going to give it to him for christmas, are thse reliable machines? Anything I should do to make it safer....wheel spacers...nerfbars etc?

[ct310]

Yes nerfs & spacers are needed. I put 4 sheetmetal screws in each rubber footpeg because when they get wet there feet will slip off the pegs and under the tire. It will make them cry

[smr]

Make sure all your nuts and bolts stay tight. They are bad about coming loose where the rear end bolts to the engine case. If they work loose then you will bust a case. Make sure the bolts stay tight around the belt cover and keep all your bolts in the skid plate.

[EXMARK]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info. Anyone else have any opinons?

[Spike99]

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My cousin has an older LT80. That thing kept going and going on their local trails. Great little mini.

As a suggestion, do widen its front end. Some install wheel spacers and others turn the front tires around. Something about drilling a drilling a hole, and installing the valve stems on the outside. To fill in the old hole, weld a small circle plate in the old hole or turn a new set of valve stems backwards. I've been told this mod is well worth it. Especially if sharp corners & donuts is your kid's passion.


As a few other suggestions, also.....

1. Check and adjust the tire pressure.
2. Check and adjust chain tension.
3. Check that the rear valve stems are facing outwards.
4. Pull the rubber hub nut caps and verify cotter keys are in. All wheels.
5. Pull air box cover and verify the air filter has been serviced and oiled.
6. Apply thread lock tight on shock bolts and other critical bolts.
7. Inspect cable routing.
8. Make sure engine RPM's don't increase as handle bars are turned.
9. Adjust front brake lever/cable to where it works for the rider.
10. Verify tether & kill switches work properly.
11. Make sure it smokes, this tells you the oil injection system is functional.
12. Check fuel, and oil tank levels.
13. All Personal Protective Equipment should be worn before riding.
14. Go over all controls with Rider.
15. Grease A-Arms, Chain tensioners, Swing Arms, etc.
16. Check CVT transmisison fluid for proper fluid level.
17. Check battery for proper fluid level.
18. Ride it first yourself.
19. Apply all of these responses and common sense and your riding!

I would purchase another spark plug and chain lube. Read the owners manual many times.


Another suggestion is to install a Chain Roller (if it doesn't already have one). For pictures, surf:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/273864420/285036639IpsrAA
http://community.webshots.com/photo/285036888/285036888TsJRNc


Hope this helps....

.

[Spike99]

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If trail riding, there's a few "add-on" things I would recommend to all minis. They are:

- Whip Flag - better to be seen with.
- Universal handle bar bracket and driving mirror. Excellent add-on to allow your young rider to see who's sneeking up behind them.
- Skid Plate (to protect its belly from digging in) and being drove into the gas tank / handle bars.
- Hand guards. These protect the back of the hands from tree branches and other stuff.
- DRL (Daytime Running lights). With DRLs, one can be seen much faster. For details, surf: http://forums.atvconnection.com/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=465788

Hope this helps as well...

.

[EXMARK]

Thanks to all, I will ck out these add ons and keep the all the maintence cks in mind.