how do you know when a-arms are setup right?

[cals400ex]

i am getting a set of extended a-arms for my 450. how do know where to adjust them? many say to use an angle finder but i still do not understand.

[4TraxRider]

If you feel like you don't understand it, itreally is better to take it somewhere to have it done right. Has anybody you know put arms on their quads? Maby you can have them help you so you'll know next time. You can probably also find a lot of info by doing a search on the topic, that's how i did mine a few years ago.

[mountaineer]

Try lonestar racings website they have a installation section that tells you how to set up your front end. Make sure you have a couple friends help.

[flashnyellow]

Cal,
I just installed LSR +2 on my 400ex. I bought the angle finder at Lowes for $10. I used a metal square. I followed LSR procedure from their website. Took a few hours but worked well.

Link to LSR install
http://www.lsracing.com/installguides.php

Ronnie

[TBD]

Use Lonestars procedure but I wouldn't use there numbers (caster and camber).

[Chino886]

Originally posted by TBD
Use Lonestars procedure but I wouldn't use there numbers (caster and camber).

What caster, camber, toe in settings for MX?

[TBD]

Originally posted by Chino886
What caster, camber, toe in settings for MX?
For what quad? Are MX settings vary slightlly from TRX to YFZ. Toe adjustments stays the same.
Toe in- 1/4"
camber for both- 2.5 degrees negative
Caster YFZ- 5.5 to 6 degrees positive
TRX 04-05- 5-5.5 degrees positive
TRX 06- 5.5- 6 degrees positive

[Chino886]

Originally posted by TBD
For what quad? Are MX settings very slightlly from TRX to YFZ. Toe adjustments stays the same.
Toe in- 1/4"
camber for both- 2.5 degrees negative
Caster YFZ- 5.5 to 6 degrees positive
TRX 04-05- 5-5.5 degrees positive
TRX 06- 5.5- 6 degrees positive

sorry about that, 400EX....

[cals400ex]

are you saying that each brand will have different camber and caster numbers? or does it just vary by the type of riding you do? i don't have much knowledge on this subject as we are recreational riders that concentrate on motor mods for drag racing.

[TBD]

Originally posted by Chino886
sorry about that, 400EX....
Depending on the length of swingarm you have will determine what caster for the 400EX. In stock form the 400 has push in the frontend so you would run less caster to compensate for that. If it was me I would start off using the caster settings for the 04-05 TRX since it has the same issues.

[TBD]

Originally posted by cals400ex
are you saying that each brand will have different camber and caster numbers? or does it just vary by the type of riding you do? i don't have much knowledge on this subject as we are recreational riders that concentrate on motor mods for drag racing.
Yes, different models will usually require different settings. It mostlly depends on the balance of the quad. I won't get into the other variables because it will most likelly confuse you. Just remember this, too much caster will make the quad seem like it has a push in the frontend and too little will make the steering very twitchy.

[Chino886]

Originally posted by TBD
Depending on the length of swingarm you have will determine what caster for the 400EX. In stock form the 400 has push in the frontend so you would run less caster to compensate for that. If it was me I would start off using the caster settings for the 04-05 TRX since it has the same issues.

I have a +1 1/4" swinger, with +3 +0 arms. They are camber adjustable, but not caster.

[TBD]

Originally posted by Chino886
I have a +1 1/4" swinger, with +3 +0 arms. They are camber adjustable, but not caster.
You should be fine. The longer swingarm will help transfer more wieght to the front. That will help with the push problem. Run your camber at 2.5 degrees if your doing MX and 2 degrees if your trail ridding. 1/4" toe in. What brand of arms are they?

[Chino886]

They are Burgard's A-arms!

[TBD]

Originally posted by Chino886
They are Burgard's A-arms!
Hopefully Burgard got the caster right. If not you can make some ride hieght adjustments to change the caster a little bit. Lets say you would like less caster you could either raise the rear or lower the front. Of course you would do just the opposite if you want more caster.

[Chino886]

Originally posted by TBD
Hopefully Burgard got the caster right. If not you can make some ride hieght adjustments to change the caster a little bit. Lets say you would like less caster you could either raise the rear or lower the front. Of course you would do just the opposite if you want more caster.

I talked to Burgard, he said his arms are built with 2 degrees of caster. I need to go get an angle finder and measure everything out.

[TBD]

Originally posted by Chino886
I talked to Burgard, he said his arms are built with 2 degrees of caster. I need to go get an angle finder and measure everything out.
I don't believe that for a minute. 2 degrees caster would give you the feeling that you were steering from in front of your bars. Please do check it. Like I said, I really doubt it's 2 degrees but you never know with some of these arm builders.

[Chino886]

That is my fun this weekend, setting up my front end.

Along with putting on a new axle lock nut!

[Quadrider63]

what happens if you just try to do it by eyeing it up u know just wing it

[TBD]

Originally posted by Quadrider63
what happens if you just try to do it by eyeing it up u know just wing it
Which, caster or camber? You could get away with eyeballing the camber but caster would be a little more difficult. I've set up a lot of frontends and have been able to eyeball caster when I don't have the correct tools but like I said I've done quite a few so I kind of know where it should line up.

[bradley300]

wont lots of caster also cause heavy steering? and vise versa? clear this up for me, a desert racer would like lots of caster because the heavy steering keeps the front end staight at high speeds. on the other hand a arean cross racer would like negative caster, becasue the quick turning aids the tight turns. a gncc racer would be somewhere in the middle, probably more towards desrt riders

[TBD]

Originally posted by bradley300
wont lots of caster also cause heavy steering? and vise versa? clear this up for me, a desert racer would like lots of caster because the heavy steering keeps the front end staight at high speeds. on the other hand a arean cross racer would like negative caster, becasue the quick turning aids the tight turns. a gncc racer would be somewhere in the middle, probably more towards desrt riders
Totally correct except I think you just said it wrong was the negative caster part. You would never want negative caster. More positive the slower the steering less positive the quicker the steering.

[bradley300]

thanks!

[Pepto_Bismol]

One more thing to consider, most off the shelf angle finders have a tolerance of +/- 0.5 degrees (unless you splurge for the very expensive laser type finders).

So trying to spend countless hours making that finite adjustment usually will just tick you off (like it did me, since mine are both Castor and Chamber Adj with Hiems as the Adjustment).

In any event, keep two things in mind:

1- Take the happy medium of the measurement you want (via type of setup, MX, XC, etc). Just be sure that both sides measure the same angle on the finder you are using. Then you will have symmetry, which is what you want.

2- FYI, even if you could, a very precise measurement like +/- 0.5 degrees will almost be unoticeable to all but the extremely talented and skilled riders, and then I have my doubts. Why, because you are riding in dirt, with tires that only have approximately 4-6 lbs of pressure. You just will not get that precise feeling as compared to say, NASCAR, where they measure in 1/10s of degrees, and every bit makes a huge difference on sticky pavement, flying around at an average speed of 120 mph.

Good luck, it's a pain in the butt, and you may not get it right the first time, but the only way to tell if you have it set up for the type of riding you do, is actually go out and ride it. This makes for a painfully slow process if you find you need to make adjustments, but that is the way it is.

PS, most angle finders have two staight sides (forming a 90 angle, of course) for taking angle measurements in different angles spaces (IE left and right side 90 degree angles). Take a measurement of a known 90 degrees using both sides (using a carpenters square), and note any offset, because you will find that most often, you will have to reverse the position of the angle finder when ajusting the left and then moving to the right side. Then, add in (or take away) the offset, in order to keep things equal.

Pepto:cool: