All you XC KNOW-IT-ALL's!

[Brauap]

I have some questions. I plan on racing XC. I was wondering if they let you run mud tires? If I can race (13 y/o)? What are the must have's for racing? Also, this is your personal what to/how to section. Like what:

Chassis | Suspension | Controls:

Frame:
A Arms:
Swingarm:
Steering Stem:
Stbilizer:
Axle:
Carrier:
Locknut:
Hubs F|R:
Bars:
Throttle/Clutch Lever:
Grips:
Nerfs:
Bumper:
Grab Bar:
Front Shocks:
Rear Shock:
Brake Lines:
Rotors F|R:
Rims F|R:
Tires F|R:



Body:

Plastic:
Graphics|Seat Cover:
Number Backgrounds:
Handguards: d
Bar Pad:
Fuel Tank:



Engine|Drive System:

Cylinder|Head:
Bore & Stroke:
Displacement:
Cam:
Carburetor:
Air Filter|Box:
Pipe|Silencer:
Clutch|Plates:
Gearing F|R:
CDI|Killswitch:
Cooling:
Other:


Also, What are some little tip, pointer's, and need to know, I should know about before I start racing.

Thank You Soooo much!!

~Colton

[m36indiana]

ck with you local racing club some allow them, most do not, as far as what is needed, suspension, suspension, dont worry about power. another good thing is to work out your arms alot, they take a beating

[STUNTIN400EX]

braup with your age and size of the quad you might have a hard time. check under the atv/utv racing section and find out what governing body you fall under. i ride with IXCR.

[klutch]

I can't race down here until I am 16... (16-19) I am 15 and they won't let me run my 450R... I would have to run Youth Production (12-15) 91-349CC or Something like that...

[Hondamaster5505]

I think you should be worrying about your engine and not even think about racing right now. You might have a big task ahead of you with all that dirt, and you don't know what lies ahead..:ermm:

[Brauap]

I know

[UNBROKEN]

lol whos paying for ure motor :blah:

[Brauap]

Mostly me, if I can't I will have to wait for my b-day.. wow, i dont wanna wait till august!!! lol

[flauge]

It depends on the series you race in and how strict they are about age. In the local series I run, you'll find quite a few younger riders scattered in each class.
The best advice I could give you is to just go out there and race and see how you like it. After the first one you'll know what your weak points are with your bike and yourself, then just try to improve from there. I've been racing for about a year and still after every race I notice another thing to improve on. Thats what makes it fun for me.. Race, try to get a little better, then try it again!;)

[2muchquad]

One thing about the harescrambles at least over here,if you think your in shape,your probably not.Trying to man handle a 400lb quad with another 80lbs of mud on it is no fun.A good tip is always line selection,whenever you can avoid the bottlenecks and stuck slower riders,its always a plus.Your first race you wont be doing much racing after the first lap,you'll just be trying to survive,its a blast though:D

[flauge]

Originally posted by 2muchquad
One thing about the harescrambles at least over here,if you think your in shape,your probably not.Trying to man handle a 400lb quad with another 80lbs of mud on it is no fun.A good tip is always line selection,whenever you can avoid the bottlenecks and stuck slower riders,its always a plus.Your first race you wont be doing much racing after the first lap,you'll just be trying to survive,its a blast though:D Yea just try to finish the first one. Race the terrain, not everybody else.:cool:

[sictrxr]

yea i agree no matter how good of shape you thing your in your not work the heck out of your arms and put $$$$ into suspension try not to run too much power as it will tire you faster. lines a crucial just yesterday my day went from ok to terrible cuz i hit one rut and got hung up. and try to establish a pace early remember the race is 2+ hrs long dont go crazy off the start and f yourself in the long run.

[mitchamus]

XC racing you'll need suspension. A_Arms nothin more then +1 probably good to stick with stock since you'll probably hit some trees. get yourself a good front bumper. some hand guards and may need to fab up some sort of handgurds fo real muddy days. full skids will be needed. also lots of off quad training, push ups ,running, mountain biking. its a marathon out there.

Originally posted by mitchamus
XC racing you'll need suspension. A_Arms nothin more then +1 probably good to stick with stock since you'll probably hit some trees. get yourself a good front bumper. some hand guards and may need to fab up some sort of handgurds fo real muddy days. full skids will be needed. also lots of off quad training, push ups ,running, mountain biking. its a marathon out there.

yeap i would just stay stock because they are much cheaper if you bend or break them. worst wreck I have ever seen. It was at the FL GNCC. Poor 400ex and man they guy doesnt remember the wreck at all. He was air lifted and everything. Heres how his a-arms turned out...

[LeGaCyGiAnT124]

damn, what happened to him?

On another note I agree with everyone else. If it is possible just go to a place and ride for a 2 hour run at the same pace. Don't stop and just keep working at it. Try to run and get yourself in shape. I wish I could agree with what I am saying:o :p Suspension is the most amazing thing invented for the ATV Industry. After that get a a steering stabilizer too.

[Brauap]

Wow, this thread is awsome! I am learning soo much! Remember what I posted at the top.. with what your running? Could a couple of people fill some of that out? I am defently planning on supension and a steering stablizer.. also, are pep/works good? Also, what do you thing are the best steering stabl. are/is? What about gas tanks? Will the stock one hold enough gas for a 2+ hour race?

basically the first one is what I am currently racing.. and the second one is most of my questions..

Chassis | Suspension | Controls:

Frame: stock
A Arms: stock
Swingarm: stock
Steering Stem: stock
Stbilizer: none
Axle: stock
Carrier: stock
Locknut: stock
Hubs F|R: stock
Bars: Renthal
Throttle/Clutch Lever: Motion Pro/un-known
Grips: scotts or progrip (can't remember)
Nerfs: AC Racing
Bumper: none
Grab Bar: stock
Front Shocks: stock
Rear Shock: stock
Brake Lines: stocl
Rotors F|R: stock
Rims F|R: stock
Tires F|R: badlands (6ply)/Razr's 6-ply



Body:

Plastic: stock/shaved fender
Graphics|Seat Cover: n/a /unknown
Number Backgrounds: none
Handguards: can't rememer
Bar Pad: rental
Fuel Tank: stock



Engine|Drive System:

Cylinder|Head: stock
Bore & Stroke: stock
Displacement: stock
Cam: stock
Carburetor: stock
Air Filter|Box: K&N (soon to be UNI) / custom
Pipe|Silencer: White Bros. E-Series (6plates) Custom Shorty
Clutch|Plates: stock
Gearing F|R: stock
CDI|Killswitch: stock/none
Cooling: none
Other: aftermarket lights on handle bars


Chassis | Suspension | Controls:

Frame:
A Arms:
Swingarm: keep stock?
Steering Stem: keep stock?
Stbilizer: which is best? why?
Axle: keep stock?
Carrier: keep stock?
Locknut: keep stock?
Hubs F|R:
Bars:
Throttle/Clutch Lever:
Grips: what is best, FOR MUD! so my hands won't slip!
Nerfs:
Bumper: which is best? why?
Grab Bar:
Front Shocks: which is best? why?
Rear Shock: same as above
Brake Lines: stainlesssteel braided?
Rotors F|R: keep stock?
Rims F|R: keep stock?
Tires F|R:



Body:

Plastic:
Graphics|Seat Cover:
Number Backgrounds:
Handguards:
Bar Pad:
Fuel Tank: keep stock?



Engine|Drive System:

Cylinder|Head: keep stock?
Bore & Stroke: keep stock?
Displacement: keep stock?
Cam: keep stock?
Carburetor: keep stock?
Air Filter|Box:
Pipe|Silencer:
Clutch|Plates:
Gearing F|R: 14/38?!
CDI|Killswitch: keep stock?
Cooling: what should I get?
Other: anything else?

everytime I say keep stock? I mean why too?


Thanks!

[fastredrider44]

Sorry I son't feel like typing all the stuff from up there.

Yeah, A 400 with a mild motor will go three hours riding it hard.
In my division, Youth fourwheelers can't race, but you can slip into the beginner bracket if they overlook your age. You will most likely need an AMA card as well, thats another 40 bucks. I can't even try to prepare someone for a harescramble, you just have to try it. You can go ride in the woods for two hours straight, and you will slow down, but try it with pros coming up behind you and yelling at you to get out of the way. It changes things.

Braup, I know you want to race, as I did too at 13, but you might want to wait until your 16. Also, try to attend at least one or two events before you decide to go race. That way you can figure out how the starts, laps and scoring goes, and also you can talk to fellow racers and figure out what works and what doesn't.

[m36indiana]

im 44 yrs old ran my 1st xc race last month, after 2 hrs i couldnt even raise my arms, or hardly walk. i thought i was in good shape, but it will beat the snot out of you, good thin i had some descent front shocks on my 400 other wise, with the stockers i would never have made it, i did end up finishing 7th. i gonna try 1 more with my new quad and see how it all goes.

[trx400EXtreme]

Originally posted by FoxHondaRider
yeap i would just stay stock because they are much cheaper if you bend or break them. worst wreck I have ever seen. It was at the FL GNCC. Poor 400ex and man they guy doesnt remember the wreck at all. He was air lifted and everything. Heres how his a-arms turned out... holy crap, i dont think ive ever seen a arms snap like that lol. but back to the original topic. SUSPENSION SUSPENSION SUSPENSION. power is good, but it's doing nothing for you if you can CONTROL it.

[fastredrider44]

Yeah, I've seen some rough a-arms, but never as bad as that. Did you ever hear what happened to that guy that wrapped that can-am around that tree in the morning class at FL?

[fastredrider44]

Oh Yeah, you need good brakes and good tires. Not mud tires either. Something along the line of razrs. And a killswitch is required.