How many race mods should I do??

[WISH1965]

I am planning on racing at Atco MX in NJ this Spring with my 9 year old son in the CVT Prod 70 & 90cc classes and my inquiry is this: He has ridden his DRR DRX 90 "limited" version quad for one season at MX tracks and ridden 2 years on another machine prior to that. My question is how much motor mods should I do in the first year of racing. Should I have porting done to the "stock" cylinder & head, tune the clutch a little more, maybe the DRR pipe, maybe change carbs or do I go ahead and get an aftermarket cylinder & head, pipe, full clutch prep, electrics etc.?? The machines will be stock length Elkas (full tuneability) so we have a good degree of tuning the chassis.

My thought is to do some small things initially, see if he likes the racing, and let him grow into the speed until such time he needs "more speed"? Or do I spend the addt. $$ right out of the box?? One more consideration, I understand racing and the inherent costs associated with it and am willing to spend some, but I do have a budget in mind to some degree. IOW, need to spend the $$ most wisely considering it is year one in the racing scene. Any help is much appreciated.

[pitviperacing]

IMO...First year your son racing don't spend any more than you have to. I would tune the bike with what you have. go over the clutch, jetting, shocks,all the small things that are sometimes over looked.

My reasonings,
The track you race at..how many minis show up EVERY race?

IMO ..no sence spending money on motor work if your the only mini out there.

Is your son a thumb hog?
meaning does he ride aggressive and is ready for more speed.
then yes,some mods

It sucks as a parent to spend money on something to have your kid tell they don't want to do it any longer. As they are young and have yet to realize, in most cases, we try to give them more than what we had growing up.especially in todays economic times.

Just my thought on it.

[LT80]

Congrats! It's a wise man that thinks about suspension then motor.
I agree, what's the competition like?
If competition is big then putting him out on a last place machine will not be fun. Most kids like to have the chance at keeping up whether they do or not..
I hear the DRR/DRX's are pretty fast out of the box. They have a good pipe on them stock I'm told.
Keep in mind, any mods will be a good thing even if he decides not to race. They make the machine fun whether in the yard, trails, dunes, or the track.
I'd get ahold of Brad Loomis for more info.

[Arctic Cat Dad]

I'm also a suspension first guy. Don't need all the power if you can't handle it. I also think that it's not fair to the kid if he's willing to give it his all to win then as a father I have to give him the best equipment to do it with. It's only fair. It's alot funner roosting them then being the one roosted.

[tyler70t]

--- We are also new to this sport and we will be racing @ Atco as well. My son has a stock Apex pro mx 90 and I am not going to do any mods til he shows me he needs them, then I will follow what advice I have been given and that is "suspension first". I will tell you that there is a great group of people that race in this class ( we did a couple races last year ) kids and parents as well. The class can be pretty competitive and usually gets a decent turnout, I am sure Atco's turnout is going to depend on whether there is a D-6 race that weekend at another track. Atco is not going to be part of the District 6 series this year. You may want to look into the races on the beach @ Wildwood NJ they have 2 a year and the kids love it there.....Jeff

[tyler70t]

You may also want to check out d-6 quads rule website.

[WISH1965]

Yeah looking forward to racing at Atco. We caught a late season race there and E-town and families seem good. As for mods I'm doing very little until he can demonstrate he needs more or he can learn to run with other racers i.e. learn to race. The more input I get from people all over who have been in my shoes all say go minimal at first and grow from there. Looking forward to it. Won't hit the track until Mid to late April though, I'm an a CPA. After another long tax season will be itching to get and race though.

[Ride1Rob]

I did minimal mods to my sons bike as he grew into it during his 1st year on it. During the last race of the local MX series I took him out to see if he was interested. Even though he was blown out of the water by faster bikes he fell in love with it and told me he wanted to continue racing. I had been observing his riding skills and he was giving the bike everything it had with the minimal mods. I upgraded his motor and his suspension before the series started back up and he competed in the 1st race last Saturday. I think we're in it for the long haul.

[90cc DAD]

1st... SUSPENTION (the motor work is no good if it is a rough ride)
If you make your kid feel comfortable on the quad...he
will go fast!!

2nd...GEAR. Make sure he has the good protection!!

3rd... You will know when he is ready for more power!! He will
Let you know!! You will notice him jumping bigger and
The motor will sound like he is running it wide open!!

4th... Cheer him on even if he finishes last. If he feels like
he disappointed you... He will not want to race.

5th... AND MOST IMPORTANT!!
Don't worry about anything i said except for #2.
And just have a great time with all the New friends
You are gonna make!! You will make mistakes as everyone
has done. (And learned from) The best part of racing is
the night before a race!! All the power and suspention
secerates will drive you nutts if you worry about them!!
You will know when to turn up the power as you
watch him race!!

We race D-6 and have raced ATCO many times. You will need some suspention for the jumps on that track.
Hope to see you at a track soon!!
Consider racing D-6....Lots of good people and some Great tracks!!

[WISH1965]

You guys confirmed what I thought, suspension first, get some seat time and enjoy it along the way. Good stuff. Thanks.

WW