2001 Kawasaki Lakota Sport Hop-up Series

Lakota Sport Modifications, Part 2 Front Tires

As promised in Part 1 we are going to improve the steering of the Lakota Sport. The Sport suffers from two steering problems. First problem is not easily fixed. Even though the swingarm was lengthened 1in. from the Mojave chassis it is still too short. There isn’t enough weight on the front end. This causes the tires to push, especially on snow.

The second problem is the choice of front tires. As I said in the original road test last fall (Road Test); ” The rear tread pattern Goodyear’ s don’ t cut it up front.” And that is still true today. So, since we had such good luck with Goodyear Tracker ST’s with the NXX project (4/97 4WA) we decided to try a pair of them first. They were OEM Polaris on the 1997 Scrambler 400.

Notice how the Tracker ST on the left is quite a bit taller and narrower. This allows more precise steering and a smoother ride. The side tread (“Turkey Track”) tends to grab in turns and doesn’t push. Note that there still isn’t much improvement in snow because of problem 1. A side benefit is braking. This tread pattern has always excelled in braking traction. Now the front end dives and the Sport stops with nary a slip or slide (at least up front).