Roll Design Products
| A Better Feel With Roll Design Gain a better stance and |
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the notorious downhill roll when nature defeats ATVers at hill climbing. Common casualties to an ATV that goes wheels up is a bent steering stem, that is overlooking the petty stuff like scratched plastic or a dented rim. A bent steering stem can hamper the ride ability of your ATV, and be a costly item to replace. Spending a few more dollars for an aftermarket stem can allow you to custom fit your ATV�s controls to your preference. Some of these slip-ups occur from not being able to fully counter act your weight to the ATV�s traveling direction. A new set of triple rung footpegs will allow for a larger surface to displace your weight upon, perhaps eliminating the loss of control. Roll Design makes patented three rung footpegs and steering shafts of varied lengths to put the rider in the best possible riding position to meet their personal demands and those of the terrain. Roll Design sent us a set of their patented new footpegs, a chromoly steering stem, and handlebar clamp for outfitting this 426EX. The new footpegs from Roll Design are made from 17-4 cast stainless steel that undergoes a heat-treating process to assure strength. The exterior finish of the footpegs utilizes a combination of a black powder coating with a high gloss polished finished. Roll Design’s footpegs are available in
two styles, a kick-up version and a standard model. The standard peg resembles the stock footpegs with a flat surface. However, Roll Design definitely had safety in mind when creating the kick-up version that is featured in this article. A vertically sloped end of the footpeg assures that your foot won�t slip off the peg during body weight distribution. Roll 
Design�s patented three-rung design unlike conventional footpegs has an additional rung of traction teeth to provide an extra contact surface for added foot support. The three rungs are constructed with the front two rungs having raised teeth and the rear rung falling just a few millimeters short of the first two rungs for obstruction free foot movement. The three rungs are raised somewhat higher than the traditional rungs and due to their sharpened edge, will
models of footpegs from Roll Design come with outlast aluminum footpegs 10X longer. Both pre-drilled holes for nerf bars to save you from the headaches of measuring and drilling during installation.
the steering stems is offered in two trick selections, black powder coating or a triple chrome plated finish (as featured here) that really enriches the front end of your ATV. Assortments of steering shaft lengths are offered for different height riders, and range from standard length to an additional 1.5 inches.
Doug also supplied us with one of Roll Design�s two styles of handlebar clamps. They offer a 
set of OEM style clamps or the Dog Bone model (as seen here) to go hand in hand with their steering shafts. Both clamps come in a black powder coat finish, and feature injected urethane anti-vibration cones that insert into the mounts on the head of the steering shafts. These urethane cones are designed to decrease the
transmission of vibrations from the ATV�s front end, reducing the amount of fatigue put on the rider. The handlebar clamps are and additional product from Roll Design and are not included with a steering stem purchase, so you will need to keep this in mind when ordering.
Roll Design�s footpegs require only a few minutes to mount and can easily be accomplished the day of a race or before an afternoon of riding. The only tool you will need to have on hand for swapping these pegs onto your 400EX is a 3/8 alan key. Begin by loosening the two bolts below the surface of the stock footpegs that fasten to the frame on each side. Depending on the condition of your footpeg bolts a SLIGHT application of anti-seize can be applied if rust is present. Your new pegs will only fit in one direction, so there is no mistaking a right and left side. Simply line up the Roll Design pegs with the frame holes and thread the bolts securely back into place and� Presto! You are finished.
stem to the frame is removed using the same socket. While working your way down the steering stem, the needle nose pliers are needed to extract the three cotter pins, one on each inner portion of the tie rods, and one at the base of the steering stem (on the underside of the frame). While at the base of the steering shaft, loosen the 22mm bolt. Taking this bolt off before disconnecting the tie rods will prevent any steering shaft movement, making your task less of a hassle. Next, the 15mm wrench is used to hold the squared flange 
(below the ball joint boot) of the inner ball joint from rotating while loosening the bolt below it with the 14mm wrench. Once both tie rods are disconnected and all the bolts mentioned are removed, the stock steering stem will slide out through the top of the frame. On a 400EX you will notice a green colored boot on the shaft where it is secured to the upper part of the frame inside the bracket you loosened with the 12mm socket. Reuse this boot on the Roll design shaft to prevent wear and tear in this area from rubbing metal to metal. Not to mention scuffing the impeccable appearance of the new shaft. Insert the Roll Design shaft inside the frame in the reverse process of removing the old shaft. Reinsert the frame-mounting bracket
into position, reusing the stock 12mm bolts. Reconnect the tie rods to the steering shaft and tighten the 14mm nuts. Next, complete the installation of the Roll Design shaft by tightening the 22mm bolt on to the bottom of the steering shaft, and reinsert all three cotter pins.
the mounting holes in the head of the steering stem. Refasten the 14mm bolts to create a snug fit between the handlebar clamp and the steering shaft. Next, unloosen the four 6mm alan bolts on the top surface of the handlebar clamp so that the top half can be removed. Your handlebars can now be put into place in the exposed bottom half of the clamp. Reposition the top portion of the clamp and thread the alan bolts about three rotations into position. This will keep the top part of the clamp from disconnecting, but it will still allow for handlebar adjustments to be made. Once the bars are evenly seated and in a position
for optimum control, tighten the four 6mm alan bolts to lock the bars into place. Install the plastics and your ready to ride.Lets start in the cosmetic aspect of tricking out your ATV. Roll Design�s products add a tremendous quality enhanced appearance. All the chrome, polishing, and glossy coating of these products presents onlookers with the image of a mirrored sun reflection coming down the trail or track. Note that this shine does not affect the rider.
The new footpegs allow for a greatly improved contact surface, which yields very secure footing. Slipping off these pegs is unheard of even in wet and muddy conditions, due to the sharper teeth and kick up ends. 
In fact the rider is given an extra sense of security being planted on a platform with a larger base. Control over your ATV is increased using more body weight distribution for cornering, jumping, and riding whoops. This is due to the larger footpeg surface that allows for more positioning and pressure areas for your feet to come in contact with. The lower rear rung of teeth proved to be an effective design allowing you to pivot your foot from one position to the next without getting your heel hung up.
The new steering shaft and dog bone handle bar clamp were equally as impressive of a product as the footpegs. Since most of our riders fall in the height range of 6� to 6�3 the extended +1 inch steering shaft length
was an absolute asset. The longer shaft put less strain on the shoulders and knees of our riders, not making them bend their knees as much or roll their shoulders forward. In return we were able to ride more aggressive for a longer period of time without fatigue setting in. Roll Design�s stem and clamp proved to be flawless and extremely durable. These shafts are a great feature for replacing your bent OEM shaft or incorporating a trick modification for added strength.
The dog bone handlebar clamp kept our handlebars fastened into 
position securely while undergoing sizeable amounts of leverage from body weight distribution. The anti-vibration cones did a great job of suppressing any vibrations from transferring up through the handlebars. What a difference when compared to the stock set up on the 400EX. Keep in mind there is still a variety of steering stem lengths from Roll Design in the range of standard length to +1.5 inches. Depending on your body proportions and preference you have a variety of selections to choose from for the best comfort. When looking back at the stock ATV, we don�t know how we ever did without these products.