What mods (other than suspension upgrade) are helpful for jumping and landing?

 

People might not agree with m but I feel more comfortable jumping on a quad with +2 A Arms and a wider axle. It just does not turn over as easily if I land sideways. Plus they probably won't bend as easily. Plus, I'm getting a more comfortable seat for my rear end but that is just a comfort issue.

 

Nerf bars, I see you already have them, but if your feet fall off the pegs on a landing and you don't have them you are going to wish you did. I know some guys put on a different swing arm, the stock cast aluminum is plenty strong for just fooling around, but if you are going to get serious in motocross you should change it. If you want to spend the money you could widen it out with +2" a-arms and a +4" axle, it would give it a wider stance and make it more forgiving if you land slightly crooked. A cheaper route that you can take to widen the front end with is a different offset in the wheel. I would imagine you would lose some steering ease, and it probably wouldn't handle as good as if you went with wider a-arms. I can't tell you this from experience, and if it did it would only be a slight amount. Other than that the only other thing it to make sure your shocks are set right with the proper preload, compression and rebound. You shouldn't be constantly bottoming it out, but you should use up most of your suspension travel.

 

Make sure your bike is tuned so it rips off the bottom! In a previous post, I remember you mentioned boging in 2nd gear. With a big 4-stroke (especially if you are a heavy rider), you have to power off the jumps to keep the nose up. The 2-stroke technique of flying up the ramp at high speed and bliping the throtle doesn't work (at least not for me). I've gotten in trouble a couple of times when the bike boged on the takeoff ramp and I came up short on the landing. I just ordered an Edelbrock carb this morning, so I hope that is the solution to that problem.

 

You should think about getting an aftermarket swingarm. The stocker breaks really easy, and if you jump enough it will break on you very soon.

Adam Smith

99 400EX