great, great, awesome quad. however, i do not have the best riding atv out there, and it's not like sports car handling either. i need some help. i think stock, the adjustable suspension comes set fully soft. it looks like the other four clicks are going to raise the shock up and make it stiffer. so do i let some air out of tires, say down to 4 psi, and run stiff shocks. or should i loosen the shocks and pump up tires to 8 psi. i would like to improve my handling (wish i had a king quad or a rincon at times) without sacrificing and even improving my ride (polaris style)
i'm thinking about wheel spacers but for not much more i could probably get itp offset tires. someone tell me what i should do. should i get some offset wheels, that would improve ride handling without hurting my comfort ride, then i could even lower psi right?
HELP?

 

also, whats the difference with type 5, type 7, type c and what do you recomend?
could i just get wider front tires with spacers up front? would that help the handling, keeping my stock rims

 

either way will work. I'd suggest wheels and tires over spacers(I just dont trust them)

 

It sounds like you've got a wrong quad for your expectation. 650i is not a sport quad. Even though Kawi calls it a Sport-Utility, it is more of a utility (70%) than sport(30%) IMO. Adding wheel spacers may cause a premature wheel/hub bearing failure due to off-centered load stress. The stock rims are light weight aluminum even though they look ugly. You may have better luck with radial tires that have stiffer sidewall strength since you seemed to want stiffer suspension.

 

Wheels and tires make a huge difference as far as handling. For the ride comfort, you could get more padding put in your seat and maybe new shocks, but very spendy. Another thing, drive faster and skip bumps and remember it is an atv, not a road bike.

 

i think designing suspensions is all about compromise. it has to be stiff enough a big guy can jump it and not bottom out too hard, so it will be a little stiff for others. it depends a lot on the riding style, too.
first, tires like everyone says. i put Bighorns on the stock rims. my thoughts were that the best (for me) tires will make a positive difference in ride and handling, and the rims can come later as i destroy the stockers, or can afford beadlocks. i do not need spacers or more offset right now, and IMO may change suspension forces.
second, experement with tire pressures. many guys run a little higher pressure in fronts, or vice versa.
make sure diff lock is not set too tight (this will make steering very hard), and play with shock settings. every person will have thier own "sweet spot".

i bought Elkas with a tax refund so i have the deluxe ride, but in reality not everyone (or me usually) can afford this answer, but man they are nice. i just putz along and do not really like speed, but i usually just putz along faster than other other atvs now...

monty

 

Go with a set of the Radial tires, first.
If you have the bucks, then the ELKA's or the WORKS shocks will fix the problem for good.
WORKS gives you 2 choices, either the Basic dual-rate Steeler AT's at $800 for all 4 shocks or add the preloads & remote res'es & they will cost $1225 for all 4.
WORKS also has the G-series.
Be sure to get the preload adjusters on either of the WORKs offerings.

 

are the itp mud-lites radial. is there any benefit to a bias tire or is it radial all the way.
i really need some more suggestions on helping at least the handling part of this equation. thanks.