i was looking to widen my sons kfx 80 but all i can find is the front end extender (6") from JL, but where do you find rear end extenders or the wheel spacers i hear everyone talk about? this quad may handle worse wider but for safty it needs to be wider. and can anyone recommend any tires for the rear? any help would be greatly appreciated

 

You can buy the wide ride kits from http://www.midwestmini.com. I use these on the back wheels of my son's LT80. I do have a set for you if you are interrested since I changed his fronts to the JL extenders.

 

I did a quick Yahoo search on ATV wheel spacers and got several hits. Pricing is around 50 to 55 bucks.

 

I've given alot of thought to this and I'm not trying to be a smart azz but, why do you think the LT is unstable? What kind of riding situation are your young'ens in that put these in a unstable position? I myself have seen places that my Sportsman would tip over and the LT would not. Where we ride wider is not better, it makes turning harder, and it would also make the little quads have to get at least one side in the ruts of the larger quads. I realize this is just my opinion, but with so much being asked about widening these out, I have asked myself why? Is it because the parents have seen places where jr got a tire off the ground? Both tires off the ground? And is it the quads fault? Does that automaticly make the quad unstable? Maybe the riders style should be changed alittle? Maybe making it wider is a necessity? Just wondering what peoples thoughts are for why to widen.

 

I can't speak for the Suziki, but my son has a raptor 80... and he has on occasion gotten it up on two wheels, which not only scares the beJesus out of his mom and I , but it scared him so bad that he refused to get on it again for 2 months. It was a case of too much speed (First gear, thottle limited to just over idle) and his leaning the wrong way. And the speed was just a little faster than a walk by the way...

We were trying to teach him how to move his butt around on the seat to get his weight on the inside of the corner, and he got his wires crossed, as 8 year olds are notorious for.

By increasing the width by a few inches (3 to 5) it will take a great deal more effort to get it to tip. Right now, we don't let him ride where there are ruts any way, and to tell you the truth, no matter what the width of the front end, he has the potential of putting at least one wheel in a rut at all times. Right now he needs a little more safety margin until he gets more comfortable on it. $50 bucks is cheap insurance...

I admit he is a hundred pounder and over 5 ft tall and only 8 years old, so he can apply a great deal of leverage with his weight when leaning.. if you go the wrong way, and are in a turn, it will get up on two wheels pretty easy... So it is just a matter of giving him the safest environment I can give him right now... I am not pointing any fingers at the manufacturers... but the mini's are tippy under certain conditions. When he is older and a bit more seasoned, I suspect he will get it up on two wheels on purpose all the time, but for now he needs the help.

 

I have found that my son feels more comfortable on the LT80 since it has been widened. The cornering was improved and the ride is a bit softer for him. Like the post before me, I too have seen him on two wheels on more than one occasion and it made him a bit skiddish.

 

I understand wanting the safest for my kids. We also have a Badger. It is the same as far as height, width, weight and so forth as a Raptor 80. And from past exspirence, I know it is not an easy quad to turn over on its own. (it takes more than my 8 year old can do in first gear wide open, just turning) Like I stated earlier, I understan wanting to make this the safest for your kids, but I think teaching the proper way to corner and handle the quad with body english would be the ideal fix. Alot of people insist on making their quads wider, and thats fine. But I have seen more machines that have been widen out made harder to ride and control than if they were left stock.
Dragginbutt,
You have a great selection of quads, but I would bet money, that if all quads you list were stock, and you put them on a slope and kept increasing it, that the Raptor80 would be one of the last two to roll. I geuss that I want my kids to learn that they will roll over, and that when they move up to the larger quads it really doesn't get any better. (without spending alot of money) And I feel like they should learn this early. (and getting scared to death can be a good thing) My 10 year old has moved from the Badger, to the LT and now to a 300EX, and he really understands the body positioning thing now. Like I said before, this is just 1 opinion of a lowly ole plow boy from Indiana.

 

Kids do need to learn to ride correctly. Proper leaning, weight distribution, how to take corners, etc. But these young kids are just learning and have no riding experience to draw from. Having a little wider quad to learn with is both safer, and user friendly for them. Look at the physical size and dimensions on the LT80. It is physically pretty small for the speed and power it has. The 90's are all bigger by a good margin, and even some of the 50's out there (arctic cat) are physically bigger than the LT80. Widening the LT really doesn't make it ride much different. These little guys really don't even notice the difference.

I got the LT80 because it is a great little quad and has lots of power and speed. All three of my kids ride it (ages 6, 7, and 9). With the throttle limiter on them, it makes it pretty dang safe for any kid to ride them. They are getting pretty good with it and learning the basics. But especially with my 9 y/o, in stock form it is tippy. So with little, if any, performance difference, why not make it a little safer and easier for them to learn on??

 

MY only worry would be that the wider stance would lull them into a false sense of security... and they may expect the same from any other machine they may find themselves on. Another catch-22 I guess.

 

I don't know if it would do that or not. By riding to fast or incorrectly, they will still be able to roll over. The only way to get kids to not roll over (as much as you can anyway) is to teach them to ride the proper way. Then they just need to get experience by just riding. They will learn their limits and the limits of their quad, just as any new rider must do. As I said before, I just think the LT80 is just a little small and narrow for its power and speed. I don't think you really hear much about the other minis having to be widened. I think with the LT80 it just gives the kids a little more room for error, doesn't make it bullet proof though. Kids still need to ride to their ability.