So if I say elk creek and rock creek and chehalis river and brooklyn ya know what I am talking about. Have you tried sand lake yet? It is really small compared to the others but I think is the best if you have kids especially with no paddles. plus it still has its share of tough hills and tree shots.

 

Quality looks great.

 

we swam in Chehalis river all the time. the creeks don't sound familiar[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img] . haven't tried sand lake. is it near you? how is access for crewcab truck with 30' travel trailer? and facilities?

 

I agree the prices for the kits may sound a bit steep, but it really comes down to whether you trust to your own skills in fabrication or not...and whether you trust the kids to that skill as well. I think it is money well spent, at least in my case. I am from the old school... we don't need no stinking measurements... so my projects usually don't turn out as I originally envisioned. they work, but may not be very pretty.

As for stress on axles... I imagine the studs would go before you would break an axle on a mini. I can't imagine getting enough speed or air to break one, although because of the increased width, your chances of hitting a tree or large rock may cause you some grief.

I highly recommend the modification on all mini's. In fact on all machines too... but you get into width issues if you go too far at some riding parks. I have seen them enforce a 48 inch wide rule locally... but that is rare, and I think they were using it as a means to get an idiot off the trail that day..

The drilled rim should not be a problem... I can't see one more hole making all that much of a difference. It didn't with my head.... (insert smiles)

 

I have personally seen a rear axle break due to the extensions and hard riding. I plan on making a set of a arms that will take a longer shock and raise my kids bike in an attempt to get 5"-6" of travel. I am also going to figure out a bracket to lengthen the rear with a longer shock for more travel as well. I will run the spacers untill the axle breaks then spend the $$ on aftermarket axles that are wider. If all ends up the way I want it I will let you guys know.

 

Hey confused Sand lake is near tillamook about an hour and 15 away from portland. Depending on how long your trip is It would be better to go to coos bay, but its only 3.5 hours from my place so we day trip there a lot.

 

funny, on our first night we stay in the walmart parking lot in centralia, exit 82 or 80 (?). from there it's to Eugene and then about 2 hours west to Florence. is tillamook south or north of Florence. i think i stopped there once before to tour the cheese factory (14 years ago). good camping, as in you can ride from your camp spot??

 

Right you are on sandlake, that would have been the tillamook cheese factory most likely. Wal-Mart? You silly canadians[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

you mean you cheapass canadians![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] you're being too kind! it's a 24HR superstore one, with the grocery store, etc.., but the area has become kinda trailer-trash-ish. a lotta low-lifes and beggars. kinda sad in a way, cuz i never remember that area being klike that from 1972-1992, when i used to visit my aunt alot.

actually, Tillamook was too busy and lined up, so we may have toured in Bannon or somewhere like that.

 

Gosh, and I thought all of us naturally born cheeseheads from Wisconsin had it bad... Touring a cheese factory? I admit, in Wisconsin any way, it is the best place to get cheese curds... (Note, for you people wondering what a cheese curd is, it is the chunky form cheese takes prior to being put in a press and formed into blocks/rounds etc. It has a sort of rubbery like consistency, and the cheese is very young, so it has a sort of fresher flavor)... Definitely not aged...