LT 80...Review
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03-21-2005, 11:41 AM
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03-22-2005, 10:19 AM
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Just got two LT80
Goofed up on the topic...anyway. So far yes I do love the little LT80.
Here's what I like and what I don't.
The little atv seems to be extemely rugged, considering the ones I bought are 1987 and 1988 models and are still in excellent shape says alot. The kid that rode them before we bought them was jumping one of them the day we went to look at it so I have to believe it was not ridden "lightly" during it's life. The front A-arm are too short, definitly needs wheel spacers. I turned the rims around on the front and the valve stems ever so barely clear without rubbing (front brakes cables and actuator arms are removed) Turned the back rims around also and this mod had a noticeable improvement in handling and stability. This atv is very bouncy with the stock suspension and I am going to get more shocks asap. I deflated the tires as much as possible to compensate but over choppy terrain the bike bounces like a rubber ball....gotta fix that. It also seems real high centered...at least it feels that way to me, but watching my son closley in turns and on rough twisty terrain I have come to the conclusion that it is not prone to rolling over like it feels to be. He has put it in some pretty tight higher speed turns where I really thought (cringed) that he would flip it, but nothing so far, thank goodness. The bounciness of the suspension must make it seem more apt to roll, but I think the LT is ultimately as stable on it's feet as any other small atv out there. Still plan on widening the stance and working on the suspension.
This little atv is quick, at least by our standards. Just to give you an idea, my son can out accelerate my 2001 Honda Recon through the first two gears off the line. I know Recons are not fast, but if your wondering if he'll be able to keep up and have some fun....yes....plenty of acceleration and top speed for a kid. I don't think it's ready to race but for trail riding and just goofing around it's got plenty of get up an go with top end speed too. So far there is no hill we have encountered that if my son accidently stopped on the hill that the LT didn't have enough power to pull on up the hill....most of the time it spun the tires in the process...so power is good. If your little guy wants to do some donuts and really spin the backend the LT will do it no problem. Back brakes seem very strong for a drum and stop the bike on a dime. riding through deep mud and water has not proven to be a problem as of yet, but not much true testing done there yet, just average mud and small stream crossing....no problem. The stock footpegs suck, and need to be replaced with nerf bars or at least some welded on real foot peg surfaces. The stock peg surfaces are a thick rubber pad that wears with age and becomes slick and when the kid gets in the mud, he will be slipping off the pegs constantly. Quick fix would be welding on some foot peg tops from an old dirtbike or something...correct fix would be welding on some new peg grips and installing nerf bars.
This thing sucks the gas....be ready to fill up on a regular basis. If your planning a long ride, take some fuel for the LT and I don 't know of all of them are this way but once the tank gets lower than where you can see the fuel in the top of the tank, it will go dead and although you can hear a good bit of gas splashing in the tank, mine has to be filled back up. I could have a problem with the reserve gas intake though....it kind of acts like I have something blocking the intake in the tank. Another thing on fuel, the LT has an oil tank so you don't need premix..although this always makes me nervous on a two stroke. The LT runs rich most of the time although loading up to the point of fouling plugs has not been a problem....just a bunch of smoke when my son has been riding in technical terrain fairly slow for awhile. A couple of good high rpm runs cleans things right back up. Disconnecting the oil injection will probably be my next mod.
Taking the bolt out of the bottom of the exhaust pipe does help some with higher rpms and seems to make the little LT run just a tad better. Nothing real noticeable but slightly better acceleration and top end. I noticed that if I backed the throttle limiting screw out all the way so the throttle could be maxed out, there is a point where the engine will begin to sputter with the throttle wide open. If you back off the throttle about a quarter of an inch the engine will spool up just fine and peak out at the top of it's rpm range. This is probably a carb adjustment, but for I just adjusted the throttle limiting screw back in about a quarter inch and the rpm's were perfect and the LT ran perfect.
Everything on this bike is pretty beefy, this makes it heavy in the hands of my 60 pound son, but from a durability standpoint it seems to be overbuilt if anything. The front wheel spindles and mounts are very sturdy and showing no signs of freeplay or bending, and the back axle and associated hardware are stout and tight. I did notice the rear wheel hubs are a bit loose on the axle spindles but I think this is pretty normal for any bike that uses a true spindle mounted hub like the larger sport atv's. These hubs probably just get the splines worn out over time and should be replaced. Mine are not too bad and there is only slight play in them. I like the "old school" build of this machine. So far I have noticed nothing that is cheaply built or "lightweight". Almost every piece of hardware on the bike seems overbuilt for this size machine....there is not comparison to the other atv's I have seen lately in this size. This little thing looks like you could roll it off a cliff, straighten out the handlebars and keep right on riding.
I think this atv is perfect for a kid somewhere in the 50-90 pound range. My 9 year old (100 lbs) rides it with ease and still has plenty of power, but is a bit big for the atv stance-wise, not weight-wise. My plan is to heavily modify my second LT80 and fix it up for my 9 year old. From what I read and what I know now, the LT80 will suit my 7 year old in stock form nicely, and my 9 year old modded with power to spare. By the way we don't race....just trail riding and goofing around in the woods and mud.
That's all I can think of now....but if you have other questions, let me know and I will try to answer them in "real world" examples. We are very new to this atv, but not new to riding and the associated problems so I'll try to point out those things that come up in day to day use, not racing or extreme situations.
Here's what I like and what I don't.
The little atv seems to be extemely rugged, considering the ones I bought are 1987 and 1988 models and are still in excellent shape says alot. The kid that rode them before we bought them was jumping one of them the day we went to look at it so I have to believe it was not ridden "lightly" during it's life. The front A-arm are too short, definitly needs wheel spacers. I turned the rims around on the front and the valve stems ever so barely clear without rubbing (front brakes cables and actuator arms are removed) Turned the back rims around also and this mod had a noticeable improvement in handling and stability. This atv is very bouncy with the stock suspension and I am going to get more shocks asap. I deflated the tires as much as possible to compensate but over choppy terrain the bike bounces like a rubber ball....gotta fix that. It also seems real high centered...at least it feels that way to me, but watching my son closley in turns and on rough twisty terrain I have come to the conclusion that it is not prone to rolling over like it feels to be. He has put it in some pretty tight higher speed turns where I really thought (cringed) that he would flip it, but nothing so far, thank goodness. The bounciness of the suspension must make it seem more apt to roll, but I think the LT is ultimately as stable on it's feet as any other small atv out there. Still plan on widening the stance and working on the suspension.
This little atv is quick, at least by our standards. Just to give you an idea, my son can out accelerate my 2001 Honda Recon through the first two gears off the line. I know Recons are not fast, but if your wondering if he'll be able to keep up and have some fun....yes....plenty of acceleration and top speed for a kid. I don't think it's ready to race but for trail riding and just goofing around it's got plenty of get up an go with top end speed too. So far there is no hill we have encountered that if my son accidently stopped on the hill that the LT didn't have enough power to pull on up the hill....most of the time it spun the tires in the process...so power is good. If your little guy wants to do some donuts and really spin the backend the LT will do it no problem. Back brakes seem very strong for a drum and stop the bike on a dime. riding through deep mud and water has not proven to be a problem as of yet, but not much true testing done there yet, just average mud and small stream crossing....no problem. The stock footpegs suck, and need to be replaced with nerf bars or at least some welded on real foot peg surfaces. The stock peg surfaces are a thick rubber pad that wears with age and becomes slick and when the kid gets in the mud, he will be slipping off the pegs constantly. Quick fix would be welding on some foot peg tops from an old dirtbike or something...correct fix would be welding on some new peg grips and installing nerf bars.
This thing sucks the gas....be ready to fill up on a regular basis. If your planning a long ride, take some fuel for the LT and I don 't know of all of them are this way but once the tank gets lower than where you can see the fuel in the top of the tank, it will go dead and although you can hear a good bit of gas splashing in the tank, mine has to be filled back up. I could have a problem with the reserve gas intake though....it kind of acts like I have something blocking the intake in the tank. Another thing on fuel, the LT has an oil tank so you don't need premix..although this always makes me nervous on a two stroke. The LT runs rich most of the time although loading up to the point of fouling plugs has not been a problem....just a bunch of smoke when my son has been riding in technical terrain fairly slow for awhile. A couple of good high rpm runs cleans things right back up. Disconnecting the oil injection will probably be my next mod.
Taking the bolt out of the bottom of the exhaust pipe does help some with higher rpms and seems to make the little LT run just a tad better. Nothing real noticeable but slightly better acceleration and top end. I noticed that if I backed the throttle limiting screw out all the way so the throttle could be maxed out, there is a point where the engine will begin to sputter with the throttle wide open. If you back off the throttle about a quarter of an inch the engine will spool up just fine and peak out at the top of it's rpm range. This is probably a carb adjustment, but for I just adjusted the throttle limiting screw back in about a quarter inch and the rpm's were perfect and the LT ran perfect.
Everything on this bike is pretty beefy, this makes it heavy in the hands of my 60 pound son, but from a durability standpoint it seems to be overbuilt if anything. The front wheel spindles and mounts are very sturdy and showing no signs of freeplay or bending, and the back axle and associated hardware are stout and tight. I did notice the rear wheel hubs are a bit loose on the axle spindles but I think this is pretty normal for any bike that uses a true spindle mounted hub like the larger sport atv's. These hubs probably just get the splines worn out over time and should be replaced. Mine are not too bad and there is only slight play in them. I like the "old school" build of this machine. So far I have noticed nothing that is cheaply built or "lightweight". Almost every piece of hardware on the bike seems overbuilt for this size machine....there is not comparison to the other atv's I have seen lately in this size. This little thing looks like you could roll it off a cliff, straighten out the handlebars and keep right on riding.
I think this atv is perfect for a kid somewhere in the 50-90 pound range. My 9 year old (100 lbs) rides it with ease and still has plenty of power, but is a bit big for the atv stance-wise, not weight-wise. My plan is to heavily modify my second LT80 and fix it up for my 9 year old. From what I read and what I know now, the LT80 will suit my 7 year old in stock form nicely, and my 9 year old modded with power to spare. By the way we don't race....just trail riding and goofing around in the woods and mud.
That's all I can think of now....but if you have other questions, let me know and I will try to answer them in "real world" examples. We are very new to this atv, but not new to riding and the associated problems so I'll try to point out those things that come up in day to day use, not racing or extreme situations.
