LT80 is beating my poor step-son. I have looked at what CT Racing offers and that is over $1,500 for a arms, rear extension and shocks. I'm not sure if he will outgrown the bike in one maybe two years. I don't want to spend that much money.


I see Works shocks are around $800. Does anyone have experience with the ride after installing Works shocks in stock a arms/swingarm?


We're looking for a plush ride. He will never have this bike off of the ground. Looking for something to offer as smoother ride of 2 and 3 inch chatter.

 

So...having explored this very topic in great length...I've come to the conclusion that there is no easy answer on this topic. It's just a sad fact that they don't make decent shocks for kids quads. So...knowing you are on a budget this is what I'd do...


Fronts - Midwest mini offers front shocks at a reasonable price. They will provide a much more plush ride than a stocker. However - they are too long and create positive camber \ / at rest. This is easy to fix with 4 small pieces of 1/8" plate pictured below:

 

The rears are a different animal altogether as the bottom is a clevis style shock. You can find pit bike and other ebay shocks online, but they are NOT sprung for a kid and while they will fit you won't get a plush ride.


The only affordable rear shock that is fully adjustable and the right length is, IMHO, the Fox Float MXR. Unfortunately this shock has an eye at the bottom and not a clevis fitting. To make this shock work requires a little fabrication and is not the answer for everyone - Although I can vouch for it's plushness as it's installed on my boy's LT80 in my avatar. Modifications required are:

 

only problem i see with teh front the way it is. Those extensions can and will move and if they happen to move enough and flip around they will change the geometry and could possibly cause the boy to loose control and get hurt.. They should be welded in so their is no way they can move.

 

It's a single a-arm design...the geometry is in constant movement


They can't flip around - there isn't enough drop-out for that to occur...you can weld them in for piece of mind, but that would make removing them a bit more challenging...


What I found - since I ran these for 6 months on my boy's quad - was that they didn't move at all. They could (possibly) only move down during full extension (catching air), not that mine ever did because they were tight, but that wouldn't cause an issue as it would be acting much like any other linked suspension.


They are currently on my neighbor's LT80...he's older than my son and beats the snot out of his (including catching air)...zero issues with the front end


And the post did clearly say "he will never have this bike off the ground"...so...well...enough said...

 

LOL famous last words they will never get the bike off the ground... I thought that about my little one as well until i took her to a old dirtbike track to ride.. Well now she tried to get air over the jumps and bumps..LOL

 

Yup...they get used to the power real quick...but he knows his kid better than us so I'll leave it at that

 

do you know the eye to eye measurement of this shocks?

 

Front or rear?

I think the Mid-West Mini fronts are about 1" longer than stock...

The Fox MCR is 10.25"...same as stock but it has a round eye bottom...