Hey, all.

Avid ATV rider(400 EX) and motocross racer(2001 YZ250) who needs advice about setting up ATV for my daughter....

Just purchased a very well maintained 1996 LT80 for my 5 year old daughter. I was originally looking at smaller(ie. 40/50 cc) machines, but came across this one. She is tall for her age, and seemed too big for the smaller ones I looked at. Granted, it's throttled back to almost a crawl right now, as I know it is alittle big for her and she is very new to the sport. For this year at least, she will only be riding on a smooth flat track at a local motocross club. No trails, etc...

Speed is fine, although it sometimes takes a bit to get going and will not climb any inclines very well(due to throttle limitation). When I turn the throttle screw out just every so slightly, she has more power when needed to do inclines(flat track is bermed on sides), but then gets going alittle to fast for my liking on the straights. She tends to hold throttle pinned the entire time, since it's so limited right now(we are working on releasing the thumb occassionally).

Anyways...., the LT80 does not have full foot rails and I'd really feel better if they existed. Does anyone know if they make aftermarket full rails/footguards for this machine, and where to obtain. Otherwise, I'll have to fabricate something myself.

Also, where could I obtain a manual, shop type or otherwise? Have not come across one for a 1996 LT80.

Thanks for the help/and advice submitted....
David.

 

I don't know where you can get floor boards for it but you can still get nerf bars. the floor boards might be tough to get to work with the foot brake. I'm sure you can get the shop manual from a Suzuki dealer. We just bought our 5 year old a new LT 80 and had the same problems. With the restrictor in it was too slow and with it out and the throttle limiter almost all the way in it wouldn't take off very well. I ended up drilling the restrictor out a little(1/16&quotat a time. This helped a bunch. The best thing I did though was get a set of 16 x 6.5 x 8 Snow Hog tires, they are actually Holeshots. This made it much more stable as they are shorter and squarer than the OEM tires,and they were only about $90.00 bucks delivered. The shorter height lowers the gearing and lets the motor rap up more, which gives the bike more usable power at lower speeds. If you decide to get the tires you will have to mess with all of the restrictors and throttle limiter to get it to the speed you want. Try the tires, you will not be dissapointed. Makes the bike handle like a slot car instead of a beach ball, also gives much easier steering.

 

Hey -

thanks for the advice on setting up the LT80. I have a question for you about the nerf bars. Did you install them, and if so what kind are they(ie. AC?)? If possible, I'd like to retain the grate/guard for the heel(behind the foot peg) and I'm not sure if intalling nerfs would allow me to do that. I know on my 400EX the nerf bars install in place of the stock guard behind the foot pegs. Acceptable for an adult but I'm not so sure about for someone just starting out. I just want to do what I can to prevent my daughters heel from making any contact with a spinning rear tire(which would be very bad).

Thanks....
David.

 

My son has a 2001 LT80, and we bought the AC nerf bars. We haven't put them on yet, but it looks like they will mount so that you can leave the rear heal guard on.

 

I'll tell ya what i know about LT-80 nerfs. Almost useless in my oppinion after racing them (my kids) for 8 years now, their foot never goes foreward,most of the LT-80's in the GNC have the nerfs on and the stock protectors taken off. I have seen alot of legs go behind the footpegs whilst riding hard and bumpy,and alot of tears right with them. So now i've taken off the aftermarket nerfs and re-installed the stock things that protect the foot from going behind the peg (the stock set-up is AMA legal for nerfs)
Well i could go on for hours but instead if anyone has LT-80 questions, plz e-mail me i'd be glad to help [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Dave,

I looked at the LT80 and rejected it favor of a Polaris Sportsman 90 for my 5-year old son (who is also big and tall for his age). The SP90 had full floorboards, full fenders, cargo racks, a rear brake light, and a tether-type kill switch that I felt gave the SP90 more overall utility. (This was my personal preference and not a knock against the LT80).

I can’t really help you much with setting up your daughter’s LT80, but I can offer some comments on training that you may find useful.

The SP90 also has a throttle limiter, but does not have an exhaust restrictor. My yard is rather hilly, so I did not change the factory throttle limiter setting of 15 MPH. Instead I initially concentrated on teaching my son throttle control and braking. With a long tether attached to the kill switch, I would stand beside him in the yard and have him accelerate for about 25 feet and then brake to stop. We spent about a week making start-stop circuits of the yard. On uphill sections my son learned to give the SP90 more throttle to get going, and on downhill sections he learned to give it just a little throttle to get going.

After the first week, I began having him attempt complete circuits of the yard while I ran beside him. At first he would slow or stop on difficult sections, but after a few days he was successful in maintaining a nearly fixed speed while looping about the yard.

At the end of the second week, I took him on his first woods ride in the area immediately behind the house. The woods ride progressed in 50-foot sections in the same fashion as the first yard ride. Throttle control and braking were specifically tailored to the terrain of each section.

I think you’ll find throttle control and braking drills will serve you (and her) better than simply allowing your daughter to make circuits of the local MX track with the restricted throttle pinned. Teaching a child how to make a gas powered vehicle go is easy. Teaching them how much to make it go, and how to stop it from going requires repeated drill.

I bought the SP90 on 5-12. In seven weeks my son has progressed from start-stop circuits of the yard to woods rides that include hills, rocks, mud, water crossings, and log jumping with a one day record of 15 miles. But every foot of that 15 miles consisted of many 50 to 100 foot sections that were practiced piecemeal over, and over, and over until I was satisfied that he could successfully negotiate it. And that I was satisfied that he knew why he had to do certain things in order to successfully negotiate it.

My final suggestion: remove the exhaust restrictor, restore the factory throttle limiter setting, and have your daughter practice, practice, practice under your direct supervision.

I also used my Sony Mavica digital camera as a training aid. I took lots of pictures of my son attempting various sections of trail. The Mavica can instantly playback whatever was just recorded. So, for example, I was able to show my son a picture of himself going over a log sitting down when I had told him to stand up. He could immediately see what he was doing wrong, and what he was doing right. It was a great help.

I wrote detailed descriptions of his training sessions that I emailed to my friends along with many of the pictures I took of those sessions. If you’re interested in reading about those sessions and seeing the pictures, please email me a request for the information under separate cover and I will send it to you.

Good luck with teaching your daughter!

Army Man

 

One of the best things I did on my sons LT-80 was put wider tires on back. 18X9.5X8" Turf Tamers on 8X8"(?) Douglas rims. I got them form James Luckey. They sell them as a kit with some different fronts. DON'T get the fronts, thy make the front end plow really badly!! Anyway, the bike is virtually impossible to tip over. I know these have prevented a bunch of rollovers on our bike! They make the bike look great too. From the rear, it looks kind of like a mini DS650.

One weak point on the 80 is that the air filters get dirty REALLY FAST, and then the bike is hard to start! I change the filter after every day of riding. Also, I'm not sure an automatic is the way to go once you start taking the kids out trail riding-NO ENGINE BRAKING. They tend to hit the brakes, lock up the rear end, and get sideways. The rear brake peddal is hard for little ones to get to, and modulation is POOR. Frankly, I'm going to trade the LT for a Honda 90 (autoclutch with engine braking!) any day now!

 

Hey LT80 how is it going? My five year old son has an LT80 , He wants to get into racing. He has hit a couple flat drags but he wants to get into motocross too. I have the bolt on's covered but I need some help with motor mods, clutch mods,sprocket set ups and anything else that would improve his 80. He is a little young for power now but in a year or two he will ready for it. Thanks for any help![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

How is going evryone? The boy took a second in flat drags tonight.He was in a lot of close ones. He ran against a couple TRX90's and some polaris scramblers, there were some other 50cc to 90cc quads running.He lost to one of the 90cc polaris scramblers. The polaris had some mods I'm not sure exactly what but I figure some clutch changes and I think some gearing changes, he also had a pipe. It's a good running little quad. I'm looking for help with setups for his LT if anyone has info they would like to share I would appreciate the help and so would my son. Thanks!

 

There is some good advice here to help out with the little ones. I would like to add something to the mix. I have a five year old who started out on a LT50 early last year. I bought two chatterbox helmet mounted radios for us so I could communicate with him while we ride. They worked great! I didn't have to yell, or try to explain a situation to him after it happened. I talked him through everything while he was experiencing it for the first time. I think having dad's voice in his ear gave him a lot of confidence as well. I also got instant feedback, when he would talk to me with the voice activated microphone. He didn't have to remember to ask a question after the section or obstacle. He asked during it. I feel like this was the number one reason he advanced so rapidly in riding skill. Last fall, we sold his 50 and moved him up to the LT80. He advanced equally fast through the governors and limiters, and now has excellent throttle control. We still use the radios, as they just add to the fun of riding with a son(or daughter). Occasionally we run into a situation where I have to talk him through it, and it still works like a charm.

I highly reccomend radios for everybody who rides with their kids. I have opinions on which radios are good ones and which are bad ones that I would be willing to share with anyone interested. Just E-mail me a Barnettcrew@yahoo.com.

I enjoy checking in on these boards from time to time.....it's good to see parents working with the kids on quads.......Dads, keep up the good work.....

Exmxer