Mine is finished and working. I did the mod a little differently than the plates shown in the picture though (it’s my nature to complicate things Instead of ¼” steel plate, mine are made from ½” aluminum plate. The holding power of the of the bolt through the original tie rod end hole and a slot cut in the extension arm to fight tightly around the support “web” on the original arm is probably enough to keep the extension from moving. However, with ½” plate I had plenty of “edge” to drill and tap holes for 5/16” set screws, one on each side of the extension. Once the extension was installed these set screws were tightened against the web in a clamping effect and secured with blue Locktite. These babies ain’t movin’ no-how. One of the advantages of this mod is it requires no modification of any of the stock parts, at least none that would prevent you from easily returning it to its original condition.

My new mounting hole for the tie rod end is 1 ¾” back from the original to make sure the boot for the new heim joint would not rub on the old arm. As it turned out it could have been 1/8” less without rubbing. Because one of my concerns was to keep my large tires from rubbing on the new larger heim tie rod end I also offset the new mounting hole ¼” “in” from the old one, away from the tire. Because of this I had to cut 3/8” off the tie rods to be able to adjust the alignment back to specs. With the offset I now have 5/16” between the tire (26x9 Mud Runners on stock wheels) and the right side tie rod end. This is the side that had been rubbing in the past.

That’s it for the extension plates. Other than changing over to the new style tie rod ends the only other mods I did was to tighten plastic zip ties around the sleeves on the boots of both inner and outer ends before I used a hypo needle on my grease gun to “inflate” them with grease. I also replaced the castlated nut on the bottom of the tie rod end bolt with a nylock nut to eliminate the cotter pin.

So how does it work? Excellent! I don’t have any trail miles on it yet but in testing it on grass and gravel at very slow speeds where steering was previously the most difficult, the easier steering was definitely a noticeable improvement. It steers slower, more handlebar movement is required for the same amount of steering turn, but you don’t really notice it because the steering is so much easier. There’s no decrease in turning radius. Steering “lock to lock” is still performed easily, you just have to move the bars farther than before. It’s not a drastic change but I wasn’t going for drastic. I was going for easy, which is what I got.

The only negative I can guess this mod might cause concerns the “jamb” effect when you hit something solid with one tire and the bars respond with a sometimes painful snap to the wrist. Creating the effect of more handlebar turn for the same amount of steering turn results in more leverage and power to the “jamb.” Possibly a good steering stabilizer would reduce this effect. Trail miles will reveal whether or not this is a problem.

Is this mod for everyone? Nope. My wife’s Mag500 has 8” Bear Claws on the front and she only carries a couple lightweight camp stools on her front rack. Her machine steers nice and light just the way it is. But my SP500, with lift kit, 9” front tires, metal bumper, winch, and a 30# fuel pack on the front benefited GREATLY from the modification. I expect anyone in a similar situation would feel the same, especially those with drastically oversized front tires. Hell, I ought'a make these things and sell 'em.

 

Will someone who did this modification please post some pictures of the mod on the quad? I am very interested but having some difficulty picturing just how it is set up. Thanks in advance for any help.
Sneeky

 

SneekyPete,

The web address for the mods is shown in the comments above. Here it is again. There are two pics from ATVING.

http://www.angelfire.com/wv/vet67/r0300220.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/wv/vet67/r0300221.jpg

DJ

 

Well I have to take it back. Initially when I made the mod I had stated that there was no noticeable difference in turn circle. Wrong! On Good Friday I took my first trail ride, the steering effort required to negotiate the tight trails was none existent. Obviously this was great. On the other hand it became evident that the turn radius was wider and I had to back-up several times when in the past I would not have to. The bottom line is that the mod is great and well worth the effort but I am going back to the drawing board to reduce the mechanical advantage thus regaining some of the turn radius. I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

 

Deej Thanks for the picutres. It is even easier than I thought. May fab some this weekend and try them out. Sounds like Dformsto has a problem with the turning radius. What do you think? I'll post my findings after I fabricate a set. Thanks again.
Sneeky

 

Well it does make it like power steering but it does cut down on your steering radius but only where you do really tight turns like 270 degrees but how much time due you spend doing this while you are riding??? anyone who is interested in a set who doesn't own a machine shop,email me and I can get you a set from my dealer...ride on.

 

You should have stuck with the original specs Dave but you had to get greedy hehehe. I checked mine while getting ready to grease my bike last night they are kind close to the new set up on the tie rods but everything seems to be riding ok....I imagine if you increased the length between where the original tie rod hooked up you are experiencing quite a large turning radius...

 

Atving,
My steering arm extensions are 1 1/2" longer than the original; this reduces steering effort considerably but on the other hand increases my turn radius somewhat. If my only choices are go back to original (which I can do) or stay with the modified arms I would stay with the new arms. That's a no brainer because the benefits out weigh sacrifices. As the arms are easy to make I thought I would make 2 more that extend 1" to see what difference that would make, steering effort Vs turn radius.
How much longer are your modified arms Vs the original.

 

Heres a thought on getting your turning radius back. Could you possibly fab a similar bracket to fit the steering stem where the inner rod ends go? Im not sure about the physics involved here but I think moving that pivot point back as well would do one of two things....make steering even easier with better turn rdius or....make it steer exactly like it used to.
Just a thought.

 

I’m not sure why anyone’s turning radius would be affected by this modification. Mine wasn’t at all, except that it was easier to get there. If your alignment hasn’t changed and you’re still contacting your steering “stops” near the bottom of the steering post when you turn the bars all the way left or right then your radius hasn’t changed. Mine hits the stops both on the bench and in the field.

On another forum I received a request to make some of these arms, or the “easy steer kit” for someone. The guy who introduced this idea said his dealer gets $70 a pair for them. Mine are more complicated and made of better materials so I’d have to get $90. The ½” thick aluminum won’t rust and the set screws that clamp the new arm against the support web assure proper bolt hole alignment without the need for modification besides making sure the arm can’t move around. (I hate aftermarket parts that don’t fit!!!!)

Right away though, I can see the “need” for two flavors of this mod. If you only plan to run stock tires (or stock tire sizes) there’s no need for the ¼” offset to the inside that I added to mine. Without the offset there would be no need to cut some length off the tie rods making the installation a bit more straightforward. But if larger front tires on wheels with a factory offset are anywhere in your future you’re going to need the offset on the new arm.

I put almost 200 trail miles on my machine over the weekend and have to say this mod made steering such a pleasure I’m still pickin’ the mud out from between my teeth! 90% of our trails were mud, water and rocks. The “kickback” effect I was concerned about wasn’t as obvious as I thought it might be in the rocks. Steering “lock to lock” is soooo effortless! It was so easy to get used to that now my wife’s Mag feels like it steers hard. In comparison it does.

It’s really rare that a modification like this exceeds expectation without compromise. This one is a keeper, you have my word on it. E-mail me personally if you want a set.