Hi guys,

My new zilla is pretty much stock except for DG nerfs, Douglas rims front and back, Uni filter, and the Wiseco piston kit.

Firstly, Ive been told be numerous people that the LT500 isnt any good for racing moto x? From my point of view i thort this was rubbish. We also have an LT250 and the LT500 handles much easier, weighs only a little more, but has way way more power. So basically, if you can control the power why couldnt this be a competitive bike? If anyone out there has raced the zilla in moto x competition, let me know. I will admit, I will be racing mostly flattrack dirt and natural terrains so thats why I decided on the zilla.

And secondly, as u now know Im looking to race, what would you suggest be a shopping list of aftermarket goodies to get my bike not only rocketing (cause it already is for my liking!) but also handling better, and get it more reliable.

Thanks guys [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

First of all I would recomend aftermarket suspension all the way around. I would get a steering dampener as well. You may also want a durablue axle to get the back end a bit wider and more stable. For mx racing you will want some good racing tires like 18"Turf Tamer rears or Holeshot MX's. Up front you'll probably want some Fast Trekers or some grooved radials. For desert racing I would run some Holeshot XTC's all the way around and for flat track racing you will of course need some flat track racing tires. I alway's felt the Zilla's power came on to strong to be a real good mx'er, a little hard to control you know, but that's not to say it couldn't be done, or most importantly couldn't be fun.

 

I think the zilla would be a good choice for racing. It's a little more powerful than a raptor and you see them racing all the time. I would get some tires as mentioned and maybe an aftermarket pipe.

 

I have an 87 zilla i and too out of shape to race but take my bike to the local mx parks. You will be sure to get the hole shot with that zilla. go with 18" turf tammers or holeshots. Also get front grooved radial tires. I had a hard time turning with my zilla until i put the radials on the bike . now it turns great. the stock front end is plenty wide i am at 49" in the front and depending on what tires anywhere from 50-54" in the rear. You may also want to go up one tooth on the counter shaft sprocket from stock. email me with any questions on the zilla and look at my site for over 1000 photos

 

Thanks 'thexotic1'. Ive already checked out your site and i like what you've done with your zilla. Last nite I started disassembling the bike to find that air leak that I described in a previous message. I found that I was lied to as well. My bike has a sticker under the tank, on the chassis, which says Mft 02/87. I assume this means my bike is in fact an 87 and not an 89 like i was told. Ive heard that the main difference was the number of head bolts. Mine has six...did the 87 have six or five?

As for the other replies, Ive already earmarked a set of Kenda Dominators. I had these on a banshee and they hooked up really well. Plus there a little cheaper. Ill also look at going up on the front sprocket like you said. I did notice on my first run with the bike that your frequently changing gears comin out of a corner. hope this'll help. Thanks again guys [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

it may be an 88. usually they are manufactured and then released as the year after they were made. for example my lt's sticker said it was made in 84. so therefore it was an 85 model.

 

I HATE TO BE THE BEARER OF BAD NEWS BUT YOU WERE INDEED LIED TO. THE 87 MODEL HAD SIX HEAD BOLTS AND THE 88-90 HAD SEVEN. ALSO LOOK AT THE UPPER A-ARMS, IF THEY ARE MADE OF OVAL TUBING INSTEAD OF ROUND, THEN THE QUAD IS DEFINITELY AN 87. THERE ARE VERY FEW OTHER DIFFERENCES IN THE QUADS. THE HEAD GASKETS ON THE 87 WERE THE WEEK LINK BUT THIS IS EASILY REMODEED WITH A COOL HEAD OR COPPER HEAD GASKET. IF TAKEN CARE OF YOU STILL HAVE A QUAD THAT WAS WAY AHEAD OF ITS TIME.

 

well before deciding i had a look at two zillas. there was a 90 and then the one i bought. the 90 was rooted...it was in bits and the guy didnt do anything to it to make it a good buy. it had an fmf pipe but it was totally rusted, the tyres were brand new but the rims were bent and repainted some crap colour. The one i bought is in way better condition. he had reciepts for the new a arm bearings, new swingarm bearings and also all the engine rebuild. it also came with a set of brand new douglas rims with paddle tyres. like you say...if the head gasket is the only problem, then Ill just save for a cool head.

Whats the difference between the a arms then. Are the box section a arms a little heavier? cant i just get some oval shape ones?

 

The a-arms and head studs are about the only way to determine the different years. The a-arms are not to difficult to distinguish between, the '87 simply has one long bolt through the top a-arm instead of two like the '88-'90 years. The '87 has 6 bolts in the head whereas the other years have 7. This is no biggie, either. A lot of guys fix that with either a copper gasket or dual O-rings. The thing to remember is to check bolt tightness on everything before riding off. I have an '87 with both motors at my disposal and had no real problems that you can't expect of something this powerful. The '87 has a larger reed cage than all the other years if you think to check that out. Either motor is good in my opinion, just keep a close eye on those bolts and retorque them everytime you think about it.

As far as racing the 500, I'd do the usual with pipes and such, but I would concentrate on tires and gearing, first. I really don't understand the steering problem everyone seems to have. Mine turns easily enough, especially when you get a handful of throttle. The jumping may be a problem, however. Mine always lands pretty hard and bottoms out pretty easily. A set of shocks is probably needed in order to handle this aspect of mxing.

 

So if you can handle the power of the Zilla than it can race MX competitively?