OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[JIMBO]

well guys i lowered my raptor y/day (post in technical section if you want a look)

and first ride today the fron right one snapped ..shocker dropped into the guard etcetcetc.

anyone else use these things? anyone else broke them? anyone else decided to make them out of steal instead of alloy?

any info would be good guys.
cheers
jimbo.
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[triple"A"]

what sort of riding were you doing when you broke it? i left my rear lowering block on my banshee once when i went to the dunes and just quietly i wont be that slack again. lowered quad for flat track and suspension where it's needed that's my new motto lol. although having said that it was my son who broke the shocker eyelet off on his bike that dune trip. i just sustained disturbed arse cheeks lol

[JIMBO]

this terrain is more like enduro mate.

bow hill way mates 2000acre farm few tracks mild jumps 1foot of the gound front wheels stuff at high speed. sort of fast track racing on a farm track through the scrub.

was thinking of making them out of steel ( mates a toolmaker)

they were a little bit thinner in the areas near where the stress is on them, the part where the top of the shocker sits in them. i rekon i could make them out of steal and add in about another 4mm of material to strenghen them.
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[triple"A"]

i'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but why do you want to lower your quad for rough terrain riding??

[JIMBO]

maily centre of gravity mate.
it lowers it to exactly the same as a the newer 450s.

and they seem to all be alright at my mates place its been widened and lowering it to the same as them was mainly for a bit of handling etcetcetc.

i,m not a big jumper more of a track enduro type person like the high speeds while passing trees and "profanity removed" at warp speed.
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[triple"A"]

fair call i guess, i would say your suggestion of making the lowering kit from steel is your answer then but chromoly is stronger again. wider A arms are made from chromoly for that reason

[JIMBO]

yeah i,ll be doin somthing it broke within 5 mins of bloody riding. i dont understand why they wernt made thicker to start with i think i could get atleast 3 to 4mm more material on them.

as you can imagine when the front end dropped and the wheel pulled in at an odd angle i was glad i was in second and not flat out in top gear.
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[discodanz]

i wouldnt be using lowering blocks for anything but flat track,, i think you should wind all the preload out of your springs to lower your bike

[JIMBO]

2001 raptor mate.

doesnt have front adjustables.

+ i dont see the problem if i make them out of a block of steal on a cnc.

do you? keen to hear more if anyone or yourself has experience.
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[47industries]

The 01 raptors still had preload adjustability. Just spin the silver thingy at the base of the shoch to back off the tension on the spring. I used to run lowering brackets on my old 01 raptor, but the top shock mounts are on the top of the frame tube and the extra leverage tore the mounts clean out of the frame. Check your mates bikes. I bet they are starting to crack just under the top shock mount. My advice, take them off. You don't need to be any lower, but wider will improve your handling a "profanity removed" load, plus once you are jumping a little bigger, it will save your frame. Cheapest option is to get some wheel spacers or just flip your rims.
Mick@47
P.S. Do you guy's drive along East Front Road and go through Younghusband to get to your riding spot? If so, I think I see you all the time driving past my shack.
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[JIMBO]

have already spun the rims mate. dont know what i.ll do now ...............

we drive through the bridge then that turn off after karroonda before ponde ,to bow hill then right at bow hill out about 10ks.

you say spin the silver things at the bottom of the shocker i had a look at them looked like they would do nothing obviously i,d had a few to many beers by then ...............bout 17.


just got home and saw what you ment mate. how much softer will this make the front end by spinning them ?
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[47industries]

Quite a bit. Try it and see how you go. We all went through what you are going through now. I would have to say that for the mallee type of terrain you are riding in, don't go a full speedway setup on it. The shocks just don't work correctly at that geometry. Best option is shocks and a-arms. Big bucks, but the only real way to get the handling you are after.
Mick@47
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[JIMBO]

cheers
for the advice guys.

by lowering it by spinning the bottom adjusters how much softer will it be? i dont want a soft fron end.

also are 450 shockers shorter? could i put 450 shockers in and have it lower, still with good travel?.

bike is already widened by spinning the rims and a mate whos an engineer made me some rear spacers. i dont realy want to by a arms an shocks because i,m goin to give it to the missus and get a 450 later on. + the missus likes the 450 ride height of my mates.
BUT be stuffed if shes getting a new 450 she can have my raptor.
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