04titanse Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 hey guys, i know this is like very very common, but i am having massive traction problems!!!! Like my buddies and i were riding this weekend and i raced one guy on a YFZ450 and we had rode through the fields before and my banshee is a good amount faster than his stock bike but once we raced from a stand still on the bottom of the hill he would kill me on the start and i would just spin all the way through 4th gear. Like we would start and he would pull like 3-4 bikes on me off the start and then i would close it to like 2 bikes but i was spinning and fish tailing the whole way up the hill. The same thing happened when i was racing my cousin on his dirtbike rmz250 with a bunch of work. My bike is just as fast as his when we just ride hard, but from a stop he roasts me every time. Now his bike is prob a little faster than my banshee but not by much at all. I have tried starting in first and second and at all different rpms and tried starting hard and tried riding the clutch, but once that power band hits i am spinning. I am riding on maxxis razr 6 ply pretty new! we are racing on dirt/fields. Are there any really aggressive tires that wont kill my handling, like mud lite SP's or something. I ride hard, we ride trails, fields, MX type stuff and just a little light mud every once and a while. Sorry for the ranting, i am just pissed that i a getting beat by slower bikes!!! when on my raptor 700se i would kill everyone because i can launch without spinning for 150yrds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdhc500 Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 hey guys, i know this is like very very common, but i am having massive traction problems!!!! Like my buddies and i were riding this weekend and i raced one guy on a YFZ450 and we had rode through the fields before and my banshee is a good amount faster than his stock bike but once we raced from a stand still on the bottom of the hill he would kill me on the start and i would just spin all the way through 4th gear. Like we would start and he would pull like 3-4 bikes on me off the start and then i would close it to like 2 bikes but i was spinning and fish tailing the whole way up the hill. The same thing happened when i was racing my cousin on his dirtbike rmz250 with a bunch of work. My bike is just as fast as his when we just ride hard, but from a stop he roasts me every time. Now his bike is prob a little faster than my banshee but not by much at all. I have tried starting in first and second and at all different rpms and tried starting hard and tried riding the clutch, but once that power band hits i am spinning. I am riding on maxxis razr 6 ply pretty new! we are racing on dirt/fields. Are there any really aggressive tires that wont kill my handling, like mud lite SP's or something. I ride hard, we ride trails, fields, MX type stuff and just a little light mud every once and a while. Sorry for the ranting, i am just pissed that i a getting beat by slower bikes!!! when on my raptor 700se i would kill everyone because i can launch without spinning for 150yrds. How do you have your rear shock setup, and how much air pressure are you running in the rears? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbcmudtruck Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Honestly try a set of 20" fast trekkers. I think they're one of the most underated tires out there. I can hardly get mine to spin at all. Actually I think they bite to much. If your a light guy, maybe thats what you need. As mentioned above, try to dial in your rear shock. Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterlocal22 Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 -2 swingarm i have a HAVOC -2 that i will be selling probably next week if your int. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdhc500 Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 -2 swingarmi have a HAVOC -2 that i will be selling probably next week if your int. What are you asking for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastrthnu Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 What are you asking for it? when Im in loose, I launch it from 2nd or 3rd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChippewaTSI94 Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 (edited) How wide/tall are your rear tires? Going up an inch in tire height and adding more width will definitely help in any traction situation (except maybe ice) by giving your tire a larger contact patch with the ground. A taller tire will also take more energy to turn and spin in the dirt, so the tendency will be for it to grab before it can spin freely. Rear weight transfer is the most important aspect of getting traction for any vehicle. Chances are you need to play with your rear shock settings, tire pressure, and swingarm length. Putting the swingarm more underneath your weight will help; lowering your tire pressure and softening the rear shock compression will also help. However, using a shorter swingarm will definitely increase the bike's tendency to wheelie up which may not be the best thing for you depending on what kind of riding you do. Guys with traction issues on rear wheel drive cars typically remove sway bars, soften shocks, and lower tire pressure to increase the amount of "squat" that occurs off the line. Squat is basically the rear end hunkering down due to the sudden massive increase in rear weight bias on acceleration. It causes you to lose front wheel traction but gain rear wheel traction up to a certain point. Your bike works the same way except you have no sway bar to remove, and only one shock to play with. Edited September 15, 2008 by ChippewaTSI94 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04titanse Posted September 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 all this info is great!!!! thanks I am 5' 10" 200lbs and running 20" maxxis razr 6 ply, i think they are 20X10 but they are much wider than that. the same size knarly's i used to have were shorter and not nearly as wide. I will lower the tire pressure, i usually run like 5 psi and i will soften up the rear shock and see how it does. I dont want to go with a shorter swinger because i want to get an aggressive port job and dont want to wheelie nonstop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdhc500 Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 all this info is great!!!! thanks I am 5' 10" 200lbs and running 20" maxxis razr 6 ply, i think they are 20X10 but they are much wider than that. the same size knarly's i used to have were shorter and not nearly as wide. I will lower the tire pressure, I usually run like 5 psi and i will soften up the rear shock and see how it does. I dont want to go with a shorter swinger because i want to get an aggressive port job and dont want to wheelie nonstop. I have the 6 ply ITP HD's... You can run 3 psi easy on your tires... Soften your rear suspension a bit... Let us know if you start hooking up better... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChippewaTSI94 Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 How wide of a rim are you using? If you use a wider rim, the tire will "spread" out more naturally and create a larger contact patch. Use at least a 10 inch wide rim. With thinner rims, the tire has to balloon out more from the bead of the tire to the edge of the contact patch and it will create a more rounded effect, reducing the amount of rubber that's actually creating traction. A wider rim will cause the tire to be "flatter" due to the bead being closer to the outer edge of the tire. Fortunately, since ATVs have a fixed rear axle, the contact patch stays relatively parallel with the ground even with extreme weight transfer. On cars with independant rear suspensions, the tires will gain negative/positive camber and toe out on the launch which will cause the contact patch to be smaller. We don't have to worry about that part of the equation, thankfully, but it's a huge calculation on race cars to determine what the best balance is between weight transfer and proper contact patch alignment on the launch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04titanse Posted September 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 i don't know how wide my rims are. As far as i know they are stock rear rims with the razr's on them. But i will try to soften up the rear suspension and i will lower the rear tire pressure a bunch! thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Madd Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 Launch with your ass setting on the grab bar, if you're not already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Madd Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 Launch with your ass setting on the grab bar, if you're not already. Also, get rid of the 13 tooth front sprocket. Try 14/41. Stock gearing works great for your set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04titanse Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Also, get rid of the 13 tooth front sprocket. Try 14/41. Stock gearing works great for your set up. I know this is something i posted like a month ago, but i did soften up everything and to be honest it really came down to how i was launching. I think i was too harsh on my launches....i went out today after making a few adj. on the machine and tried a bunch of hard starts on damp grass and really learned a lot after like 20 starts or more. I really have to ride the clutch through almost all of second gear when starting other wise i will either just roast the tires or bog down. If i slip the clutch at like 3/4 throttle and sit back i can get a decent launch! Not great but decent. thanks for all the tips guys!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajogejr Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Seat time and setup...nothing more important.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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