Mid size youth ATV weight limit

[letsride]

I'm going to purchase the 125cc mid size automatic (with the hand shifter) for my daughters christmas present. But what throws me off is the listed weight capacity at 132lbs. But I see videos from killer motorsports with adults riding them. Whats with this very low (in my opinion) weight limit listed in the specs? We have 2 110cc ATV's around here and I have plopped my 200lb but on them quite often and traveled down our .08 mile drive way to check the mail :) and have seen no damage to speak of to the little thing from doing so. Thoughts?

[Weldangrind]

I wouldn't hesitate to put a 200lb + behind on one. We have a 150cc mid-sized automatic, and we've certainly had larger riders than that on it. It lived. In fact, when Son of Weldangrind was 12, we doubled on it, while towing a jr. dragster 1/2 mile with a driver in the seat. Tough quad.

[FastDoc]

'In fact, when Son of Weldangrind was 12, we doubled on it, while towing a jr. dragster 1/2 mile with a driver in the seat.'

Now THERE'S a story I'd love to hear :-)

[Weldangrind]

At the risk of hijacking this thread, here goes:

When Son of Weldangrind was in his first year of middle school, he joined the jr. drag racing team (my school never had anything cool like that). One time, rather than racing at our local track, Mission Raceway, we headed to Ashcroft, BC for a weekend meet. Our team had only one tow vehicle, and the kids aren't allowed to drive the cars in the pits. That meant that we had to tow them to the starting line, watch them make their 1/8 mile pass, and then go pick them up on the other end. Since Ashcroft is a 1/4 mile track, the kids have no immediate exit after their run. Being a 1/4 mile track that is intended for full size race cars, the exit is about 1/2 mile from the starting line.

Rather than make the kids wait in the desert heat in race gear while we putted 1/2 mile in an electric golf cart, I volunteered to bring our new 150 China quad for towing duty. I emptied my minivan, welded some ugly ramps together and loaded the quad in the back. Son of Weldangrind and I cannonballed it from Abbotsford to Ashcroft (a little over three hours) very early Saturday in time for racing; the rest of the group had driven up the night before.

The teacher that headed up the team towed the kids to the starting line with the golf cart, and I headed to the shut down area with the quad. Since Son of Weldangrind was too young to actually drive the car, he rode on the quad with me. Team rules dicated that he had to be on the team a full year before getting driving privileges.

Since he couldn't drive, we concentrated on driver support and documentation. I had prepared a chart and clipboard that had columns for driver, ET, MPH, time of day, temperature, RT, 60 foot, etc. The point was to be able to show the students what the conditions were that resulted in the best passes, and how to be consistent.

It was a terrific weekend, until some time Sunday when we noticed that one car's ET and speeds were all over the map (we had two cars). Consistency dropped off, and the car began to run slower each time. We pulled it back into the pits, and that's when we figured out what had happened. One of the kids had pulled the drain plug to change the oil that morning, but nobody filled it back up. The teacher (bless his heart), decided to fill the crankcase and fire up the motor. A few full-throttle blips later, the connecting rod exited the side of the block, and all of the horsepower leaked out.

We continued to race the other car the rest of the day, but the collective spirit was dampened.

The quad performed rather well, but I could hear a squeaking noise as we rode down the support lane to the finish line. It wasn't until I got it home that I realized that the outer rear axle bearings hadn't been greased from the factory, hence this thread: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=5989&highlight=Monster+Rear+Axle+Repair

[katoranger]

I think it will be fine. Just don't do any large jumps. That is were things will come apart.

Weld, great story.

[Weldangrind]

I agree; don't jump these quads. Ours has brutal bump steer, so a major bump at high speed will have you darting in a direction you hadn't intended.