new guy from NE Indiana

Hey, just found this site. Recently moved into the country...finally. I have moderate riding experience. I grew up riding a kx80 as a kid. I joined the Marine Corps after high school, and got out of riding for quite some time. Got married, moved out into the country and recently bought a 2000 Warrior. I bought this thing for 1,200 bucks knowing it would need some work. I decided to join here because I'm thinking pretty hard about doing a huge overhaul on this thing similar to what a lot of guys have done. I don't race or anything, just trail ride.

Any advice or list what big upgrades you would recommend. I'm all ears. I'm still learning quite a bit about quads, so go easy on me. This quad is pretty much all stock with a rebuilt motor. It's a little rough but I knew that based on what I paid for it. I've seen some youtube videos of custom 350's that really have me intrigued. More or less I'm looking for advice on parts or possible links on where to get decent deals on stuff.

What I'm looking into doing:
Powder coat frame
new swing arm
shocks
plastics- looking into color options, hard to find.
tires- I notice a lot of guys using Maxxis, I'll probably go with these.
sprockets, chain, axle- noticed some play, possibly bad bearing or hub?
rims
exhaust- all ears, I've heard HMF is good?

I'm a bigger guy (6'3'' 250) so I don't know what type of shocks or suspension set up would be best, displaying my ignorance here I know.

My goal is to build a custom warrior I plan on keeping. I really like what I've seen from 917jolly. Any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks

Hey man welcome! I think it's great that some of the first things on your list are suspension. Most overlook that ****. It's so important. And you being a big dude; even more important. I take it she runs good?

Like Jimmy said, suspension should be the first mod always in my opinion. You'd be surprised how much faster these quads are in the woods when the tires actually stay in contact with the ground haha. You could use 917jolly's build as a guideline for your build, but ideally you need to build the quad to target what you want to do with it. I know you said trail riding, but what terrain? and do you have a limiting budget?

I really want to replace the entire back end (swingarm, axle, shock, brakes, hubs) I watched 917Jolly's video and heard him say he built custom swingarms. Anyone know what he charges for one? Or if he the the only guy I can get a heavy duty custom arm from? I really don't know what all is out there. As far as money goes, I'm not afraid to spend good money as long as I know I'm getting good stuff. I'd much rather spend more to save later. A big reason why I'm here is I lack the knowledge on parts and upgrades, and just where to find stuff. I feel like a community like this would be a huge advantage financially and just in terms of what I can learn. I really do appreciate you guys responding to a random newb thread, so thanks!

The quad was a race quad, so it def shows some serious wear and tear. It runs great, the motor was just rebuilt top to bottom. I'm not sure what all was done, but she runs pretty strong overall. I just snapped the shift linkage today though, so I ordered a new lever and will remove the stock one this week.

As for my uses, primarily trail riding in moderate terrain. I don't get too crazy, no racing. Like I mentioned I'm a big dude, so heavy duty tight suspension is a must for me. I'm not sure an aftermarket swingarm is necessary for my uses. I don't think I would want an extended one because I don't want to sacrifice turning or handling for trail riding. I really want to upgrade all shocks on the quad, and I hear that +2 front A arms make a huge difference... anyone know if this is true? I plan on getting maxxis tires because the tires I have are shot. So let me hear any suggestions on brands and maybe some links on where I can find stuff. I'm open to all new swingarm, shock, axle, brakes and hubs. Thanks gents!!

Does anyone know what 917Jolly charges for a ladder style swingarm or how I can get in touch with him?

Around $400-425 i believe is what he charges


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here is the thread for the custom swingarms.
http://www.yfm350.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24363

In my opinion, a stock swingarm is fine as long as you want stock length. The main advantage to these custom swingarms is the round style carrier, which is way better than the stock carrier. For trail riding, getting a longer swingarm will hurt your turning radius a good amount. To get in touch with 917jolly, Private Message him, his user name here is 87warrior917.

As for other mods I'd recommend, here's a few ideas:

Maxxis tires are great. I have Razr 2's on the rear of my bike and have no complaints. However, take a look at GBC XC Masters. These tires are identical to Maxxis Razr 2's, but at half the price, saving you some money for other mods.

A great axle for the price is a Tusk G-Force adjustable axle. Durablue also makes a good axle, but it's more expensive than the Tusk one.

I highly recommend +2 a arms. Fullflight and ASR are both good. I have fullflight a arms and have no complaints, expect for the hiem joints wear a little fast. The +2 a arms are a must have for these bikes. It makes them handle totally different and way better.

For brakes, yfz450 front brakes are a direct bolt on to the front if I remember correctly... Look into that a little more to make sure. They also use one of the yfz450 front brakes on the rear, but it requires a bracket to be made. Look that up as well. Also, the front hubs are fine in my opinion, but you could upgrade to the yfz450 ones if you change out the front spindle as well. You need aftermarket a arms to do this, as some adjustment needs to be done.

For shocks, it's all about budget. Sine you're a heavier guy, a 2001 raptor 660 rear shock will be a good upgrade. For the front, there are a lot of options. As for other oem shocks, yfz450 front shocks a popular upgrade. For aftermarket, guys here have Works, Elka, Fox... all depends on the price you want to spend. (I have raptor 660 front shocks with my fullflight a arms. However, this setup has a low spring rate for me, and I'm a lot lighter than you are. I wouldn't recommend raptor 660 front shocks for you.)

For parts, I usually buy off ebay...

Hopefully I answered some/most/all of your questions.

also I forgot to ask about handle bars. any recommendations?
Also I am looking for factory dark gray rear fenders.... Have had no luck in my search.

Thanks Again!

Good luck finding fenders... keep your eyes on craigslist and ebay.

Honestly, if you're just looking for a standard set of handle bars, any of the aftermarket brands are good. Renthal, Pro Taper, Tag, etc. If you want top of the line racing handle bars, most XC racers run the Fasst Flexx Handlebars. Again, I don't really know your budget, but for the weekend trail rider, Flexx bars are over the top in my opinion.

I'm trying plasti dip on my current plastics. The plastic on this thing is very rough. I have a huge crack under the seat on the rear tub so one fender sags a little. I'm going to rivet it and try to shore it up. Last night I plasti dipped the front fenders, nose and tank covers. Also did the lights and actually it turned out awesome. I don't know how long it will last lol, but it'll look nice for a little while, or at least better than white veiny blue factory bent stuff.

I still haven't decided on handle bars, I agree with you though, probably just get a renthal or tag setup to save some money, maybe get a riser since I'm taller.

Looking for back tires now. I started another thread on tire advice in hopes to get some good opinions. I'm looking at a venom vee set of rears that compare to the maxxis razr2's and also some maxxis bud bugs... all I do is trail ride, no not sure if the mud bugs would be overkill? (Updated... purchased the Venom Vee's last night)

I really appreciate you helping me out. I've got thick skin, so don't feel like you have to hold back criticism. I'd rather learn quickly from an experienced rider/member than to be let go to embarrass myself later on here... haha

I was raised on a YZ60, Welcome to the Forum!! Ever race or enter any Badlands events in Indiana?