Fairly bare-bones buggy doesn't have mirrors, dash, signals, fenders, horn. Does have nice lights, a tail light and a keyed start switch. Seats lack lateral support but are decently padded. The 3-point seatbelts are adequate and didn't loosen during my maiden voyage. The steering column is adjustable for height/angle and the driver seat is on an adjustable track. Pedals are a little too close for my taste. I like stretching my legs out. Knees don't hit the wheel thanks to the adjustable column.
Speed is great with low vibration from the engine and the drivetrain. Steering is easy with no binding lock-to-lock. Good turning radius if you go slow. The tires have shallow lugs so the front doesn't have much "bite". Tends to push wide in the turns. Shallow lugs on the rear tires also limit traction. Gearing is high so between the lack of bite & low torque I didn't dare attempt my hills. I wouldn't be able to get back out of the valley I ride thru without a winch. Definitely planning to install an extra 39T sprocket I have laying around.
The shocks have no damping that I can tell. The front is very stiff even with preload at minimum. Buggy front end sits at full extension with no 'squat' at all. I'm going to look for some softer oil-filled shocks eventually. The rear shocks are the opposite. Very soft. I cranked the preload all the way to the top notch & the ride is bouncy but doesn't bottom out.
No real surprises here. For $1900 I know corners have been cut. Changing the sprocket and installing some real damped shocks will take care of most of my concerns. Thanks to eBay I should be able to get it ready for hills & whoops for under $200. Add a tach, speedo and winch and I'm ready for Kentucky!
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_________________ 2 Polaris RZRs & a Dune 150. Ridge Runner--Gone. Yerfdog 3206--Gone (but you never forget your 1st!). Buggy pictures, mods, ideas, how-to's: http://tinyurl.com/8ltm8
Last edited by guy48065 on Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 12:36 am Posts: 4044 Location: In the thumb, MI
On to new content:
Second Impressions
The weather has been very uncooperative so I haven’t done much riding. The mud is fun if you WANT to ride in mud, but I want to hit some dry trails and see how this buggy handles. With the stock shocks & tires she’s real squirrely. I’ve bought a set of Mud Lites and Douglas Red Label rims for the rear so I can get more traction. A set of used Blaster shocks are now on the rear so I finally have genuine oil dampening. The ride is smoother and quieter and my back is much happier. The front is still way too choppy, though. Those stacked springs look cool as devilville but Baja should have used 2 different rate springs. They didn’t so these must go. I found a set of used reservoir shocks in a salvage yard that I’m adapting to the front. Almost done. These ARE dual rate shocks with a short very soft spring on top of a long stiff spring. Should smooth things out considerably. In addition to the fenders, mirror and chrome shift knob I posted in the earlier thread, I’ve now mounted a 2nd battery for powering the future winch and any accessories (like maybe STRONG lights?). A LED brakelight bar is now mounted on the back and wired to the brake switch for a lo-hi intensity. I pulled the brake safety (start) wiring off the switch and taped it up out of the way. I’ve updated my website to include my Dune pix: http://tinyurl.com/8ltm8 Now I need to update it some more with the current work.
Coming soon: I finish the installation of the front shocks and go for a test run. Future Plans: 39T rear sprocket for hill climbing torque. Uni intake, Twister pipe and rejet as needed. Gauges are in the house and waiting to be evaluated. And a winch if I can ever get a good deal.
_________________ 2 Polaris RZRs & a Dune 150. Ridge Runner--Gone. Yerfdog 3206--Gone (but you never forget your 1st!). Buggy pictures, mods, ideas, how-to's: http://tinyurl.com/8ltm8
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 12:36 am Posts: 4044 Location: In the thumb, MI
I spent the day measuring shocks, springs and suspension travel. Mechanically the front A-arms are capable of nearly 12 inches of travel before the heim joints bind. At that range the shock mounts move 4 1/2 inches. For all their impressive double-spring length the Dune shocks are only capable of 3 1/4 inches. That's not too shabby for a front shock but I sure expected more from one that's 18" eye-to-eye. I made a spring compressor so I could take the shocks apart and check their damping and measure the spring rates.
Attachments:
compressor2.jpg [ 282.12 KiB | Viewed 50 times ]
compressor3.jpg [ 292.4 KiB | Viewed 55 times ]
_________________ 2 Polaris RZRs & a Dune 150. Ridge Runner--Gone. Yerfdog 3206--Gone (but you never forget your 1st!). Buggy pictures, mods, ideas, how-to's: http://tinyurl.com/8ltm8
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 12:36 am Posts: 4044 Location: In the thumb, MI
My setup is a little crude but seems to work well. The front springs measure 100 pounds per inch but there's nearly 200 pounds of preload! In use these are pretty stiff and don't allow much suspension movement. I picked up a pair of used reservoir shocks at a salvage yard. These have 2 springs of different lengths and strength. The long spring has a rate of 100 lbs per in. and the short spring has a rate of 50 lbs per in. In use the short spring does most of the moving until it's fully compressed, then the longer spring starts to compress. Unfortunately these err on the other extreme and are a little too soft. These shocks are 16" long so I cut out a set of adapter plates that add 2" to the upper shock mounts.
Since taking this picture I removed the short spring and slid a spacer in its place (pvc pipe). Having the 'weak' spring out makes the shock/spring combination much more effective for my buggy.
Attachments:
reservoir_shocks.jpg [ 347.34 KiB | Viewed 91 times ]
_________________ 2 Polaris RZRs & a Dune 150. Ridge Runner--Gone. Yerfdog 3206--Gone (but you never forget your 1st!). Buggy pictures, mods, ideas, how-to's: http://tinyurl.com/8ltm8
Last edited by guy48065 on Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 12:36 am Posts: 4044 Location: In the thumb, MI
The rear swingarm has a possible travel of 5" (measured at the axle) and the shock mounts move 2 1/2". Then the gas tank stopcock hits the swingarm frame and the airbox smacks into the luggage rack. This might be why the stock shocks only move 2 1/4" til hitting the rubber bumper. Wise engineering but the rear shocks are WAY too stiff. They measured 800 lbs per in!! Used Yamaha Blaster shocks worked so well in my Yerf Dog I bought another set off eBay and slapped them on. Look no further, folks...they're dead on Blaster springs measured rate was 175 lbs. per in. They sag under the weight of the buggy (empty) about 3/4". Maybe another 1/2" when I sit. I think that's perfect. Blaster shocks allow more travel so something needs to be done to prevent damage to the stopcock or airbox. I'll look for longer shockshaft bumpers next time I'm at the parts counter.
_________________ 2 Polaris RZRs & a Dune 150. Ridge Runner--Gone. Yerfdog 3206--Gone (but you never forget your 1st!). Buggy pictures, mods, ideas, how-to's: http://tinyurl.com/8ltm8
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 12:36 am Posts: 4044 Location: In the thumb, MI
Anyway with Blaster shocks in the rear and some modified old Honda reservoir shocks in the front she rides like a dream. I'd like a set of front shocks that are just a little bit stiffer..but I'm being picky
Now I need to work on some performance tweaks. Watch your back needmore--I'm coming after ya!
Attachments:
mudlites.jpg [ 368.78 KiB | Viewed 91 times ]
_________________ 2 Polaris RZRs & a Dune 150. Ridge Runner--Gone. Yerfdog 3206--Gone (but you never forget your 1st!). Buggy pictures, mods, ideas, how-to's: http://tinyurl.com/8ltm8
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Blaster springs measured rate was 175 lbs. per in. They sag under the weight of the buggy (empty) about 3/4". Maybe another 1/2" when I sit. I think that's perfect. Blaster shocks allow more travel so something needs to be done to prevent damage to the stopcock or airbox. I'll look for longer shockshaft bumpers next time I'm at the parts counter.
