Bill ballance quad setup

It was actually a three-wheeler in the beginning but I soon started to ride on a 4-wheel quad. I designed and built my own tracks on my family farm and I just had a great time pushing the quad to the max from breakfast to supper.

When I turned 15 a much older and more experienced quad racer came home to challenge me and I actually won! He was really thrilled and started to push me to go head to head with other riders in a proper race.

After a lot of convincing my parents finally let me go and my first ever race was in Brownsville, Kentucky. I came in second and I was hooked for life; Bill laughs.

Did you have any ATV heroes when you were young? It consists mostly of head work and modifications to the throttle body, which is bored out to 50mm and gets new injectors. Also in the package are a Motoworks stainless steel pipe, a billet drive gear and Motoworks cams. Even though the X model comes with upgraded suspension, we went a step further with Fox shocks on both ends, which is as good as anything on the planet.

As another control measure, all of the Quads got DWT wheels and tires. First of all, the motor was excellent. Low-end-power was smooth, and the fuel mixture was perfect.

Novice test riders found it the easiest bike to ride because of its stable handling, predictable steering and oversized layout. The Can-Am is taller and more spread out than most sport quads. This makes it more comfortable, especially for large riders. On the flip side, small riders might feel that the Can-Am is hard to manage.

The biggest complaints on the quad center around the standard clutch—which has a poor feel—marginal brakes and crunchy shifting. The stance is narrow, the tires are bouncy and the motor is mild. But the Honda has the second-lowest MSRP, and its good, old-fashion carb and single overhead cam make motor hop-up easy and cheap.

With only a few changes, it fit into our parameters perfectly. First on the list was the width. Walsh A-arms were installed that were 2 inches wider than stock. The kit comes with tie-rods and ball joints. PEP came to the rescue with brake lines that are rated much higher than stock. We love the stock Honda motor as a trail ATV, but to get it up to race speed we took a few steps. First was a Motoworks stainless steel exhaust system.

Then we installed a new Yoshimura cam. We were somewhat involved in the development of this cam, so we knew it would have good results. For the intake, we removed the airbox lid and installed a Pro Designs Pro Flow filter, and all of that required the switch to an NCVQ needle in the center position, a 55 leak jet, a 45 pilot and a mainjet. The next mod was the cheapest of all. We disconnected the green wire on the ignition, which raises the rev ceiling.

Cost: nothing. For the clutch, we tried something new. So we tried the new Hinson single-spring clutch, which lightens the clutch pull and provides a more solid engagement. Stock handlebars on the Honda are somewhat embarrassing, so those had to be upgraded. And we installed DG nerf bars with built-in heel guards. For the steering damper, we installed a Precision Pro Series. Like all the other quads in the shootout, the Honda got a set of Fox Float Evol shocks up front and a Podium X in the rear.

The Douglas wheels and Gold Seal tires were on the Honda, too. We knew it would be, as Justin Jones had already won several expert-level races on it. In handling, it feels like the lightest quad of the bunch, and turning was easy without being twitchy.

In the motor department, the Honda would be great for Novice and Intermediate classes, but it will probably need more to be competitive against the big boys.

The Honda starts off with a fairly low price tag, but it needs a lot, and we exceeded the budget before it became a truly competitive pro-level machine. In stock form, it suffers from familiar shortcomings. This race was exciting for me since we got to ride the same motocross track well parts of it as all the big name big money pro 2 wheel motocross guys.

Now before you start cussing at your computer hear me out. The track was great — and a ton of fun! There was only one really dusty section on the course, which you had to slow down to see through.

Of course there was one rocky run up a creek bed. I am starting to wonder if Racer Productions just keeps a bunch of rocks with them at all times to keep us on our toes. There were just enough tight sections to kill your editor who was trying to nurse an injured shoulder.

By Scott Johnson. Now that is close! This means of course that Team Green will fall just short again of snatching that pro title. But hey, they deserve major praise for doing what all the other manufactures are too afraid to do — put their money were their mouth is and sponsor a team. Our sport is just not going to get the publicity it deserves till we get some support from them.

I pitted next to Todd and his family at this race and they are the nicest bunch of guys you would ever want to meet. That is what is great about this series, everyone you run into is very kind and helpful — so come on out and race! Pro Results 1. William Yokley 2. Chad Duvall 3. Matt Smiley 4. Bill Ballance 5. Bradley Page. Foot peg extenders are a must for cross-country racing. Do we need to remind you how important it is to keep your feet on the pegs at all times?

A cool motor always produces more horsepower than a hot one. For more GNCC event info. Did you ever wonder where the money goes? I sure do! Do the ATV riders get any respect? Lets look at GNC a little. I have this opinion because I believe that if one promoter is going to have two races the 2nd race should go to the promoters that first and foremost have proven their worth! I hear that they were told they should maybe help Mr. Hardly appropriate if you ask me.

While school is in session, the youth classes should not be last. Surely I dont expect it to get better in the future with their new ATV club, they had years to listen to us, now they are gonna start all of the sudden? These views are mine and I could be wrong.

Jack, Wow, had a lot on your chest, huh? Some of your opinions seem to make sense. We Fast-Trak Promotions, Inc. Our Southwick GNC stayed on the board for hours during the annual promoters meeting with much discussion as to what should be done.

We feel that we should be going to that facility in , but respect the decision of the AMA. What is meant to be will be. We still have many new options now made available in delivering quality ATV racing events to the rest of the world. Membership dollars from ATV racing alone is actually only a small portion of the money collected for the big headquarters and the money needed to run the organization.

Thus, current membership dollars from ATVers alone are far less than most might think. Now that the ATVA is about to launch, the very same uninterested ATVers might think otherwise, since the membership package would cater directly to their needs.

So we see some positive potential coming from the new ATVA. It was nasty and slick no doubt, but the show must go on and indeed some of what was being taught was going to help in some fashion, even if it was how to ride a nasty , muck filled course Our own rider quickly exclaimed that he had picked up some tips that should help as he cleared his goggles and went back out for more instruction.