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By: Pete Clyne
Often when modifying ATV's, the first thing
the owner thinks about is 'make it faster'.
I don't think I'd get much opposition in saying
that engine modifications are the most popular
mods done to ATV's today. However, the majority
of people fail to understand that the fastest
engine doesn't always win the race, and this
is where suspension comes into play. Suspension
is a very important part of your ride, and without
it, your mega dollar high horsepower engine
is useless. This is where JD Performance steps
up to the plate. They were kind enough to supply
us with a set of their +2 +1 A-arms for our
newly rebuilt Honda TRX250R.
 When
the A-arms arrived on our doorstep, we already
had the stock front end torn off the test bike,
with everything freshly painted and ready to
assemble.
Comparing the JD Performance A-arms to the OEM
A-arms revealed significant differences. The
first thing noticed was weight. The JD Performance
arms, while being 2 inches wider, were a lot
lighter than the OEM arms. Weight is horsepower,
and this reduction of weight is significant
in our eyes. The quality of the welds and construction
of the arms themselves was night and day better
than the stock arms. Heck, they even laser cut
a 'JD' in the lower shock mount tab. These units
ooze of quality. They are made out of 4130 Chromoly
and are completely 100% TIG welded. They come
in your choice of 2 stage powder coat silver
with clear coat finish, 1 stage Honda Red, or
Triple Plate Chrome ($175.00 extra). Our test
set came in the 2 stage silver powder coat finish.
 Installation
was pretty straight forward. Pull the old arms
off (already done) remove the brakes, hubs,
tires, spindles etc, and then install with the
new arms. The old ball joints were a bear to
get off due to years of corrosion and use. Eventually,
they did come loose and off. One small problem
we had when mounting the JD Performance a-arms
is they fact they didn't slide right into the
a-arm tabs on our OEM Honda frame. A little
force was needed to coax them in, and this was
attributed to the new paint on the frame closing
up the tolerances a little bit. The bushings
in this area are nice and tight, and JD Performance
states these are a sealed type bushing, and
only require a little WD-40 to keep things functioning
correctly. A nice touch for sure. The balljoints,
while fully replaceable, unlike a lot of OEM
A-arms, also have a lighter internal spring,
which reduces fatigue on the rider by making
the quad easier to turn.
The installation of the spindles was about as
simple as it can get. Gone are the OEM style
castle nuts used to hold the spindles on. They
are replaced by Ny-Lock style nuts that self
lock, no cotter keys required. The tie-rods
included with the A-arm kit are both nice looking
and beefy. For this test we purchased 4 new
400EX tie rod ends (much cheaper than 250R ends,
and function the same) and installed them on
the tie rods. The rest of the front end installation
went smooth, and we were back on 4 wheels in
a relatively short period of time, maybe 2 hours
total. I found 3/16" toe in worked the best
for me with my quad and tire combination. Your
results may vary, and this setting is something
you'll have to play with to get the best results
with your quad and tire setup. For camber, I
didn't give the arms any measured setting. At
the time of this article we are still trying
different settings to see what would work best
for us. This setting depends on your use of
the arms, be it motocross, flat track, play
riding, etc. One thing these arms do not use
is an upper heim joint. This did not disappoint
us much, as we are not pro suspension technicians
and would probably just mess this setting up
anyways, so we're glad they were left off. Another
plus with these A-arms is the fact that we were
able to run the OEM brake lines. While not providing
as good of stopping power as steel braided lines,
they will work for someone who has budget constraints.
 Out
on the trails and in the dunes, the added width
of these arms is a blessing. One can ride so
much harder with the added width these arms
provide, it's hard to imagine why the quad wasn't
sold from the factory with them. Getting back
onto a bike with stock width A-arms provides
for a comical experience, it feels like you're
going to tip over every time you take a corner,
the difference is really that significant. It
took all of about 5 minutes to notice the difference
the arms made on the bike. When riding the bike
with the arms installed, they simply 'disappear'
from the driver's perspective. I found this
comforting, as it lets you know the arms are
doing their job, allowing the rider to concentrate
more on the terrain ahead rather than how poorly
the suspension is working. A set of Works Performance
triple rate shocks setup for +2 A-arms were
used on the test A-arms. JD Performance strongly
recommends you purchase a set of aftermarket
front shocks that are setup for your weight
and riding style to use on your new A-arms.
 A
big thumbs up for these arms from the ATVSource.com
crew. JD Performance currently sells their A-arms
for the Honda TRX250R, TRX400EX and Yamaha's
Banshee, and are priced at $475 a set for standard
order Honda A-arms, and $525 for Banshee's.
Yamaha Raptor A-arms will be available soon.
JD Performance
Temecula, CA
Phone: 909.676.7957
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