[Countryson144]

I have a 2007 400ex and im looking to start xc racing. Im racing in the vxcs races this spring and its my first time doing any kind of XC racing. I am looking for any recomendations or routines that anyone has to prepare for a race (bike prep, nutrition, exercise.) My 400 is jetted, i have ordered new tires, it is stock width, uni filter, fmf powercore 4. Any help would be great, thanks.

 

[XplicitRacing6]

When I used to race I always ate 2 bananas before the race. They are high in potassium and good for preventing camps and arm pump. A couple days before the race go outside and practice your starts. That way you can see if anything needs to be adjusted/ fixed.

Some good training tips...... Ride for 15 minutes....... 15 burpees..... Repeat.... you learn how to ride good when your heart rate is high...

Tips: pace yourself.... My dad always used to tell me "Your trying to beat the course not the other riders." If you go out there and go crazy fast your going to wear yourself out. Ride clean and at a good pace.
Best of luck!

 

[Countryson144]

Wow, this is my first time using the forum and im happy to see a quick response. Thanks for your help, ill be sure to practice the starts and try the burpees inbetween. My nextdoor neighbors have a track so i dont have to travel far for a little practice, im just waiting on the weather now. Its been raining for 3 weeks striaght!!!
Thanks for your help!

 

[SlammedRanger]

Welcome to the forums! Best advice i can give is get alot of seat time. The fastest i have ever been is from knowing what my quad is going to do before it does it and knowing it like the back of my hand. Also i would really suggest a steering stabilizer and make as many things flex as you possibly can. Flexx bars, pro bounce nerf bars, anti vibe steering stem. Invest alot of money in suspension before you do power upgrades. You can make all the power in the world but it dosnt help one bit if you can't put it to the ground or go fast enough through the rough stuff to use it. My .02

 

[Countryson144]

my next investments in order of priority will be; kfx450 front shocks, anti-vibe handlebar mounts, Fly raised handlebars, hand guards, and possibly a tusk axle. the quad is trying to roll in the first part of corners on the track, i still have stock tires but its trying to roll hard to the front left and right when i turn. I think +2 in the rear may help but im trying other things because i really dont wanna get too wide! I have taken a few steps towards it and also riden other bikes to see what works. jetting helped, i noticed once you get the tires spinning and the back end sideways it takes some of the weight off the front and makes the bike roll less, higher front shock preload, higher tire pressure. ill install the kfx450 shocks and see how it works. so far that has been my only problem with the bikes performance. I have ridden the crap out of other 400s and once i got my stock bike i felt handicapped until i made some adjustments lol.

 

[BKEX5]

Would also like to know somethings about this topic, such as whats the max width you want to be running? I believe with my set up (+2+1 and extended rear hubs) I'm far too wide. I believe last time i checked i was 48" wide?! I've heard prime is somewhere around 46"?

 

[SlammedRanger]

48 isnt to bad. Generally 50" is what mx racers usually run. For me 46 would be way hard to corner with any speed. I have a lonestar adjustable rear axle and i adjust down to 48 for woods racing and any trail riding. And then bump it out to the full 50 for mx tracks. I also have just a +2 a-arm setup and with my mx tire set i have the front rims flipped to get the full 50 inches in the front. So far it has worked really well for jumping around from woods/trails to mx tracks.