Honda ATV Forum banner

TRX400X build for paraplegic rider

8K views 43 replies 10 participants last post by  XplicitRacing6 
#1 ·
Hi everyone, some of you might remember me from my intro thread a couple months ago, i’m a bike guy who was injured (T8/9 spinal cord injury) but looking into getting into quads. Well I ended up finding a nice deal locally on a 2013 TRX400X, all stock save for a set of Alba Racing nerf bars. I figured this would be a great platform to get out riding again. I have an XR 400, so I know how torquey and fun these motors are, and with only the two foot controls to worry about, I should be able to adapt it relatively easily.

Here is my parts list so far:

High priority- hand shifter (most likely an electric system), hand rear brake (thinking a custom setup similar to an Ox Brake system)

Other - custom seat, larger grab bar or rack system in the rear, hand guards, straps to hold lower body in place

Maintenance- oil and filters, chain and sprocket set

I’m in the process of ordering parts right now so I’ll update as I get things installed.

Cheers

- Mark
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#4 ·
That'll be a nice setup! I'm especially interested to see what electric shift conversion you decide to go with. I've seen a few options, keep us posted!
 
  • Like
Reactions: _Wilson_
#5 ·
Thanks a lot guys!



I'm currently looking into a system by Pro Shift. They seem to be the only ones responsive to my inquiries (I've tried Pingel, Translogic and Kliktronic and got either a negative or no response), and some of my road racing friends recommended them highly. Also going to try to visit a local shop tomorrow that does vehicle adaptations to see if they have anything for bikes/quads.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Quick update- Started some maintenance stuff over the weekend. Airbox and filter were pretty nasty but I was able to clean it out and get a new filter. Also noticed the front right fairing stay and tab on the frame were bent so I bent the tab back and replaced the wire. This guy I bought it from beat on it a bit (“like new” my butt!), but thankfully nothing major. Next on the list is an oil change and replacing the chain and sprockets.

Also had an idea today for the rear brake - basically just re-purpose the parking brake on the left handlebar and replace the cam on the clutch perch with a second lever. Should work in theory, and it would save the hassle of installing a separate system. Going to test it out after I find a suitable lever.
 

Attachments

#8 ·
Wow man that’s so cool your building something like that! Awesome stuff. From just looking at the pictures that is one extremely clean 400. Can’t wait too see more!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#9 ·
Another quick update - tons of stuff on order right now: Pro-Shift PSU Electric Shifter, Alba Racing Pro Peg Nerf Bars, Acerbis Handguards, NGK spark plug and a couple other odds and ends. Also going to try a clutch lever from a Grom for the rear/parking brake. Got the oil changed and new air filter installed last weekend, plan for this weekend is to install the new chain and sprockets and whatever else comes in by then.

Cool side note about Pro-Shift - the founder/managing director, Roy Tansley, is a paraplegic (incomplete) and leg amputee who races sidecars over in the UK (pics attached). For anyone who follows the Isle of Man TT, keep an eye out for him in the sidecar races!
 

Attachments

#10 ·
Got the hand rear brake set up today - the Grom clutch lever fit pretty well into the existing TRX perch after shaving down the small tab on the inward side of the lever and adding a couple washers between the two levers. The nice thing about the Grom lever is that it’s about the same length as the TRX lever, but it has a much different bend so my hand can get to the clutch without hitting the other lever. The brake seemed to work decent after a quick test in the garage, hopefully it’s powerful enough in practice!
 

Attachments

#11 ·
Worked on some more maintenance items over the last week - new chain, sprockets (hit up Vortex Racing if you ever need a chain or sprockets for a 400, or anything else) and skid plate, but more importantly, the piece de resistance finally came - PSU electric shifter from Pro-Shift. Looks like a quality piece of kit, hopefully the install isn’t too difficult. I will post as I go along.
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Dropped the seat off today to get a gel insert installed. The guy who’s doing it works for the same company that supplied my wheelchair (National Seating & Mobility), so I’m sure his solution will be effective in reducing the risk of pressure sores. Also going to look into desert-style seat foam (something I was just made aware of today) for additional cushioning.

The shifter is still WIP. A guy from one of the sportbike groups was nice enough to help me out and fab up a couple mounting brackets. Hopefully he’ll be able to stop by tomorrow to help install it. Starting to get some dates together to go riding this summer so hoping the TRX will be good to go soon!
 

Attachments

#15 ·
Looks nice, but yes you really should try a desert seat. If you need extra padding that may be the way to go. I've been ok just with my stock seats for the last 15 years. Though I did put a gripper seat cover on my grizzly. You'll be able to ride a lot harder than I am able to though. Thanks for the updates!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Goober
#18 ·
So on Sunday I went to check out a motocross event where they were running an adaptive class. There were three riders in the “sit-down” class (all had spinal cord injuries like myself), one of which was Doug Henry. Had the pleasure of meeting all three of them and got to check out their bike setups and gather some ideas, both for the quad and a future bike build. Seems like a roll cage and some sort of strap system to hold the legs in place are pretty much prerequisite. Only Doug had a working hand shifter, the other two guys were just running 3rd gear the whole time (having a Rekluse was probably helpful). It was really interesting to see the different seat setups, which ranged from foam duct taped to a stock seat to Doug’s custom swivel seat using a go-kart seat pan. Don’t think I’m going to get that fancy but a custom-shaped seat like one of the other riders had (pic attached) might be the ticket. Overall a really cool event with some great people.

While I’ve been waiting for my gel seat to be finished, I’ve been in touch with Sunmate cushions based in NC about their viscoelastic polyurethane foams and how I might incorporate them into an ATV seat (they are also used in wheelchair cushions among other applications so I felt compelled to reach out to them). I think I’m going to use what I learned from them, combined with the desert seat idea, try my hand at building a custom seat and see how it compares to the one i’m having built.

Shifter is still a work in progress, but after seeing the MX guys run 3rd gear all day, I’m sure I could do the same for now. Got a ride coming up June 8th so I’m excited to finally get out on the trails!
 

Attachments

#19 ·
Got the seat back today. Turned out quite nice - the gel insert definitely adds some cushioning and softness. Also got a hand shift lever (I think it’s meant for utility quads with electric shift) as a temporary solution until the electric one gets sorted. Should at least save me from reaching down when stopped and allow me to clutchless upshift. Excited to ride this weekend!
 

Attachments

#20 ·
Coming along nicely @mlap5150. I'm surprised one of the 3 guys didn't let you give one of their mx bike setups a try. Either way sounds like you'll be riding this weekend ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: _Wilson_ and mrbb
#21 ·
Thanks! One of the guys offered to let me try his adapted KTM 450, just not on race day ? he lives not too far in Indiana so maybe sometime this summer I’ll get the chance to ride with him.
 
#22 ·
One more thing I forgot to mention, i’ve been working on some wearable protection for my bottom/hip area. I bought some cheap padded shorts on amazon (meant for snowboarding) and replaced the EVA foam butt pad with some 1/2” soft viscoelastic polyurethane foam. This type of foam is usually used as a “comfort layer” on seats, so it should be a nice supplement to the gel insert, and hopefully let me worry even less about pressure sores ?
 

Attachments

#23 ·
Had a really nice time riding up at my aunt’s place in the northern LP this past weekend. Didn’t end up making it to the group ride I was supposed to go to, but got some quality seat time on some relatively mild trails to get used to the new quad and try to sort out some issues.

First impressions - it felt awesome to get back in the saddle, and this quad is a blast! It’s got the same torquey motor as my XR400 which i’m a big fan of, all in a well balanced package. I wasn’t going terribly fast but the quad felt very stable the entire time, even during donuts in gravel and going over small logs and tree stumps. I was able to mount the shifter arm and get through all 5 gears, not an ideal solution when I need both my arms for support but it did the job for the most part. Definitely beats being stuck in a single gear!

The main issue I ran into was that my butt kept sliding off the seat, which is a problem especially considering how easy it is to slide the rear on this quad. I had a strap around my thighs which helped hold my legs to the gas tank, but I decided not to strap myself to the machine itself in case I had an off. I ended up sliding right off the seat a few times but thankfully was able to pull myself back up. I don’t have the core strength to efficiently shift my position in the seat, so I think I’m going to need something more drastic than just a reupholstered seat. I might take the idea I got from Doug Henry and use a go-kart seat with sides as a base.

A few pics are attached. That’s my sister on the 100, it was her first time riding a bike with a clutch but she learned quick! Also got some video that I’m going to work on over the coming days.
 

Attachments

#26 ·
The main issue I ran into was that my butt kept sliding off the seat, which is a problem especially considering how easy it is to slide the rear on this quad. I had a strap around my thighs which helped hold my legs to the gas tank, but I decided not to strap myself to the machine itself in case I had an off. I ended up sliding right off the seat a few times but thankfully was able to pull myself back up. I don’t have the core strength to efficiently shift my position in the seat, so I think I’m going to need something more drastic than just a reupholstered seat. I might take the idea I got from Doug Henry and use a go-kart seat with sides as a base.
.
Were you sliding off the back of the seat? Have you looked into adapting a cruiser motorcycle seat to your seat pan? The Harley Hammock for instance has deep padding and contours; Even a backrest. The Hammock is heated so you probably won’t want that more expensive feature. Harley makes a Tall Boy seat too for riders that need to sit further back in the saddle.
 

Attachments

#24 ·
Thanks for sharing, and great to see you out enjoying the sport. You are truly an inspiration!

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 
#25 ·
All in all it looks like you were prepared and are getting pretty close with your setups! I imagine that it'll improve a bunch for ya once the electric shifter is on there. So it looks like getting a good seat design nailed down is the key? I imagine suspension tweaks and upgrades might help ya stay in the seat a lot better too. Glad ya got a weekend to ride it and learn what works and whats gotta be done next! :)
 
#27 ·
@M_Quick thank you!
@retro yeah I've been thinking about suspension upgrades (I hear 450 shocks are a popular upgrade for the 400), but the immediate needs are the seat and also installing new nerf bars - I bought a set with integrated heel guards, thinking about using magnets on my boots and nerfs so my feet don't move around
@Goober my problems were more with sliding side-to-side than front-to-back. The cruiser seat might be a good option if I can find one with enough side bolstering. Thanks for sharing!
 
#31 ·
#32 ·
Got a little muddy on Saturday at an ORV park near Flint. No updates to the quad since last time out other than a new set of nerf bars with integrated heel guard. I bought some magnets to mess around with and try to find a way to keep my feet in place. They kept sliding forward while riding, in some cases my left knee would hit the shift lever and pop me into neutral ?

Going to be working on the go kart seat project this week so stay tuned!
 

Attachments

#33 ·
something i use to put on the vinyl seat, would make it tacky. i cant remember.
maybe the silicone, ya spray on cotton tent's, to keep the moisture out, wax, or vinyl treatment. i think it was the first.
it wont help much, it does keep the seat from being slippery.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top