It's bound to happen sooner or later: racing or riding in sloppy mud conditions. The key to success is preparation and attitude. We've gathered some tips to help you with the quad prep, your mentality is up to you. If you have a negative attitude or just hate racing and riding in the mud, your results will most likely reflect it. Why not prepare for it, and come away with an unforgettable experience?
Another Zip-Tie Tip Zip-tie...
Another Zip-Tie Tip
Zip-tie a towel to your crossbar pad or on your pants so that you can quickly wipe off mud from your gloves if they turn into a mess. You may also try and tuck a rag into the front of your seat.
Head Weight Spray Pam on...
Head Weight
Spray Pam on the top of your helmet visor and tape plastic over it. If the mud sticks to your visor from ducking roost, it can become extremely heavy, causing fatigue to your neck. It can also add so much weight to your visor that it'll pull down the helmet over your eyes. With the tear off, you can easily discard the mud build up on your visor and the Pam will help after that.
Anti-Mud Stick Spray Pam...
Anti-Mud Stick
Spray Pam or any nonstick cooking spray on the bottom of the frame, plastic, wheels, axle and all of the places mud would normally collect. This will help the mud fall away instead of sticking to your quad and weighing you down.
Adjusting Shocks Add some...
Adjusting Shocks
Add some preload to your shocks. As mud builds up on your quad, it can add as much as 50 pounds of weight. This makes your perfectly dialed-in suspension way too soft. You may also want to dial in a couple of clicks of compression damping as well.
Wheel Covers If you run bead...
Wheel Covers
If you run bead locks or ringed wheels, it helps to install plastic or foam covers in the wheels. Mud can get trapped inside of the wheels and add unnecessary weight, which kills power and makes the wheels roll out of balance.
Cap The Lid Put the airbox...
Cap The Lid
Put the airbox lid back on. Power isn't normally a big issue in mud races, so it's usually better to keep the motor running the whole race and not bog out from water. If you need to run with the lid off, tape under the seat to keep water away from the front of the airbox.
Mudproof Your Goggles Have...
Mudproof Your Goggles
Have your goggles prepped and ready before you show up. This should be something planned before you ever leave the house. Prep 'em and stuff 'em into a Ziploc bag. You should also have spare goggles prepped and ready to slip on. Spray some anti-fog solution on the inside and use roll-offs along with tear offs over the top. Some roll-off systems don't have provision for tear offs, so just use a little duct tape to temporarily secure them. It's a good idea to have the tear offs for the start and then revert to roll-offs for the rest of the race.
It's the little things that can make the difference between packing up and heading home or letting the sun set on your back as the day turns to night. If you have any tips you would like to share, we'd love to hear from you. Heck, you might even save someone's day. We'll be sure to give you credit for your remedy here in the pages of ATV Rider Magazine. So send them to us! E-mail us at
atvrider@sourceinterlink.com or by snail mail to ATV Rider Magazine, Attn: Pro Remedies, 2570 E. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim, CA 92806.