Have you ever gone to a race and heard what sounds like a swarm of bees racing around the track? If you answered yes, then you saw one of many youth class races that seem to have an increasing number of entries at every event. If you are a parent of a kid who wants to be a part of that group, you have to think of the high price tag to build a competitive machine for them to race. The price tag on some of the machines you see kids racing around on could blow you away, as they could be comparable to the cost of building a full sized 450cc racer. With very limited option of race-ready mini ATVs, many parents need to start from the ground up to build a competitive machine. The Pitster Pro FXR Mini ATVs now expands their options. Pitster Pro has been building pit and mini moto bikes for quite a few years, noticed the demand for a quality ATV in the youth performance market and felt that they needed to step up to the plate. While there are a few companies that dominate this market, very few come off the showroom floor ready for competitive racing. Already having a solid engine package that has been proven in their pit bikes in both competition and recreational use, Pitster Pro started researching what they needed to do in order to fill the void. First on the list was a frame/suspension package that would hold up to extreme conditions and perform equally as well. This is why Pitster Pro turned to James Giddings at Giddings Machine Racing to design their long-travel chassis to maximize the FXR handling.
The frame is made of chromoly steel and features a dual A-arm front end that boasts 8 inches of wheel travel while the rear has a trick-looking machined aluminum alloy swingarm that provides 9 inches of travel. An added bonus to the long-travel front end is the ability to adjust caster settings, which you won't find on any other youth ATV. To complement the suspension components, GPX DNM piggyback shocks are used and provide preload, compression, and rebound adjustability to allow riders the capability to fine-tune the handling to best suit their needs. The task of stopping this nimble machine is done through dual-piston calipers in front and rear, while again the rear features a trick reverse-mounted master cylinder that allows for proper clearance of the engine's reverse kick-starter. To complete the rolling chassis, which sports a 45-inch overall width and 60-inch length, Carlsile Holeshot-style tires are mounted on aluminum wheels for great strength and good looks.
Now what sits inside of the frame is what Pitster Pro really prides themselves on. The FXR line of Mini ATVs come available with your choice of a 90cc electric start four-stroke air-cooled engine or a 125 and 150cc kick-start powerplant. Little engines like these are nothing new to the company since they're one of the most well known pit-bike companies in the U.S. and have proven themselves on the track time and time again. For our testing, we chose to take the 125cc engine in our mini ATV since that is what the four-stroke displacement limit is for many of the 90cc race classes. The transmission in this machine is a 4-speed close ratio that utilizes a 5-plate wet manual clutch to transfer the power to the drivetrain. Delivering the fuel is done through a hybrid carburetor of sorts since this unit looks like a cross between a Keihin PE carburetor up top and a Mikuni VM-style carburetor lower. From there the air/fuel mixture runs through the 2-valve overhead cam head that also is mated to a high-flow exhaust system that has a clean-looking aluminum canister at the tail end of the machine. Since this machine is designed specifically for racing, it does not come with lights, but the ignition system does feature a lighting coil.