Pros and cons of wheel spacers?

[apickering975]

I am considering putting wheel spacers on my 85 200X. I like the look of spaced out wheels but I want to make sure they are worth getting. I mainly use my trike for riding in the woods and tearing around in the fields. What are some pros and cons of wheel spacers and are they worth the money?

[dougspcs]

They would be of benefit on a dirt track to give you stability in the corners.

However for day to day riding they do take something away.

Your low speed cornering is more difficult since the fixed axle causes wheel drag when turning. The wider the spacing, the worse your turning will be.

Also the extra width caught me up in the tight spots a few times since they added about 5-6" of width to my wheel stance.

I put them on my SX once then removed them for these reasons.

An experienced rider can body shift to keep off-camber stability on most terrain. The spacers were more of a handicap than a help!

If you are trying to tighten up the handling, consider changing tires from the OEM style balloons to something else. I fit my 200x and 350x both up with Mud Lites..a great general purpose tire for the sport trikes!

[RUNMEDOWN]

I am considering putting wheel spacers on my 85 200X. I like the look of spaced out wheels but I want to make sure they are worth getting. I mainly use my trike for riding in the woods and tearing around in the fields. What are some pros and cons of wheel spacers and are they worth the money?

I am in the same boat; I like the look but don't ride on tracks. I have read in multiple places that the first gen 200x axle is not real strong and if you are aggressive could bend it with the added leverage moving the wheels out can cause. Plus I am a heavy guy (Not fat, gravity just pulls down on me harder for some reason) so that would only exacerbate the situation.

[YamaBoss]

I had some on my 225DR that I use for woods riding and I just took them off. Trails were to tight and it wasn't even much fun to ride, as Doug said I also had tires that are far from balloon and those work great to increase the handling. Those tires plus spacers for woods riding is overkill in my opinion

[dougspcs]

I am in the same boat; I like the look but don't ride on tracks. I have read in multiple places that the first gen 200x axle is not real strong and if you are aggressive could bend it with the added leverage moving the wheels out can cause. Plus I am a heavy guy (Not fat, gravity just pulls down on me harder for some reason) so that would only exacerbate the situation.

Yeah, then there's that too..bent axles suck!!

[apickering975]

Thanks for the info. Right now I have the stock 22x11-8 tires on it but its almost time for some new ones. Are 20 inch tires going to be a better option for the kind of riding I do?

[apickering975]

Also forgot to ask if I got the 20 inch rear tires, would a stock size front tire be the way to go?

[DohcBikes]

Not really. Trail riding and lolly gagging around I'd rather have 22's as they give a nicer ride. 20S are more of a race tire. Front tire sizes are limited, but shouldn't require a change to go with 20s in the rear. 23-8-11

[oscarmayer]

Stock axle it will guaranty you will bend it. I never recommend using spacers on stock axles because they are only mild steel.


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[DohcBikes]

Stock axles are heat treated. While the 200x axles are not the strongest, I've owned 7 that weren't bent. I use a dial gauge to check my axles. That's pretty good for 30+ years of use.

[apickering975]

After reading what you all had to say I'm not going to get spacers. They seem impractical for the type of riding I do and I don't want to have to deal with a bent axle. What kind of 22 inch tires do you guys recommend for off road riding that are not too expensive?

[YamaBoss]

I'm going to assume you don't need a mud tire right?

I like the Kenda Pathfinder's. I ride mainly trails with occasional mud and these do great. They are basically a more aggressive knobby tire.

[apickering975]

I'm going to assume you don't need a mud tire right?

I like the Kenda Pathfinder's. I ride mainly trails with occasional mud and these do great. They are basically a more aggressive knobby tire.

I want a tire that does good in mud but also riding on normal terrain, so not as thick of tread as a big mud tire.

[christph]

Getting back to spacers, Rocky Mountain makes a real nice extended billet hub. It's their Tusk brand and you can get them for 100 bucks. I set up my 200X with extended hubs and 18" Turf Tamers. I wouldn't recommend it for tight trails but it is great for fire roads and motocross. Here are a couple of pictures.

[SamT]

I love them on my big red. But it's mostly slow riding on rough terrain.
I just have 1.5" each side. Stability is a lot better, and now it fits the track of new bigger atvs so it's in the groove.
It definitely doesn't turn as good, that's my only complaint.
I never though I needed them when I had a 200x though.