Suzuki LT50 Quad - maintenance?

Solus

Solus

Solus

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I'm thinking of getting one of these for my little girl (I know).

But I'm quite anxious about not being able to maintain it.

I can perform basic tasks on a car, like changing spark plugs, I've changed the fuel pump on a corsa, but that's as far as I've been.

Is this getting in over my head? Or are they fairly simple with a manual in front of you?

Any advice gratefully received.
 
Really is a doddle with basic skills, the hardest part is diagnosing a problem. Fuel, spark and compression.

They are very reliable so should need little repairs, you'll mostly be chasing things like clogged air filters and contaminated petrol.

They hold their money really well so buy a decent one and keep it good and it'll almost be worth what you paid for it in 5 years. If you have a problem a moped or lawnmower shop should be able to help you out.

Try and find one with a throttle limiter and a kill switch at the rear on string you can hold on to :)
 
I have an LT160 which I bought new in 1990 and it still runs fine.

Easy to maintain and will take a good beating!
 
Very easy to maintain. I was changing pistons in bikes when I was 14 however I'm crap when it comes to my car maintenance and just take it the garage!
 
I worked at a Suzuki bike dealership for 7 years and we sold loads of LT50's, we hardly ever had to repair one, a very reliable little quad. As someone has said don't leave petrol in it for a long time if not being used as it will clog the carb. Air filters are easy enough to clean, just wash it in a tub of water with some washing up liquid, let it dry and put it back in.
 
I imagine that socket set will be fine. It obviously isn't going to be of the best quality, but as long as it can undo things, tighten things, and the teeth in the sockets aren't made of cheese, they will do the job. :)

I assume you have some basic tools like spanners, screwdrivers, pliers etc for other misc tasks that require something other than a socket set?
 
They might not be needed anyway. Its just that some places can be easier to reach with a normal open ended spanner.
 
Worth checking if the spark plug socket included in your set is the right size for the plug in the LT50, there's generally 2 sizes of plug sockets and I'd expect the LT to have the larger version.

If you've not got a set of spanners I'd say it's very worth while getting a basic set of open-ended/ring spanners. These will be lot more suitable for jobs on the quad than your cycle spanners, where access restricts a socket getting in or you need the socket wrench on the other end of a nut/bolt fixing. Perhaps something to hint at for Xmas? ;)

Couple of spare spark plugs for the quad would be a good idea too.
 
Thanks a lot for your help guys! With regards to not leaving petrol in for too long, how long is too long?

It will generally be used once a week, possibly a fortnight if weather is really bad.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but an empty tank will rust inside out and then you'll have problems with rust. Unless they are now plastic.


Either way I'd just make sure it has an inline fuel filter then if you're putting it away for a longer period turn the fuel off and let it run the carb dry.
 
Solus said:
Thanks a lot for your help guys! With regards to not leaving petrol in for too long, how long is too long?

It will generally be used once a week, possibly a fortnight if weather is really bad.
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I'd say it'd take a couple of months for dormant fuel to start going off, maybe even longer.

If you think about it there'll be lots of sportsbikes about to go into hibernation till next spring and there won't be an influx of calls to dealers to get them all up and running again.

Those same bikes won't end up with rusty fuel tanks either - takes a long time for that to happen unless they're left abandoned outside in all weathers.
 
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