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Story and photos by Nick Nelson

Proper front-end alignment can really make the difference between a great handling machine and a horrible one. Virtually every ATV has adjustable toe, and nearly every dual A-arm ATV will also have adjustable camber. Some aftermarket front ends even have adjustable caster settings as well.

Your toe or (toe-in adjustment) is the amount that your tires point toward each other (on an ATV this really helps the handlebars to naturally return to straight when exiting a turn). Your camber setting is the amount, if any, that the tire leans in on the top. Positive camber would be with the very top of the tire leaning out (away from the quad) and negative camber would be the top of the tire leaning in (towards the quad). Current popular camber adjustments range from 0- to roughly 3-degrees of negative camber.

Caster is another setting that can be adjusted, but it is usually only adjustable on aftermarket A-arms. It’s also a setting that you have to adjust in very small increments-radically changing the caster in your front end can result in very erratic handling. Caster is the angle of the top ball joint compared to the bottom ball joint. When looking straight down on it from the top, the top ball joint should always be slightly behind the bottom one (or slightly angled to the rear if you are looking directly from the side). The farther back the top ball joint is from the bottom, the slower and more stable your steering will be. The farther forward you position the ball joint, the quicker your quad will steer. And remember, we’re talking “slight” adjustments here-just a degree or two in either direction will radically affect overall handling, so only make very small adjustments!

For a simple explanation, think of a wheel barrow, the lower you hold the handles the wider the turns must be but if you hold the handles up high it turns quicker and in less space, but is less controllable.

As mentioned, caster adjustment is only available on a select number of front ends-and setting it up correctly requires a few specialty tools that most people don’t have. So for now we will concentrate on the basics of camber and toe adjustment. But be sure to check back for a follow up article on caster adjustment in the near future, because the more you know about setting up your front-end for different track conditions, the better your machine will handle!

STEP 1: GET LEVEL

To get precise measurements, you need to start with a level and smooth work surface, such as your garage floor. An uneven surface could throw off your measurements.

STEP 2: SET YOUR TIRE PRESSURE

Set all four tire pressures evenly. Again, consistency is key here when you are looking for precise measurements.

STEP 3: SET HANDLEBARS STRAIGHT

While sitting on the bike, insure that your handlebars are perfectly straight, then secure them with tie downs from each side of handlebars to the rear grab bar (so they stay straight). We prefer to use lightweight ratcheting straps, lightly cranking one side or the other to get it perfectly straight. Only ratchet them so they are snug-do not over tighten them!

STEP 4: CYCLE THE SUSPENSION

Pushing down on the front bumper, cycle the suspension through a couple of times letting it return up on it’s own the last time. This leaves the suspension in a neutral state, ready for you to measure and adjust.

STEP 5: GET CAMBER MEASUREMENTS

To measure the camber, you can either use a large level as shown or a large framing square. If you use a level you have to watch to make sure that the bubbles are centered when taking your measurements. If you use a square, the 90-degree bottom holds it level for you.  For our particular set up we are looking for 0 degrees of camber, basically the straight edge should hit the tire on the bottom and top evenly. A lot of racers prefer around 2-degrees of negative camber to calm the front end down a bit. 2-degrees is approximately ¼-inch gap from the tire on top, with the bottom touching the tire. For our initial measurement the wheel has positive camber (the top of the tire is hitting before the bottom), therefore we need to adjust the upper ball/A-arm in to reach our desired setting.

STEP 6: LOOSEN THE NUTS

Most aftermarket A-arms have an adjustable top ball joint or adjustable heim joints at the A-arm pivot point allowing for camber adjustment. For our arms we loosen the jam nut on the upper ball joint and suck the wheel in by tightening the locking nut on the back of the ball joint. When you think you are close to the desired setting, tighten the jam nut and then measure again.

STEP 7: ADJUST THE CAMBER

As you see in the photo, with the level straight up and down it hits the tire evenly on top and bottom. This gives us our desired 0 degrees of camber. If you’re looking for 2- to 3-degrees, your tire should be about ¼-inch from the level or square on top while resting against it on the bottom.

STEP 8: SWITCH SIDES & START OVER

With the camber set on one side, move on to the other side. As you can see this side actually has about a ½-inch gap from the level or about 4 degrees of camber. Since we are running 0 degrees, this side will need to be adjusted until it is set to 0 as well.

STEP 9: MEASURE THE TOE

Toe adjustment is measured as the difference in the gap between the front of the tires and the gap between the back of the tires, but first you must pull measurement off the frame to get your wheels going straight ahead. As shown in the photo, our right front tire measured 15 ¼” inches from the inside wheel lip to the centerline of the lower A-arm pivot bolt.

STEP 10: EQUAL RIGHT TO LEFT

With our right side measured at 15 ¼-inches, we moved to the left side, and as the photo illustrates, it measures to be 15 ¾-inches. We need to adjust the left hand tie rod to reach an equal measurement of 15 ¼-inches. Once you have equal measurements, cycle the suspension through again from the bumper and double-check your measurements. This is also a good time to eyeball your handlebars again to make sure they are still perfectly straight.

STEP 11: MEASURE FRONT CENTERLINE

With the tape approximately eight inches off the ground, carefully measure from the centerline of one tire to the other from the front of the tires. Write this measurement down-our measurement was 41 ½-inches.

STEP 12: MEASURE REAR CENTERLINE

Now you need to take a measurement from centerline to centerline of the tires at the back of the tire. This is a good time to enlist a helper to hold the tape centered on the tire. Our rear measurement came out to 41 ¼-inches, telling us that we had a total of ¼-inch of toe out or 1/8-inch out per side. We are looking for ¼-inch of toe in or 1/8-inch toe in per side. 0 toe or perfectly parallel tires would require meeting exactly in the middle of your two measurements. Therefore 0 toe would be a measurement of 41 3/8-inches at the front and rear.

STEP 13: ADJUST THE TOE

We are looking for 1/8-inch of toe per side, so if you subtract 2/8″ from your 41 3/8″ 0 measurement, our front measurement should be 41 1/8″.  With all four tie rod jam nuts broken loose, adjust both tie rods in small even increments. Make sure to check your measurement in between adjustments.

STEP 14: TIGHTEN IT ALL UP

Once you achieve your desired measurement, hold the tie rod from spinning and lock the jam nuts securely. Double-check your front and rear measurement. Also check the measurement off the A-arm bolt pivot bolt on each side to make sure everything is accurate. Release the tie downs, then while applying the front brakes bounce the bike up and down and check it again. If all is good, you are ready to ride.