BEST RAZOR DXT DRIFT TRIKE UPGRADES AND MODS (Make It Ride Quieter, Smoother and Drift Better)
- Daniel Soulbuilt
- Mar 2, 2023
- 10 min read
Updated: Feb 28, 2024
The RAZOR DXT pedal drift trike is an inexpensive entry into the world of drifting awesomeness. There are a few simple upgrades that make it perform so much better, and solve all the common complaints I see in reviews.
STEP 1. Upgrade the Cheap Plastic Wheels to Pneumatic Rubber Tires with Aluminum Rims
The stock plastic wheels are the worst part of the trike. They are SO LOUD, super hard (don't absorb vibration and shock), they don't drift that well, and they wear out fast and need to be replaced (but with what?). It is possible to slip a 10" PVC pipe over the stock plastic wheels, but only once it has worn down enough for the pipe to fit. And even then, it's hard to get the PVC to stay, because the tire cannot be inflated to grip it. People have screwed the PVC into the tire, but that's not a great solution. The PVC drift sleeve still doesn't solve the noise and vibration issue.
Watch this video to see how to upgrade the cheap plastic rear wheels to rubber kart tires:
Replacing the wheels with real pneumatic rubber tires and metal rims, like a go-kart tire is the best solution. In fact, that's what RAZOR already uses on their much more expensive DXT Electric Drift Trike, and they can be purchased from RAZOR for about $30 each. Unfortunately, the rubber tire wheel bearings have a larger ID, and the spacing is different than the stock plastic wheels. The stock axle is 12mm in diameter, while the rubber tire wheel bearings have a 15mm ID. A bearing reducing bushing adapter must be used to make the 15mm ID rubber wheel bearings fit on the 12mm pedal drift trike axle.
An option to the bearing reducing adapter is to replace the bearing with one that has a 12 millimeter ID. The original bearing is a 6002-2RS bearing, which has a 15 mm ID, a 32 mm OD and a 9 mm width. A bearing that fits the hub ID and shaft OD is a 6201-2RS, which has a 12 mm id, a 32 mm OD and a 10 mm width.
In addition, a spacer bushing has to be used to adjust the position of the rubber tire wheel on the axle, since the width between bearings is smaller than the stock plastic wheels. The spacer bushing can also help support and strengthen the axle as long as the nut is tightened to the proper torque. The spacer bushing that fits well is a 12mm drill bushing and is 36mm long.
This is a cross-section of what all that mess looks like. This shows the pneumatic wheel bearing locations on the Razor DXT axle, with the 15-12mm bearing reducer bushings and the shaft spacer.
The nuts that hold the wheels onto the shaft are locknuts, but after installing and removing them a few times, the locking plastic feature doesn't hold as well, so it's a good idea to use blue Loctite to prevent the nut from loosening. Tighten the nut to 22-25 ft-lbs of torque to properly compress the spacers and keep the shaft in tension.
I did notice a small metallic vibration that turned out to be one of the bearings was a bit loose inside the aluminum wheel hub. I added a very thin paper/plastic shim around the OD of the bearing and pressed it into the hub so that it wouldn't be loose, and that fixed the vibration.
The new wheels solved all the problems with the stock wheels: quieter, absorb vibration and shock, and have a replaceable drift sleeve, but they still need to have a drift sleeve installed to slide the back end around (see STEP 2).
▼ WHERE TO BUY DRIFT TRIKES:
▼ WHERE TO BUY DRIFT WHEEL PARTS:
▶ RAZOR Pneumatic Rubber Wheels (RAZOR website is often out of stock)
▶ RAZOR Pneumatic Rubber Wheels (order over the phone) - The part # is W20130599048, and if they are not available on the website, they may be in stock and available over the phone. 1-866-467-2967
▼ WHERE TO BUY SHAFT SPACER BUSHING (QTY 2 NEEDED):
or
▶ 13Pcs M12 Industrial Steel Spacer Sleeve Bushings Fit for 12mm classic axle (The longest spacer in this kit is 35MM, which is long enough)
▼ WHERE TO BUY 15MM TO 12MM BEARING REDUCER BUSHING (QTY 4 NEEDED):
▶ 12MM ID, 15MM OD Bearing Reducer Bushing, Set of 4 (Amazon) or
▶ 12MM ID, 15MM OD Bearing Reducer Bushing, Set of 2 (Amazon) or
▶ 12MM ID, 15MM OD Bearing Reducer Bushing (Amazon) or
▶ 12MM ID, 15MM OD Bearing Reducer Bushing (Amazon) or
▶ 12MM ID, 15MM OD Bearing Reducer Bushing (Amazon) or
▶ 12MM ID, 15MM OD Bearing Reducer Bushing (McMaster)
▼ WHERE TO BUY A 6201-2RS BEARING THAT WON'T REQUIRE THE BEARING REDUCER BUSHING (QTY 4 NEEDED):
▶ GOOD QUALITY - 2PACK TIMKEN 6201-2RS Double Rubber Seal Bearings 12x32x10mm
▶ UNKNOWN QUALITY - PGN (4 Pack) 6201-2RS Bearing - 12x32x10mm
▼ WHERE TO BUY ALTERNATIVE DRIFT SLEEVES
▶ 10" PVC Pipe Cut To Width - or https://www.flatoutdrifttrikes.com/parts-accessories/10-pvc-white-replacement-sleeves-set-of-2-free-sticker/
ALTERNATIVE WHEELS IF RAZOR WHEELS ARE OUT OF STOCK
NOTE: The following alternative wheel options have not been tested and may require modifications, spacers, and bushings.
I've noticed that the RAZOR DXT wheels are out of stock, and RAZOR replied that they would be back in a few months. Maybe this post and video made them sell out faster than normal. 10" Go-kart wheels can be used, but they are a lot more expensive than the RAZOR DXT wheels, and most have to be purchased in separate parts, tire, tube, rim, and hub.
TRIAD VANGUARD WHEELSET
I haven't installed them yet, but I've heard that the Triad Vanguard replacement wheels are excellent wheels for the RAZOR DXT drift trike. These are heavy-duty wheels with very thick PVC sleeves.
The Triad wheels have a bearing with 15mm ID and will require a set of bearing-reducing bushings (qty 4 for 2 wheels), and the bearing spacing is different from the stock RAZOR DXT wheels, which will require a shaft spacer (qty 2 needed). The shaft spacer should be 10-12mm.
▼ WHERE TO BUY WHEELS:
▼ WHERE TO BUY SHAFT SPACER (QTY 2 NEEDED):
One of these kits may be enough, because a 12mm bushing can be used on one side, and a 15mm bushing on the other.
▼ WHERE TO BUY BEARING REDUCER BUSHINGS (QTY 4 NEEDED):
▶ 12MM ID, 15MM OD Bearing Reducer Bushing, Set of 4 (Amazon) or
10" Go-Kart Wheels
The least expensive 10-inch go-kart wheels that I found that come with the tire, tube, and rim are sold by VEVOR on Amazon. The downside is that they don't come with a hub, and they use a metric hub with a 58mm bolt-hole pattern. I can't find any metric hubs like this on Amazon. They are all American-style hubs in inches. Metric-style front hubs must be purchased from go-kart supply stores. Then it also needs bushings to adapt the ID of the hub bearing to the 12MM OD of the drift trike shaft. The axial length of the shaft will require some spacers.
There are also American Wheel Hub to Metric Wheel Adapters available, but they cost as much as a metric hub and you still need to buy the American Wheel Hub.
These axle bushings have a 5/8in OD (standard bearing ID for go kart front wheel hubs and hand truck wheels), and a 12mm ID to fit the drift trike shaft.
▼ WHERE TO BUY PARTS:
10" HAND CART WHEELS
Another alternative is 10" wheels for hand trucks, which are super cheap and can be used with the correct axle bushing adapter sleeve (5/8 OD to 12mm ID bushing). Since these tires are narrow, 2 will need to be used side by side to hold one drift sleeve for each side of the trike for a total of 4 wheels. NOTE: Make sure to tighten and apply threadlocker to all the bolts/nuts.
One of the wheel hubs will need to be slightly modified, because the hub widths are too long and don't fit on the axle (even with one bearing going over the axle flange area). Also, the air inflation valves are on the opposite side of the hub, so they both need to be facing outwards, which puts the hubs facing each other. A new hole could be drilled for the air inflation valve on the opposite side of the rim, but the sharp edge needs to be well chamfered/rounded to prevent damage to the air valve stem, so that's a whole other bunch of issues that would need to be solved, so facing the hubs towards each other is the easiest solution.
Cut the hub shorter such that the bearings fit right next to each other. A longer bushing sleave is used to support 3 bearings without adding extra axial width for each bearing due to the bushing flange.
▼ WHERE TO BUY PARTS:
TRIAD 49'ER WHEELSET
I haven't tried these drift wheels either, but they use a 6001-2RS bearing, which has a 12mm ID, and therefore should be a direct fit on the RAZOR DXT drift trike axle and may only require shaft spacers.
They are smaller in diameter than 10in wheels and smaller and much thinner than the TRIAD Vanguard, RAZOR DXT, or regular 10" PVC pipe drift sleeve. They are designed to be used on high-end kids trikes vs adult trikes. These would not be the best upgrade choice for the RAZOR DXT drift trike for adult use.
TRIAD 49'er on the left compared to RAZOR DXT electric pneumatic tire with drift sleeve on the right.
The advantage is that they will lower the CG of the trike, making it more stable.
▼ WHERE TO BUY:
STEP 2. Add PVC Drift Sleeves To The Upgraded Rubber Inflatable Wheels
Now that the cheap plastic stock wheels have been replaced with nice inflatable rubber wheels, it's time to add the drift sleeves. There are 2 options for this, buy 10" Sch40 PVC pipe (solid, not foam core), or buy the drift sleeves pre-made from RAZOR. 10" Sch40 PVC pipe is very expensive, and usually only available in 10-20ft lengths. Some people sell pre-cut widths online, but it is less expensive to buy the RAZOR drift sleeves that are designed to fit these wheels. The RAZOR drift sleeve has a ridge on the center of the ID that is designed to match the groove in the center of the tire. The sleeve is slipped over the deflated tire until the groove/ridge is lined up, and then when it is inflated, the groove/ridge locks the sleeve onto the tire so that it doesn't slip off. This system is simple and it works great.
The RAZOR DXT drift sleeves cost about $15 each (cheaper than comparable precut 10" PVC pipe), and they are so slippery, even on the very rough pavement we ride on.
Watch the video above to see how much smoother, quiter and more awesome these drift sleeves are vs the stock plastic wheels.
▼ WHERE TO BUY DRIFT SLEEVES:
▶ 10" PVC Pipe Cut To Width - https://www.ebay.com/itm/225162059209 or https://www.flatoutdrifttrikes.com/parts-accessories/10-pvc-white-replacement-sleeves-set-of-2-free-sticker/
STEP 3. Add A Front Fender
It's easy for the front wheel to rub on your leg during a tight turn. Of course you learn quickly how to position the pedals and bend your legs away from the pedals. An accidental rub from the tire at speed can rip off some skin or wear through your pants legs. A fender to protect your legs and make it easier to continue pedaling in the turns would be nice.
I'm designing a fender that will be 3D printable, and zip tie to the legs. It can be printed out of rigid material, but a semiflex material would be ideal to prevent breakage.
STEP 4. Replace the Front Brakes
The stock brakes are cheap, so cheap that mine broke while adjusting them during assembly. The plastic piece that holds the tensioner spring at the post broke and rendered the brakes useless. Fortunately, I had a pair of very old (vintage) Shimano XTR V brakes that fit perfectly and were far easier to adjust. The stock brakes were a total pain to adjust even before they broke. The Koolstop brake pads that are on the XTR v brakes stop very well, but the rim appears to be uneven, so the brakes grab and release which is annoying. I will try to true the wheel, but I think that the rim may have wider and narrower areas because the brake lever pulses. The only way to fix that is to put it on a truing stand and start bending the rim flanges to make adjustments.
STEP 5. Spoke Covers
The RAZOR DXT drift trike spokes are exposed, which is kinda dangerous to accidentally stick your toes in there. That would not be pretty. Some 20" BMX wheel covers would be great for covering up the spokes.
Wheel covers were the rage in the early days of BMX, but they are harder to find now. BIKE DUBZ are the only inexpensive wheel covers I can find.
▼ WHERE TO BUY WHEEL COVERS:
▶ White or Black Wheel Covers Option 2
These wheel covers are available in white or black.
Bike wheel covers can be DIY'd, and here are a few examples.
Using a metal trash can lid (Plastic trash can lid could work also.)
STEP 6. Quick Disassemble Frame For Transport
The RAZOR DXT drift trike is bulky too transport. Only 2 screws hold the main parts of the frame together, so it would be easy to replace those screws with quick releases.
The rear axle bolt it's difficult to access if the seat is all the way back. Slots in the yellow frame can be cut to allow the axle bolts to slide out of the frame. When the front bolt is in, it prevents the axle/seat frame from sliding out the slots.
The front pin bolt OD is 8mm. The length is 32mm. The screw thread is 6mm.
The rear pin bolt OD is 8mm. The length is 48mm. The screw thread is 6mm.
Quick release solution to be continued...
STEP 7. Ride It Like You Stole It
The products shown here were purchased by me with the intent to use them. I did not receive any free items, and I am not being paid or compensated for this review. The video, description, and comments may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link, I may receive a commission. Money earned helps to support my channel and bring you more informative videos about engineering, crafting, and DIY
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