This Thing is Nuts!! - Mini Baja Bug Project First Test Drive

[@Gixie-R]

Big up to Brian for letting you rip up his yard. A neighbour you want to have.

[@Sunspot-19]

In lieu of Karen from the neighborhood that came onto his property and had a full on meltdown.

[@Gixie-R]

@@Sunspot-19 Lol. I have.... No, Had one like that. Soon got rid of her.

[@RobertMendietta]

Yup I had a neighbor like that and his yard was f%#ked up too thanks to me and him good times

[@foxbatmotorsports]

Having a camera operator for this video provided some awesome footage.

[@slapawooky7717]

He should hire Brain as his new cameraman

[@RichFife]

You should build an addition to the cage that protects your neck/head in case of a roll-over. We all like your videos, and we'd hate to see them stop because you broke your neck. A few years back, we had a racer break his neck. Definitely add some safety precautions to reduce coolant burns too.

[@johnmead1337]

I agree especially as it always looks like its about the roll over.

[@Naughty_Ram]

That's what the guard bar behind his head is for. Its specifically to prevent his head getting crushed on roll over. But he needs to extend it up a little more than it currently is.

[@westman8527]

As someone who has broken their neck before, please take this into consideration. It fucking sucks

[@outabody381]

Bro he has a rollbar. Sometimes certain projects can't be completely safe. You just have to be careful

[@RichFife]

@outabody381 what good is a roll bar if your head and neck isn't protected from being compressed???

[@joeyginise6051]

You 100% need stiffer shocks for this thing. Also, SHE ABSOLUTELY RIPS!!

[@keesanker4241]

agree, will also improve the steering way more

[@videobyallen]

Shocks look fine. Good travel. What it needs is a fairly stiff rear sway bar

[@ohwell2790]

How do you tell the gender of a machine ?

[@SLIMMY93]

@@ohwell2790 Look at its asshole!

[@jasonbirch1182]

​@@videobyallensuspension looks fine. The shocks and springs are inadequate. A sway bar would crutch the understeer but will cause one wheel bumps to upset the chassis more in a straight line. It's also understeering because as soon as it leans into a turn and unloads the inside tire the outside tire loses power and has full grip. Off road vehicles slide and "rotate" to corner best. The differential will be great on pavement but it's not on dirt. A good lsd would be a huge improvement but solid with a handbrake/separate front rear controlled brakes would be perfectly fine.

[@TwoForFlinchin]

Definately needs Herbie decals and some big round rally lights on the front. This thing will be a weapon when it's running properly.

[@therealcmplx]

Yep

[@shawnpennell1627]

Yes

[@tbabajan]

Super awesome of this guy letting you come tear up his property! I freakin love this thing! Can't wait till you get all the kinks worked out!

[@agoogleuser7784]

Brian seems like such cool dude. Beyond nice of him to invite you out and help so much with filming and diagnosing. Make sure you don’t abuse his kindness though, he will be a longterm friend worth having.

[@HulluJanne]

He seems to have good pointers.

[@Gazoopl]

Beautiful machine, I would change the headlight for round ones though

[@Soreon]

I totally agree

[@jerrywilcox9890]

Doesn't need round ones them will work just fine.

[@jimmywhitlow2012]

​@@jerrywilcox9890it would make it look more like a bug, because round headlights are what they had.

[@jerrywilcox9890]

@jimmywhitlow2012 who cares what it looks like

[@davestevens4263]

Yes ! Thats what i was thinking but didn't want to sound nit picky .

[@red-factory]

cool project and has good power for the first test. As far as the problem with the donuts and poor steering is concerned, the main solution is a sway bar on the rear axle, which keeps the wheels on the ground. Real trophy trucks and Baja buggies always have a sway bar. As an example, when steering to the right, the entire weight presses onto the rear left wheel, which causes you to lose grip at the front. In addition, the left rear loaded wheel builds up extreme grip and in contrast, the right rear loses grip, so the deferential starts to work and only sends all the power to the right wheel because it spins freely, so the power pushes you forward instead of to the right to execute the donut, I hope this helps!

[@jaakkotyni2342]

We all have seen thousands of donuts with different machines, there is nothing special about those in my opinion, but that thing gripping and pulling front wheels of the ground looks really cool. Dont worry about donuts

[@omittuch1]

It's a lot better than the one wheel drive 5hp go kart I had growing up.

[@Dudeface167]

Which is better than my Razor E300...

[@moparpowersports9930]

one thing i suggest sir is that you make some sort of fire shield or splash shield incase you have a cooling system failure id hate to see you get 1st degree burns from coolant its not fun man been there done that better to be safe then sorry

[@aldricracette2473]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@moparpowersports9930]

@@aldricracette2473 hed also benifit from some nice cooling fans as well

[@micahhittinger6083]

I was gonna say the same thing!

[@Sals_Special_Solutions]

I was thinking the same. I had a friend of mine get severally burned due to a hose bursting behind him with no shielding.

[@rico8089]

100% 👍🏼

[@F5Tornado44]

Okay, a couple things here. Snow mobile motors are originally tuned to run in cold climate, so yeah, you may be running a little lean. Check the output of the fuel pump. Check float bowl height and richen up your jetting a little. Spark plugs should give a good indication of what's going on. Next, suspension in the rear is too soft. You can try dialing in some more preload and adding more nitrogen as well as a few more clicks on the low speed compression, but ultimately, you'll probably need stiffer springs. A sway bar would help a bit also. As for donuts, you have a differential. If it's not posi, or locked, donuts are going to be a bit more difficult. Not impossible though. Remember, you have cutting brakes. Use them. Pull the brake on the inside wheel. Hope this helps you.

[@eugenesbackyardrepair4593]

I'm thinking u forgot to mention radiator is right behind seat so what air flow. I'm pretty sure radiator fans won't help if you're blocking radiator air with ur body

[@MrFixit1]

You have the tuning thing backwards. Cold air has more Oxygen than hot air. Hot air would make it run too rich, Hot air less Oxygen per given volume than cold air. Therefore, you need less fuel.

[@jackfulton6696]

Warm air is less dense, so wouldn’t it be running really rich right now

[@michaelmcginnis9029]

I was thinking the same fuel starvation is what I'm seeing but it also could be from overheating it's leaning it out definitely fix that asap check fuel delivery I'd have a consistent flow pump if it was me and get some fairings made and add a fan for sure that'll redirect the air. Try leaning the rad back a little bit

[@paraven31]

You have said everything i was thinking to advise

[@somenygaard]

I’m going to nitpick, that thing needs round headlights. The squares gotta go! Love the channel love the builds.

[@roddguy100]

Hollyheckabob! I think you have just invented a whole new class of racing, that thing is nuts .

[@calholli]

It's similar to a small sprint car.. CrossKarts are also very similar: just with a full cage, and then usually with a manual sports bike engine.

[@WireWeHere]

Chin Up Racing? Necker Race Sin? El'Blow Racing? Bar B Attack Racing?

[@mikellewis2346]

That motors gonna need rebuilt real soon. You got it way to hot.

[@prophez23]

Yup he toasted that motor really bad.

[@calholli]

Yeah.. It needs a bigger radiator. Or at least keep your riding in small bursts

[@SEILLC]

​@@prophez23That radiator has a body in front of it.

[@chrisparker9886]

It needs electric fans!

[@CaribouKH]

Super shoutout to Brian!!! Awesome to see this thing just tears hit up.. even at 50%

[@RandysRides]

You and Grind Hard need to collab and exchange ideas. You also need to finish that cool trophy truck. lol

[@4bangerlove]

They all went on a trip with their machines a few years ago up the Colorado mountains

[@calholli]

@@4bangerlove Yeah.. But this is way cooler than his monster quad.. or whatever he called it at the time.

[@anthonyschirtzinger2957]

Glad I checked the comments first, I feel like they need to do an annual trip with all their machines!

[@bitten4life78]

Shout out to the neighbor thanks from one of his subs for allowing such a cool showing of the build much appreciated and great job on the build as well.

[@ipoopmuffins]

looks like brian is gonna be a big help to the channel in the future lmao, what a cool dude for giving you access to his property.

[@JokerInk-CustomBuilds]

That thing sounds and drives like an rc car! Love it!

[@garymills5220]

been sooooo waiting for this moment..and your smile when getting inn to put it on the trailer...speaks a thousand words

[@EmxBrandon]

Build some scoops on the back side of the "windows" by your shoulders directing air directly to the radiator and also acting as a fire wall of sorts! Dude that thing absolutely rips and it aint even right yet! 🤘🏻

[@royjohnson2384]

You have lots of good comments that you need to follow up on. Also, think about the spring and helix in the clutch. With out some rpm info I'm thinking stiffer spring and a steeper helix to keep the rpm higher coming out of the corners. It I wasn't 6'4" I would love a test drive in that beast. So much fun! Be safe play hard!

[@JBroezel]

Great build! nevertheless you need much stronger springs on the rear. Also think of installing a torsion bar on the rear. This will for sure add a lot better handling in corners. For sure your radiator needs some fans and even airscoops beside your head in order to get some cool air flow to the rad. Currently the radiator is near to no airflow at all! Kind regards

[@kensthorne7060]

You've come along way from when you first started your videos in the beginning you were timid in your driving an now your hanging it out balls to the walls racing. Congratulations in your abilities and your choices in your creativity, as you are truly very talented individual Chris

[@thescottishhammer7570]

Who here wants to see Chris build a FULL SIZE Baja Bug?!?!?!?!?! I'd love to see him put all of his fantastic fab skills into building a fullsize Baja Bug.

[@mbrider2373]

Definitely needs a fan, add some side vents like window scoops to add airflow, and make sure you are running the proper jetting for warm weather. It's designed to be running below freezing, so if you haven't richened it up, you're going to lean it out, and put some extra holes in your pistons lol. First run out looks like it was a blast though. And the turning brakes looked like they worked great.

[@Davespackey]

That thing looks badass ripping through the woods

[@Iamdesignproducts]

Absolutely ridiculous how much work went into this build! She's a ripper!! 🤘🤘🤘

[@hackofalltrades5256]

Awesome test , look like bug may benefit from a rear swaybar and stiffer rear spring 😊

[@janne3006]

swaybar front and back and sure stiffer spring

[@AlfisGarage]

Not going to do a donut for two reasons - open diff + front wheels off the ground. Simply too much grip in the rear. Great to see the progress 👍

[@la_plata3588]

Hell yeah to the community

[@cuocsonglangnoigogang]

The Mini Baja Bug project has truly taken off! Seeing it in action on its first test drive is absolutely thrilling. Your dedication and craftsmanship shine through in every detail, making this project a testament to your skill and passion. And I Am Floating Village Life

[@Flyingwigs]

Nice job! Maybe a small fuel pump and low pressure regulator, and a lithium iron phosphate battery to run the fans and lights.

[@That_F250_Custom]

I was thinking the same thing about the fuel pump. Like most carb lawnmowers have but those run off the engine vacuum I believe.

[@calholli]

@@That_F250_Custom Most of these snowmobile engines have the same vacuum port and pump. I know my 500cc Rotax does

[@mikebergman1817]

Dang dude, Brian is a freakin class act. What a cool dude.

[@allanarndt3047]

If this engine has oil injection you should give it some more oil,if it doesn’t then try adding extra oil in the gas. Looks crazy fun tho!

[@jayventransportllc]

I got my faith back in humanity and your builds!!! That thing rips!!!! I call it success though I had my doubts!

[@johnmorgan1629]

That what you need shake down runs for, thanks to Bryan for giving you the chance to give it a proper go.

[@phoenixarizona8441]

Awesome of Brian to let you ride there wish we still had our property in Tennessee we had 34 acers all private trails

[@pcdc1337]

Good camera work by Brian!

[@nathanpennell1587]

Thank Brian for the trails and the awesome clips. Chris.... this thing is awesome. I'm stoked to see this thing running on the trails. Keep it uo due. Always loving it

[@sky173]

That's awesome. Definitely need a light-duty sway bar.

[@Joeykennady]

Best build yet the suspension is crazy on that thing and it looks like a lil rc car even sound like one on crack 😂😂 more like this please

[@mr_taco_offroad1526]

Dude I’m so excited to see what’s coming up next

[@dealwolfstriked272]

The lower you go the funner the experience. I used to drive a go kart and they are like from another world compared to a car in the fun factor. I could see this taking off and becoming a thing lol!

[@DeathGrimmR]

Better rear shocks or more beefy springs. That squat on the right rear when try to do a donut is putting a lot of strain on the belt and slippage. That could be playing a major part in the bogging. Improper weight distribution is a killer on cvt belts and can stall a motor. The radiator is perfect but needs air flow. A fan will work. It's just not getting enough air flow because you're sitting in front of it and blocking the majority of the flow it really needs.

[@drunkchicken8636]

I always wanted a hyabusa powered sandrail, cause growing up, dad had built a VW sized rail, and put a alum. block 215 V8 in his. I ended up driving one and it was the same size as dads, but with a way better suspension. That was really nice. but the hyabusa just didn't have the punch or torque feel of dad's rail. Dads rail had a high lobe cam that made just under 200hp. Dad passed, I now have my rail that I grew out of when I turned 18. Since my legs grew and don't fit. Now I'm old and my fat body don't fit. But I love this guys little bug.

[@letsgetdoing]

Awesome!!!!

[@Need2Xplore]

Next time you have to take one of your other creations so Brian can ride'em too 😅

[@mrshaneyt43]

Perfect idea . Take something he can comfortably fit in and have some fun out there . What a cool guy he seems…and a great camera man 👍

[@twodogsyyc6729]

Such a kool build man. Once that suspension is dialed its going to be a really deadly machine to get out and rip!!

[@Spubaru4U]

She desperately needs some fans on that radiator 😂😂😂 You put it right behind you and the seat, so she’s not gonna get much air flow to the radiator. You’re not dumb though, you know what you need to mod. Awesome build man, can’t wait to see the improvements and the end result. I’ll be watching, like I always do. Keep up the great work 😊

[@jamesgravel7755]

That thing is awesome I love it. You get the jetting right and the suspension dialed in that thing is gona be a monster.

[@geoffburrill9850]

You really need to stiffen up that suspension as it lifts a wheel off the ground whilst cornering, that will be why it doesn't turn. That rad is big enough it just isn't getting much air to it. Man it is one wild ride.

[@mckrackin5324]

It's hot because it's running out of gas in turns. The lean condition makes a lot of heat. Enough to melt pistons. He needs to figure out how to keep the carbs full of gas before he does anything else. First thing I would do is stop trying to do donuts. lol

[@EmilPaulsen-u6f]

Beautiful build, it seems to need stiffer Springs at the back, and that Fan at the Radiator for sure. What a Masterpiece :)

[@EdwardMurray06]

The suspension is waaaaay to soft which is half the reason it won’t do a donut. The front wheels being in the air so easily means donuts won’t be easy since you can’t steer with the tires not on the ground lol

[@rolandbuehler1596]

I trink so too, to much weight and way to much grip on the rear.Also Nerds an anti-roll- bar on the rear for less waving.

[@johnmead1337]

Agree. Looks so soft at back.

[@nickbowker5134]

May be a anti roll bar on rear might help

[@TripleXclown]

My Baja won’t do donuts on anything other than pavement.. just a thought..

[@RichFife]

Tie-down shocks up-front

[@Phillip.G.Lucion81]

Bro you just built the sickest 7/8 scale rc buggy i dont like rc really but this would be sick as one id even get one dang bro super nice honestly the coolest build yet

[@moparpowersports9930]

also make sure you have baffels in the tank i think your running into a lot of fuel slosh

[@SilvaDreams]

I'd say get somefuel cell anti-slosh foam, works alot better than some baffles would.

[@ThePinkPanth3r]

The scale of this thing is spot on

[@redtop03]

LOL it's awesome. It looks and sounds kinda like an extra large alcohol powered RC car

[@Grimm-Gaming]

It really does. Even smokes like my nitro cars

[@adamengland2519]

Amazing to see this from nothing but raw materials and parts to a mad ripper. Huge props to you. mad skills. From watching it looks like you need about 20 to 25% more shock all round and defo some extra safety to protect your neck. Keep up the great work. Thank you for sharing.

[@jasonbirch1182]

There's zero flow on the radiator. Size is irrelevant with no airflow. I cant fathom how you are intelligent enough to build this stuff but still cant foresee a rad with zero airflow needs fans from the jump.

[@mynameismelvin6087]

Ditto on “I can’t fathom how you are intelligent…..”. Mad skillz but not really a ton of street knowledge of how how end result will or won’t work..

[@fvpaquetqc]

With all that weight in the rear and how soft it is thats why its not gonna do donuts really well, but its not made for it! This thing i think needs to be geard a bit lower to pick the front up, maybe stiffer in the rear and a anti roll bar too

[@ptonio1]

Without the shell, it looks more like a mini trophy truck than the mini trophy truck. Love your vids!

[@slakjawnotsayin5451]

Man, I love it! Fantastic job as usual, thank you for all of this that you do for us!

[@gamerduck3707]

I just love the suspension roll at corners, it really looks like a trophy truck

[@johnstancato8785]

I think you need to put a strong fan on that radiator and have it wired up so you can leave the fan run when you turn the motor off so that it continues to cool the engine down

[@DanPainter-xr6ct]

I had a similar build and I was abley to get a dual fan from small car with zRAD and put fan on switch to make sure it ran whole time and for a while when done it was a little buggy with a Yamaha 1000 street bike engine from a 96 FZR YAMAHA R 4 cylinder

[@dennychaput4689]

When the motor stops, so does the coolant pump. So running the fan while eng is off only cools what is in radiator. K cool n thx

[@lemontec8222]

with all the roll and probably jumps that the baja bug will be doing , maybe(depending on how much work it will be) consider 2 stroke jetski carbs from a yamaha, they are pressure fed carbs, so there is no floats or bowls, so the fuel wont shift around and cause the engine to bog down when trying to do donuts and such?

[@brianscott9861]

I'm jealous. Very cool. Be careful and keep it under a hundred!

[@larryegilman1]

You need sway bars to flatten out suspension in turns,+++ better driver protection as mentioned by another. Wild acceleration

[@yuramokrousow2530]

Как я рад, Наконец-то посмотреть его в действии. Мне в целом все проекты нравятся, краулер особенно. Но этот очень душевный, впадаю в детство и чистые эмоции. ❤

[@insAneTunA]

It looks great, it sounds great, and it looks like a lot of fun to drive. And I am sure that you will get it to run just like you want. For a first testrun it seems to perform really well. I think that it would turn a lot better if the front suspension would be a bit stiffer as well. Also a big 👍for Brian for giving you the opportunity to do the testrun, and for filming the testrun.

[@17madracki17]

So wicked to see it rip. And your friend has a real cool property. Only up from here !!!!

[@ChanseMartin222]

Soo sick! It looks like a rc car from a distance. I have confidence that you’ll get it dialed in.

[@Matrix_Rich]

I remember turning 16 and my dad collected old cars. He had a Malibu with a 396 and asked if I could take it for a night. You’ll fukn wrap yourself around a tree with that thing he told me lol! This project reminds me of that. Awesome job!

[@LordHolley]

That thing is rad! stiffen up the rear, it will slide better.

[@adventuresaimless]

You need a rear sway or “stabilizer” bar it’s got a lot of roll, I think it would help the steering and the handling a ton!!!!

[@adventuresaimless]

In fact I have the front one off my rzr that would probably work great. I’ll send it to you for a shout out to get more 👀 on my channel! Ps you need to bring that thing out and rip it here in Utah where we got some open public land!!!

[@weshipitjamaica4354]

Much respect to Brian. No more cranky next door neighbour

[@Andrecht1]

This project is the best one yet!!!

[@charlescrane3304]

That's so awsome I have over 30 gokarts and want a bug and love your work its awsome buddy

[@mikeanderson2730]

One of the coolest project of this channel so far. Love the snowmobile engine, excellent sound and serious power. To help with the leaning when you turn/accelerate, a sweybar on the rear axel could help a lot. Keep up the good work!

[@sourdonkeyjuice]

I hope you put paddles and take it to the dunes! Sick build man!

[@DirtGearTv]

That thing look like it would be hella fun at the drag strip!

[@jamesfischer5389]

THAT THING IS ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR CHRIS!!! 👍🏼✌🏻 Awesome Job! 🏆

[@Unclej1mmy_]

thanks for the inspiration I'm building one of these in my medal work class in school

[@jameshatton4211]

I love the sound of the 3 cylinder 2 stroke because it sounds a lot like a 20B rotary 🎶

[@jamaicatvtv4215]

big up to rather B welding all good

[@partlycloudy9443]

Holy Moly! That thing is so damn cool..

[@musicauthority674]

I sorta get the impression that a sway bar wouldn't hurt it any. because as you are steering it the one front wheel really leaves the ground. hindering it's steering ability some, having only the one front wheel getting traction. but I'm actually amazed that it doesn't wheelie like crazy. I figured it would be somewhat difficult to keep the front wheels on the ground. but it's better than I thought it would be. a two stroke with a CVT is always going to be different than a four stroke. because a two stroke has an optimal power band where it runs the best. a four stroke is more forgiving in that respect. like you said some more tuning is going to be necessary. and a fan on that radiator is also going to be necessary. to get the temperature down to where the oil can do a better job lubricating the engine. but it's maiden voyage is a success and it' gave a lot of input on what you need to do to make it perfect.

[@abrfox1234]

Nothing sounds like a 2 stroke triple Love it !

[@jameshatton4211]

Sounds *better* I think literally mimicked you sentiments saying much the same thing but for different reasons? I said that I realised why I loved the sound of 3 cylinder 2 strokes....... It's because they sound much like a 20B PP rotary

[@motomatt224]

This thing is sick!!!!

[@greggo7978]

I agree 100% with a earlier comment that suggests a better addition to your cage that protects your head and neck.This should be the most important upgrade you have to make.Please protect yourself.

[@benmurphy9328]

This thing is wild. I think you have earned yourself a new shop. Imagine what you could make then 😮

[@peterotto8779]

My favorite project of yours. This is so sick

[@blissbouwerij4033]

Legendary!!! That turned out friggin awesome! Hvent checked in since you were mounting the motor, sweet as man sweet as!

[@tasospotsepis141]

Nice work!Definitely needs a sway bar and bigger radiator with fans!!!!

[@tat2foru2]

By far your coolest build looks great love it

[@xpndblhero5170]

That's definitely a ripper but I'd look into that overheating issue, that's kind of scary, especially for an off-road machine.... I'd still like to see what this thing is capable of on street, I bet it could definitely wheelie when it hooks up good. I can't wait to see what it can do when it's all done.... Awesome video and thanks for letting Chris play on your trails. 😁👍

[@calholli]

This thing is hilarious.. It's like a 4 wheeler, but with low center of gravity. lol.. It's funny to watch

[@pavulon5000]

idc about traction, turning with one wheel off the ground looks so cool

[@BristolShaffer]

Dude the best build yet freaking amazing grind hard plumbing better step it up