Hello,

I'm looking at getting my first buggy and need some input. Which buggy would be best for me? I'm 6'2, 240Lbs, and have a patchy grass field to fly on that is about 3 city blocks long.

You are a big boy. You might not like the low back and short wheelbase of the entry level buggies like the Peter Lynn Comp XR+ or the Flexifoil. Depending on how serious you want to get with buggying, you may want to consider something a little more custom like what Van makes. He does nice deep seats that better fit those of us in the 200lbs+ club (myself included).

My first was a great starter for me, Big Mike sells what he refers to as the Frankenbuggy, which is a PL Comp XR downtube and front fork with the VTT rail kit and seat, and an extra wide back axle from the PL Bigfoot. You can customize it with whatever different PL parts you want to raise or lower the cost. He typically sells it with the extra long downtube, but I'm average height so I got the standard downtube.

In all, it costs more than the standard PL Comp XR by a few hundred dollars, but for a guy as tall as you, it may be worth it.

Another good option is to buy a used PL bug you can upgrade with the VTT rail kit. The great thing about the VTT rail kit is that it makes the side rails longer and the seat deeper making the PL Comp buggy more comfortable overall... Or Van (VTT) makes all great buggies and he is always coming up with something new.

There's lots of great options out there. Good luck

What is your budget ?

Sysmic, Apex, MG, Libre, Ivanpah = expensive but great quality.

Peter Lynn and Flexifoil are more affordable.

I think Van on this forum may still be custom building quality buggies at a pretty reasonable price.

All the above are good quality. You get what you pay for in this sport.

Kite Trike is about as cheap as you can get and a bit less reliable.

I think you want to decide if your location will require Big Foot style tires / buggy. If the patchy grass is long bigfoots may be the style of tire / type of buggy you are after. The main difference is the size of your front fork with bigfoot. If you buy a buggy with standard fork Van can probably build you a bigfoot fork ? Standard barrow tires work well on grass and hard pack beaches but bigfoot gives an advantage in long grass or soft sand.

So I take it Van is VTT? I've seen VTT on Big Mike's site and wasn't sure how they look compared to a tall guy like me. I'm not huge but I am taller than the average person

Also where is this Franken-Buggy on Mike's website?

Yes, he is VTT. As for size, 3shot is a pretty tall guy as well. He explained to me that Van tailors the buggy to your size.

Yes Van custom makes the buggies, unless he has one laying around that fits your hips. He doesn't visit the forum daily. The best way to get in touch is through Big Mike, or Van's number in his profile.

Quote: Originally posted by 888huskers

Also where is this Franken-Buggy on Mike's website?

Looks like he doesn't list it as an item anymore, but if you email him, he can set something up custom for you by purchasing PL parts piecemeal and the rail kit from Van.

Thanks man U2U sent to Big Mike

Huskers, here is Van's site. Check out his gallery. A lot of our buggy pics are in there.

www.vantantech.com

Check with Van on models available. I do not believe he is making anything less than a full custom buggy anymore. Everyone is always asking for used parts and buggies from him, but I know he is out of anything used and discounted. If people want a custom VTT buggy its well worth the wait IF he is willing to build one for you

I use my frankenbuggy whenever I go to the local grass parks. its lightweight and smaller, so it turns easier in the tighter spaces. When I got to IBX or DeadBird...anything with long stretches...I use my VTT Black Widow. Its a nice cruiser.

The franken (or any xr+) you can take the back axle off pretty easy to make it easier to drag with you if you have a hatchback or something. for small cars the only thing without a lot of disassembly would be the folding buggy...which at your height/weight...I would not suggest.

I've got 25 lbs on you, so I unless you are sit up king, a standard xr+ I don't last long because of the low back. The VTT rail kit fixes this with a deeper seat. The long downtube is available for any xr+. For your height, this is a must.

Van VTT buggies are totally baller and run the total range of cost and beefiness. You can't go wrong. He made me a custom rails + axle setup on a Peter Lynn front end for a really reasonable price and its really light but totally stable. I've also ridden he spider and cricket and they're way more beefy but can really haul ass if you're into that sort of thing. I can't say enough good things about the VTT buggies. Highly recommend!