handyhiker

The engine is solid in the frame. It is at all rpm's. I have had the belt cover off and all is good there. Also it is not an exaust leak, I've checked that as well. ;-(

I was just wondering if any one else that has a 500 H.O. engine thinks the noise is excessive. I have a 2002 Scrambler with the 500 H.O. engine. I have checked the valves and timing chain. The oil is never shiny from metal, but this is the loudest engine I have ever heard. It runs strong and is rock solid dependible, just very noisy. Is this normal for these engines?? I will try to describe the noise. It sounds like it is coming from mid point in the engine, not top end or crank areas. Almost like a rod knock but not really. Doesn't seem to get worse or better with oil change, hot engine, cold engine. Even when my buddy road it, he asked if it was going to be ok. I have owned this quad for about 2 years now, and the noise has gotten no worse from what I can tell. Should I be concerned about it? I bought this quad from my brother-in-law. He only had it for a short time and did basicly nothing to it. I do know that before him, the quad was rolled/wrecked, not terrable but had some front end and steering damage. It does not use oil or antifreeze. My one thought is that the piston may be cracked at the pin bore. This seems to be the area where the noise is coming from. Are these engines known for this or any other problems?? Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give enough info so you know as much as I can tell you about it. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Don't use them. Don't even own one. I only ride trails.

Just bolted.

I looked at those trailer sites, they have some NICE stuff! I just did not want to spend that kind of money. I have $319 in my trailer and that is with real wheel bearings and it is D.O.T. legal to pull on the road. I did not want a trailer that just had bushings in the wheels like a lot of yard trailers do. Was affraid that the speed of the quad would really wear out the bushings fast. As far as the winch questions I was able to take a few pics today. Here are the dual solinoids for the winches. Here are the controls. Here is the front winch with mount. And here are a few pics of the rear winch and mount. The rear mount is made from 2 pieces of angle iron that are bolted into the frame and then the winch plate is bolted to the angle iron. The winch is actually upside down. To make the line go in and out with the correct switch movement, the wires are revirsed from the switch to the winch. The bolts that you see on either side of the reflector are the angle iron mounting bolts. Hope this helps.

If you look at the left side handle bar, you will see the two winch controls. I use the left one as front and right as rear. The front mount I bought, the rear I made myself. I don't have any pics of the mount but will try to take some tomarrow. The solinoids for the winches are under the front cowel. I will take a pic of this as well.

On the trailer light, the brown will be tail and the yellow or green, depending what side it was from will be the brake. The studs from the back of the light will need to be grounded to the quad.

Actually they are on in the pics. The polaris has a 3 pin flat plug that matches up to the standard 4 pin flat for trailers. All I have to do is unplug the tail light at the connection that is about 4" away from the light and plug in the trailer. Only one brake light works, but tomarrow I am going to make an adapter to allow both to work. The quad only has 1 brake light wire so all I need is basicly a jumper wire for the right side. I am going to install a plug on the wifes KQ as well.

I have been looking for a while for a trailer to pull with our atv's. We haul fire wood and water at our cabin as well as brush and tree limbs when needed. Also been kicking around the idea to do a camping trip on the quads and spend several days on the trails. I looked at all the trailers I could find and even thought of building my own, Then I found this and for the money, I believe it is a good deal. The only real draw back I see so far is that it is just wider then the quad. I mean by 2 or 3 inches per side. I think I can live with that. Here is a pic of the trailer behind my 02 Scrambler. I did do some backing with it to see how well it did and was very happy. It is predictable and doesn't cut too fast. So far I like it!!

Is the backfire out of the carb or muffler?

I have been looking for a place to purchase the extended mud flaps for my Scramblers. I have not had much luck. Any info/source you can point me to would be appreciated!! Thanks, Ken

Oil threads are like what color is best or what brand Ford vs Chevy. I do not use the oem brand of oil in my bike or quads. Saying that though, I don't use car oil either. In most motorcycle and quad engines, the oil is in the engine and transmission. It sees a lot of sheering from the transmission gears. Car oil does not provide enough sheer stability for this application. If you want a great oil for ALL the toys, use a quality diesel engine oil. These are very sheer stable as the diesels have a gear drive train for the cams and water pumps and fuel pumps. I personally use synthetic oils. I know that a lot of motorcycle riders like the Shell Rotella oil. It can be bought at Wally World and is reasonably priced. I personally use Moble 5w40 Turbo Diesel oil. This stuff is designed for super high temps for the turbo, wide range multi grade and NO friction modifiers to mess with your clutch. It exceeedes all the specs your engine calls for. I also noticed that my 2007 V-Strom 1000 shifts smoother with this oil then several others I have tried, including the Suzuki 10w40 motorcycle specific oil. This is just my experiance, use what makes you happy!

Here are a few pics.

She is not much of a web person. I might be able to get her to look at a few things and comment, but don't think she would sign up herself. I will tell her that the offer was made to her and see what she says.

Before I got the old 4x4 Foreman, I used a tractor to plow with. It was 2 wheel drive and had 12 inch car tires on the rear. I would think an ATV with aggressive tires on the rear would do OK. The tractor was also slow, with the ATV you could keep your speed up a little.

Thanks for the welcome. Yes it is a digital dash, nice!! Here are the bumpers, I don't think I have goo0d pics yet with them on. Suzuki Bumpers at Babbitts Sports Center

Don't show this to my wife. She just got a 2008 450 axi le for her birthday. Knowing her, she will want to trade hers in on this.

This stuff is top notch. I run it a couple times a year through everything, cars, bike, atv's, lawn mower. For winter storage, mix a few ounces of SeaFoam and Marvel Mistery oil and fill the tanks. Come spring, hit the starter. Never had a problem with dried out seals or gaskets or gum in the fuel system. It does cause a slight amount of smoke, but it really works well.

I just found this site and thought I would join. A couple quick lines about the wife and me. First we own 5 quads. From new to old-- 2008 Suzuki KQ 450 axi LE. This is Vickie's (my wife). She absolutely LOVES this thing. The mods on this quad are front and rear bumpers, front winch, hand guards, rear view mirrors and heated grips. It has given her MUCH more confidence in riding. Next is a 2002 Polaris Scrambler 500 HO 4x4. This is my trail ride. Mods are front and rear winches, hand guards, heated grips, rear rack, taller handle bars, a-arm guards, modified muffler and ITP tires. Next, 1999 Polaris Scrambler 400 4x4 2 stroke. I am turning this quad into a more sporty beast. This winter it will be getting several performance upgrades. Stock this is 38hp. I hope to be in the 65hp range by spring. Then the racer of the bunch, a 1999 Honda 400ex. This is the only 2 wheel drive we own. I really don't ride this one much and am giving it to my son. Mods include full skid plates, smaller counter shaft sprocket, air deflectors. Last and the work horse of the bunch is a 1987 Honda TRX350D Foreman. This one plows the drive, hauls the fire wood trailer, and drags brush. We ride mostly in PA where we own a cabin. Last vacation we spent there we did 250 miles. Still only did a small number of the trails. Well that's enough for now, just want to say thanks for letting us join. Ken