Ulfthednar

Heh. reminds me of something. Now, I am "NEW" to atvs and particularly the CVT tranny and belt systems. (intriguing and ingenious, actually). I am not really new to Belt drive primaries on hold harleys. "way back in the day" I had this FAF 73 Shovelhead (it would eat most crotch rockets) but I kept ripping apart primary belts. Flash forward a few decades and running a belt drive on my not so fast 80 Shovelhead. Similar issues, critical alignments and so forth. This time though, I studied up on how belts act and while doing so, figured out why I couldn't keep a belt on my 73 Shovel (covered) but my 80 I have ABUSED to death. (Picture an open belt, drag piped 80/80 Shovelhead flat tracking gravel roads at 40 to 60 mph). That belt has chewed rocks, sand, gravel, salt, small mammals and a boot lace once or twice the pulley are beat and pitted and it's probably time to get a whole new set up. the belt is actually the same company (different name though) as my first belt drive. My discovery? Drive belts don't do well with heat. My 73, thinking I knew what I was doing, I'd tension that sucker like a v type fan belt . . My 80? I set that sucker so I can twist it almost over (with straight alignment, which is IMPORTANT for tracking on pulleys with no sides flanges) and that belt has held up through way more than I put the first one through. Drive belts CONTRACT when they get hot . . they don't expand like most objects. the material in them contracts and tightens up on the pulleys when they get hot. The don't loosen up and stretch. When my 80/80 gets nice and warm, my belt is snug, with a little flex to it, cold, I can roll it 90 degrees. But it never gets hot. The belt on my CVT while different in shape, sure looks, smells and feels like the same or similar compound as my BDL drive belts (formerly Primo/Rivera) . . Might be the issue there . . their belt was a hair too short for your machine, causing it to over heat . . . Just a thought.

Almost the only one out there too.

Went for a ride today. Didn't feel like trailering it so just headed across the highway and out the front yard.

points and condensors weren't an annual thing until they started getting outsourced to shoddy manufacturers . . Used to take me about an hour to do a full spectrum tune up on a V8 And reliable enough I reverted two of my older vehicles to points and condensors. Ive had the same points and condensors in those two vehicles since . . 2014 YEAH it took me a few condensors to find one that were not absolute junk to begin with. That is due entirely to outsourcing from established quality parts manufacturers Of course car batteries used to last a decade or more too, until they started getting outsourced. (something that is no longer made here at all) But forcibly cancelling things that work to force people to buy the new stuff (its called forced obsolescence) then creating an entire marketing spectrum to convince people . . Saying much more than that gets into politics and social programming narratives.

the issue is not in having the stuff . . it is that way too many people can not function without it.

Right? People have become so convinced that tech makes things better it's kinda surreal.

Any wheel/tire can be a pain without the right tools. and unless your in a larger rig . . yeah . . bead breakers don't fit on a quad well. LMAO . . I was hand mounting a set of Swampers on 16 inch rims one time . . the tire shops in the area refused to touch them. I slipped and lost my position and got flipped right over the tire . . and Ive had split rims blow a tube out from under me too . . I got lucky and just got the wits scared out of me. Here the biggest worry is going to be jagged rock or the possible spur on a log. plug kit, CO2 kit and a hand pump at the moment. looking around for a solid but compact compressor. With a strap cinched around the tired and a quick inflate device one can reset a bead, but you might have to pee on the tire for lube. One can improvise a jack out of a lot of things here, I carry a folding saw and sometimes a battery powered sawzall with pruning blades. Ive taken 18 inch logs apart with it clearing access around my property and fairly quickly too. surprisingly the "kit" that came with my machine is compact, but covers a lot of bases.

yup . . those were the first things I added to the bike. Ive had enough flats in the woods on full sized rigs to know better on that one . . . got pretty good at busting tires down by hand and creative ways to set the beads. I wish I could find the old hot patches. they came on a metal pan you clamped on the tire and lit the pan and it seared the patch on. Not sure how many people remember those things. They wouldd be suitable for sidewall gashes sounds like some people might lose their bikes though . . . never mind loosing themselves too . .

yeah, really makes one wonder how badly weve de-evolved when a hundred years ago most kids could find their way around . . barely been more than that and people found their way be dead reckoning. Seems the more technology people rely on, the less capable they become without it. never mind people walking across continents or tossing wooden ships in the ocean with nothing more than a magnetized needle.

even from home, I can see three cell towers . . I USED to have awesome signal . . . all I had to do was get up even forty miles back in. Now . . nope. Not just my carrier either. The Big Box phone carrier victims have trouble with their phone services as well. GPS . . I don't really need. LOST is when you don't know where you are or how you got there. besides, if you can't call for help your not giving coordinates to anyone any way. People don't apparently practice orientation skills and no one knows how to triangulate off a CB radio anymore either . . . Here we have pretty well mapped roads and access points for OHV trails. So self reliance gear is critical.

So . . hows your buddy feel being used for an extraction tool? (gawd I hope people have humor still) Well, right now I'm pretty much solo venturing. I've got a pretty good job schedule, but I'm in the woods when most people are working. I just go . . never sure where, just sure how to find my way back. That's why "self extraction" gear. And, well . . phones and GPS really don't work out there. Cells used to, if I was up on a ridge, but the last six months or so has seen a SERIOUS degradation in cell signals around here. Folks don't know what a CB is much anymore and you can't really get range off an ATV chassis. Not one much for sitting around wishing things were different, theres all kinds of places to go explore and poke around in. So I go, I ride . . . eventually Im gonna get stuck . .

if your bushing go bad . . .

Havent used it in a quad but the 10w40 worked excellent in my old harley.

yes they are. I Usually hunt with muzzleloaders myself, but one of them is a bit long and definitely not a CVA I'll have to experiment with heat molded made to fit cases for them. the one hard boot Ive seen just aint gonna fit right.

I might be able to get a waffle, or two pancakes under mine. Looking more for a hand or foot powered or one of those little portable plug ins that actually WORKS effectively. It is too bad the average joe can't purchase the hot patch kits anymore. The kind you light the plate on and it sears to the casing.

It's like this . . . Only with this . . .

makes ya wonder if it's a video game.

My CF is fairly decent. It's not really designed for flying, but I've gotten some air time on it and barely noticed the landing. My 74 RC however, leaves a mark when it hits and the earthworms curse my passing.

The upper rail on both ends is an OEM add on. The lower rail on the rear I welded in myself. makes for much better mounting options for gear as it overhangs the basic rack by about five inches. I might add some light gauge expanded metal later. I could have built them completely myself, but I couldn't quite make out "where" they attached and the material at the moment would have cost almost as much as buying them. the rails do really make the rack much more usable, too.

right? I internally argued dropping a bit of change on an ATV. Not that I didnt know I would ride it to death, but Ive gotten pretty careful with money over the last few decades. I am kicking myself for not buying in a lot sooner. It doesnt make my 'to do list' shorter, but it sure makes packing tool 1500 yards up my back yard a lot easier and a heck of a lot more fun. And yeah, I can get to places I want to explore a lot quicker now and there are a lot of stones left in my life to turn over.

You might be missing the best part of having one . .

Im considering purchasing my grandkids a quad, partially for fun, I want them to be able to ride with grandpa and partly as a motivational tool regarding behavior. (my adult children can buy their own) Two of them are absolute monsters . . . Love em to death but they have my . . inherited traits? Looking for something in the 90 to 125cc range or so that isnt going to cost me a fortune in upkeep, because I KNOW they're going to break it. Whats been folks best experience in regards to upkeep/cost effectiveness and so forth?

Yup, there are a lot of "tricks" to mechanical drum breaks and a number to hydraulic drums as well. you can shift the actuation lever a tooth on the spline shaft on most mechanical drums, and fine tuning, careful bleeding of hydraulics and a bit of sanding of drum and shoe create amazing results as well. If you have your drums turned, many (used to be most) shops you could request them to forego the finish cut leaving your drums a lot more grabby. You will run through shoes a bit quicker, but the results are worth it considering a $20 set of shoes versus being able to stop on a dime and have change left over. your horsepower should never exceed your ability to reign those horseys in.

Just installed the front and rear rack extenders for mine. Kinda thought the rear was a bit lacking in verasatility. Heres the end result of stage one modification, as well as the front rack and "tool" holders installed. The front bag doubles as a waist pack "glove box" and the rear bags are actually a 2 piece hunting pack that hold basic load management and extraction gear. They all dismount fairly quickly and can be repurposed for other uses. I end up riding solo a lot and try to keep on hand what I might need to get myself home just in case.

Yeah . . It was just kinda like sticker shock when I searched "ATV Chain" . . Ive got the tool for closing the cross link and an angle grinder, metal saw and a forge if If I have to show them whose in charge though. Just another thing to add to my to do list. Just shows how gullible some suppliers want us to remain.