Action Alert! CPSC to develop rules for SxS’s

Action Alert!  Side by Side owners and enthusiasts need to stand up and be heard.  Now I don’t have a huge interest in (ROVs) Side by Sides but here is a link to a preformed response that will be sent to the Office of the Secretary, CPSC. Personalize the message all you want. The Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) have made it easy to take just a minute or two to voice your opinion.  Follow this link to the Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) Link to personalize your message

Get Some GRUB: ATV Style

If you own an Apple iPhone/iPad Touch and are an “App-oholic” then I think you should go get some grub. No, not in the sense of grabbing a six-pack of tacos at a fast-food joint, but instead downloading ATV GRUB for your favorite electronic “toy.” Essentially, ATV Grub hooks you up with ATV news (blogs) from all over the Web in one location and eliminates the need to search for ATV and off-road news. The developer said the App operates in a “super clean and organized format.”

Here’s a user’s feedback about ATV GRUB: ” ATV love! — The update for this app has done justice. It runs smoother, has better animation at startup, and if you love your ATV you’ll love this app! I am so happy to see ATV apps on here finally, i look under iTunes and there is barely any good atv videos. I love my 09 YFZ450R and from this app, I can look at parts, reviews, and other cool things. Way to go ! Keep up with the updates!” Vic Ellison- Corning NY (source ATV GRUB)

ATV Grub features news feeds and posts from several ATV enthusiast blogs (including this one) and established sites like GNCC Racing and ATVSport.com, F0ur-Wheeler Mag and more.

I’m in need of a phone overhaul — with the text messages I receive but do not send — and thought about stepping up to an iPhone. If I do, I’m going to satisfy my ATV appetite with ATV GRUB.

Other GRUB APPS:

BMX

MX

BEAUTY

CYCLING

SKATE

American company acquires foreign company? Polaris?

It may seem shocking to most, especially in this recession as well as the state of the country where typically the news headlines talk mostly about American companies leaving or being acquired by foreign entities.  The somewhat shocking news of the exact opposite happening raises and eyebrow for me.  This company is Polaris of all companies.  Now not being a hard core fan or follower of Polaris’s development of machines over the years I will be brief.  My perceptions of Polaris’s ATV’s are mixed.   I see the small displacement and older models very problematic, while the newer models are light years ahead of previous models and fairly reliable in the long run.  What does this have to do with the recent acquisition of Swiss Auto power sports?  I think Polaris will be coming out with some very exciting and probably radical ATV and motorcycle designs that people actually want to buy.  Even though I probably will never buy a Polaris I am excited in them taking a risk in developing new engines and technology that can only help the industry as a whole in the future.

To read the press release follow this LINK.   To read a more in depth analysis on the acquisition CLICK HERE

Weight Watchers, get your machine on a diet part 4

If you have been following this series you know that the ultimate goal is to shave weight to increase the machines performance whether it be on the track or the trail.

The next area of study will be with rotational weight.  Some of these tips and tricks will require some internal engine work and may not be practical for the average rider but I will touch on some of the basics.

Any item that rotates on an axis has rotational weight.  Adding and subtracting weight on these various items have positive and negative effects.  Depending on your overall performance goals, this will determine which way to go.

The flywheel is an area that gets modified quite frequently by engine tuners.  Adding weight increases tractability and the ability to resist stalling in slow, tight, technical maneuvers at the expense of being quick revving.  On the converse lightening the flywheel provides a quick responsive revving engine at the expense of loss of tractability and makes the engine easier to stall in tight technical situations.  Examples of this are evident with removable flywheel weights and inner rotor kits.

Along similar lines as the flywheel is the clutch assembly (hub, basket, plates and springs) aftermarket companies have gone to great lengths to develop lightweight but durable components to replace the typical stock cast/machined aluminum piece. For example machining from a once piece of billet gives the engineer the freedom to make an overall lighter component while still maintaining sufficient strength and wear characteristics. The same can be said for the clutch springs themselves using titanium vs. spring steel.

The other major source is the sprocket, axle, wheel and tire combo that makes up a significant portion of rotational weight. In the previous articles I discussed ways to loose a few ounces and pounds by selecting lighter parts, for more information consult those articles.

Well there you have it a very brief look at some areas to focus on if a lightweight better performing machine is your goal.

Quick tip: Removing small oil seals.

Eventually that ATV of yours will spring oil leaks.  The most common place for leaks is around any shaft that protrudes out of the engine case near or below the oil level inside the engine.  Over time these seals simple dry out and wear out.  Unfortunately many of these oil seals are too small for a conventional seal puller or there is high risk of damaging more parts using a chisel and hammer.   Before you fret over an expensive labor intensive process of removing engine covers or splitting the cases try this little trick.

Using a small drill bit and two #8 drywall screws you can make quick work of that shift shaft, kick start, or counter shaft seal.  Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Drain the fluids (oil) for obvious reasons.

Step 2: Using a small drill bit, drill two holes 180 degrees apart into the rim of the seal.

Step 3: With pliers yank on each screw alternating to remove the seal.  Most seals will remove with just a little effort.  If they are stuck more than that try using a small slide hammer and it should pop right out.

Aww #%@*!, Removing damaged fasteners tips and tricks.

Everyone has seen it or come across it at least once in their lifetime while working on their ATV or motorcycle, a damaged fastener. This can happen by the fault of not being patient, using the wrong tools, or just plain ignorance. Damaged fasteners are commonly found on used equipment since most neglected ATVs are hastily maintained with a pair of vise grips and a hammer by their cousin “Earl”. Often times though even relatively new machines can come in contact with “Happy hour Harry” on the assembly line or dealership neglecting to tighten or over tightening a bolt. There is also the fact that certain fasteners just wear out over time if they are taken in and out frequently. What ever the cause broken, stripped, buggered fasteners can be a real pain in the rump. What follows are some quick tips and tools that can make repairing these “Uh-Oh’s” into “Hurray!” and leave you looking like and ace mechanic.

The most common damaged fastener is the bolt with a stripped or rounded head. Before you barrow that pair of vise grips from Earl’s tool box try some of these tools instead. Bolt extractors for example the Bolt-Out(tm) by Craftsman.  These type of tools look like a socket with sharp fluted reverse spirals inside to grip the head and turn it.  For stripped phillips and flat head screws first try taking in hacksaw or rotary tool with a small cut off wheel and cutting a slot in the top then try removing the screw.  If that fails or there is insufficient room to get those tools in the space try a screw extractors such as the GrabBit(tm) which contains a pilot drill on one end and the extractor on the other.  These work well for relatively small bolts and screws.

For larger bolts and screw you will need to use larger screw or bolt extractors such as Easy-Outs(tm).  These require you to drill the appropriate sized pilot hole fairly centered in the bolt.  These can be the saving grace on bolts with broken heads where there is no stud exposed for a stud extractor.  One thing to be aware of is extractors are made of high carbon steel that is very hard, seldom do they break but they can break or twist apart and if you twist one off into a stud they are almost impossible to remove and most common drill bits will not drill into them, more on that later.

Having discussed some common methods of removing fasteners that already had damaged heads or were broken off in the hole lets look at some techniques to eliminate having to resort to those measures.  The most common ways a bolt head gets damaged or broken are, using the wrong tool, wrench, or socket thus rounding off the corners.  Another way is simply the bolt is rusted or corroded in the threads “locking” it in place.  This happens for a variety of reasons but its mostly chemical reactions between dissimilar metals, air and moisture.  I could go into detail on which metals react with each other but for the sake of this discussion I will forgo the explanation.

Ok so the bolt is stuck and will not move under normal circumstances using the correct tools, so what do

you do?  First try the  easiest solution grab a can of your favorite penetrating oil.  Use it liberally let it set a few minutes and try to remove the bolt.  If it is a bolt and nut combination or its not a blind hole make sure you spray the backside as well as most oils are designed to “creep” into the threads but this generally doesn’t get too far.  Chances are if the bolt is really rusted in there penetrating oil will do nothing so it will be on to a bit more of a persuasive measure.  If you remember one of my other articles I recommended that an impact driver should be a part of any tool box, well here is where it can become a life line.  Using the impact driver (with either a socket or screwdriver bit) you can shock the bolt in an attempt to free the bond of rust or corrosion.  The impact driver does two things at once: first it shocks the bolt then it simultaneously turns it counterclockwise in an attempt to loosen the bolt or screw.  Usually it only takes a few good strikes of the hammer to free the bolt and in some cases the bolt will then come out by hand.

CAUTION: What follows should only be attempted by professionals with proper safety equipment and knowledge of the tools.

The next step and probably the most extreme is using heat from a oxy-acetylene torch to heat up the bolt in question to aid in its removal. This technique is best done with two people, obviously this can only be performed by someone with the right equipment and knowledge on how to use it properly and safely. Ideally welders and metal smiths would use what is called a rose bud for heating up metallic objects but in this case a rose bud is probably going to apply too much heat over a large area. Instead use a number 4 or 6 welding tip on the torch body this way the heat can be more focused and controllable as not to accidentally damage other parts from the intense heat. Before you start remove any and all combustible materials from the work area, this includes the fuel tank and carburetor to reduce the risk of fire from igniting fumes. Also depending on the bolt in question it may be necessary to make a crude heat shield from some sheet tin, old license plate, or a piece of steel to protect rubber, plastic, electrical wires or any other thing that could be damaged by indirect heat. The key to this technique is to heat only the bolt or nut while using some of the above techniques and this should allow the bolt to free itself from the rust or corrosion without damaging the head or threads.

And last but not least if heating the bolt won’t make it budge, it may be time for desperate measures,

drilling and re-taping. The key to this solution is starting your pilot hole as centered on the broken, buggered head as possible. Using progressively larger drill bits, drill into the bolt until you have removed all the material of the original bolt. Now using the correct sized tap for the new hole you just drilled create new threads and replace with the appropriate sized bolt.

I saved the best tip for last. The one that could keep you from ever having to resort to the above mentioned solutions for removing stubborn fasteners. Anti-seize compound plain and simple, use it anytime you put a bolt or nut back in place especially into blind holes. Anti-seize compound nearly eliminates corrosion and rust forming on the threads which is the basis of causing a bolt to get stuck into a threaded hole. As with anything always consult your service manual for proper torque values for each fastener to eliminate damaged threads.

Cool it! cooling system problems explained

Its something that almost every ATV or motorcycle enthusiast will encounter at some point in their lives with any particular machine, overheating. Its a condition that can be intermittent or constant depending on the conditions. Manufactures go to great lengths to design a system around the constraints of packaging, manufacturing, reliability and performance and any change in the parameters that the system was designed to run in will most likely cause problems or put strain on the system. I took this from a question I was asked in the ATV forum and expanded on it.

Basically there are three types of cooling systems air, air & oil and liquid, both with distinct differences and advantages. I will break each down explaining the disadvantages and advantages of each system.

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Lube em’ up, your control cables that is.

Control cables are probably one of the most neglected items on an ATV.  Why?  Well because they work nearly flawlessly about 99% of the time with most people not even realizing their importance to safety by preventing a stuck throttle. Also properly lubricated and adjusted cables can reduce rider fatigue, meaning you can ride longer and harder before your thumb wears out.  This article will deal with the basic lubrication and adjustment of control cables common to most ATVs regardless of brand. This maintenance tip is easy and quick to do and only requires minimal tools, experience and time.

Required tools Cable lubing tool, cable lube, philips screw driver or 8mm T-handle or socket, slip joint pliers.

The cable that is common to every ATV is the throttle cable so we will start there. First start by removing the cable from the carburetor (or throttle body on EFI models) if you are unfamiliar with this procedure consult you machines service manual for locating and disconnection of the cable. One important note on carburetorated machines is its very important to do this first step as this will prevent engine damage from debris being pushed into the carburetor from the lubrication process. Next its time to partially disassemble the throttle housing to access the cable end. Regardless if you have a thumb or twist style throttle control you will have two to four screws or bolts to remove the top cover of the housing on a thumb throttle or to remove the two halves of a twist throttle. If you have phillips head screws be careful not to strip the head, then you will have figure a way to remove them (this will be covered in a future article). Don’t fret if the screws seem stuck, this is quite common especially if they have never been removed. Electrolysis of the dissimilar metals (aluminum/alloy housing and steel screws) and moisture causes corrosion over time. If they don’t come out easy grab an impact driver with the correct sized phillips bit and a few strikes with the hammer should loosen them. With pliers unscrew the jamb nut on the adjuster. Now screw the adjuster in all the way to create enough slack in the cable to unhook the cable end from the catch on the throttle arm. Now just unscrew the adjuster assembly out of the housing.

Install the cable luber onto the cable end and tighten the thumb screw to secure it. Insert the straw from the cable lube can into the hole in the side and spray until you see lubricant coming out of the carburetor end of the cable, if debris comes out at first keep spraying until clean lubricant is running out the end. Tip: if you know that your cable is probably really dirty inside, for instance after a long weekend ride in the sand or mud, use some brake cleaner and clean/blow the debris out of the cable first before lubing, just keep it from spraying onto painted parts as sometimes brake cleaners can remove paint. Now just re-install everything as you took it apart.

Now its time to put the cable back into proper adjustment. For throttle cables its important to have little or no play in the cable but still allowing the butterfly (on EFI and CV carb models) or carburetor slide to fully return to the idle stop. To do this first make sure the cable is routed properly and seated in the holder or stop on the carburetor/throttle body side. Screw the adjuster out (lengthening the cable housing) to bring up the slack. Check for play at the throttle and keep unscrewing until you have very little or no play in the lever or grip but as not to affect the carburetor end. Once you have found the sweet spot tighten the jamb nut on the adjuster lightly with pliers to secure the adjustment. Tip: to make sure the jamb nut does not back off use some wicking thread locker designed for set screws on the threads, one drop is all that is needed.

That is all there is too it! Repeat the lubrication process on any other cables your machine may have and be sure to consult your service manual for proper readjustment of all the cables. Now that your cables are now riding on a film of slick lube, your thumb, wrist and hands will thank you with reduced fatigue meaning you can ride longer before breaks and have piece of mind that your throttle will not stick going off that jump or going down that hill.

Breathin’ easy, Air filter maintenance

Every type of engine, either combustion or otherwise, requires filtered air to maximize its longevity and performance. In this article I will go through some air filter basics and recommended practices that will in turn give your ATV a long and relatively trouble free life.

As far as ATV air filters go each filter is unique to each machine but the function is exactly the same unfortunately because of engineering constraints some are easier to service than others, but that should never be an excuse to be lax on air filter maintenance.

Air filters can be made of different materials but three are most common, paper, cotton gauze, and foam all are suitable for the job but each has certain advantages and disadvantages which are as follows. Note: this analysis is my opinion based on personal experience and fact.

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Tires, what’s your pressure

They are out there those elusive tricks to grab an extra horsepower, take a corner faster, make the ride more comfortable all without spending little or no outright cash. Sounds great sign me up! Well unfortunately nothing in life is ever truly “free” but this tip is about as close as you can get when it comes to a free performance enhancement of your ATV experience, proper tire pressure.

Tire pressure is probably one of the most overlooked aspects on an ATV or any vehicle for that matter. In the ATV world many times I see racers and casual riders just unload their machines give a quick thump or kick to the tires and I know in their minds they are thinking “Yep, its got air in it” and thats it. Well duh! of course its got air in it but is it the proper pressure for the conditions your riding or racing in? I bet not. I have also seen both of the extremes. Extremely under inflated and the rider wondering why his quad wallows all around with slow, sloppy handling or extremely over inflated and the rider wondering why hes just spinning and over steering in every corner. I find the problem is that some riders are just ignorant of the fact that tire pressure is an important part of the ATVs performance. There is also a small percentage that knows its important, yet don’t know where to begin. Read on to find the answers!

First before you fire up that air compressor or unscrew the valve stem cap you need a few things. A good quality low pressure tire gauge not your run of the mill $.99 tire gauge found on most parts counters next to the register. These are fine for quick automotive tire checks and to keep in the glove box. A good low pressure tire gauge will run at least $10+ depending on the style and other features that can come with them. I prefer an analog dial type with a bleed off valve (more accurate), but there are pencil type and digital ones available also. Low pressure gauges typically have a pressure range of 0-15 psi.

The next item you should have on hand is a notebook. A notebook is handy to keep good notes on what tire pressures you find work best for each track, trail or terrain that you ride. Keeping good notes is a must as it can help you tune your tires for the conditions you will be riding in. For example one of my fellow Team MGR racers Chris Flodine is very fickle on his tire pressures and is constantly adjusting them so he can get maximum performance and traction in each and every situation he rides in, keeping good notes on what works and what doesn’t is crucial as it will save you time on future rides and races.

Ok, so we have talked all about what you need to get started. Now where do I start? ATV tires are going to have between 4-10 psi working pressure although the side wall may say 35 psi at “X” lbs load max or something to that effect. All that means is that is the maximum pressure that the tire manufacture says the tire can safely perform at and anything over that it will run the risk of failing. As far as I know there is no situation where an ATV tire would require that high of pressure other than when used for heavy hauling or utility purposes.

A good rule of thumb is to start with all your tires at 6 psi for your baseline tests. To do your testing find a section of track or trail that has a little bit of everything related to that area, for example if the track is mostly hard packed with only a few sections of nice tilled loam use a section that is mostly hard packed, similarly with trail riding if its loose dirt with only a few sections of rocks find a section with mostly loose dirt. This “testing” section should also be a section that is easy for you to ride or navigate thus you can be more in tune on how changing tire pressures affect the ATVs handling, if the section is too challenging you may be distracted from your tires and just concentrating on getting through the section. Now that you have found your test section is time to ride, do some baseline runs keeping in mind on how the ATV and tires are handling. Now with your notebook handy change the air pressure a couple of pounds up or down keeping notes on what changes you make. Ride the section with your new pressures and determine how the ATV reacted either positive or negative taking notes along the way, keep doing this until you find the ideal setup for this particular track or trail and make a note of your location so you can replicate these pressures next time you ride there. Its also common to find that you prefer different pressures in the front and rear and this is ok, but you should never have different pressures left to right. This poses a safety hazard as it will make the ATV vier or pull to one side and this is especially dangerous when jumping.

“Wow, that sounds like a lot of work!” you might say. Well it sort of is. In the beginning as you log more data you will eventually learn what pressures work best for your tires for nearly any given terrain, this is why the note keeping is so important. “Thats fine and dandy, but how do I know which way to, go up or down in pressure?” you ask. Here are some general guidelines to get you started.

Hard terrain: generally use lower pressures. The lower pressure lets the tire deflect and conform to the terrain such as rocks, roots better it also increases the tires contact patch on flat “blue groove” dirt. One thing to keep in mind is too low of pressure with out bead locks run a higher potential of popping the tire off the bead, most tires should not be run under 4 psi. Another thing to note is on sharp jagged rocks or tree roots sticking up can increase the chance of a puncture or pinch flat if running a tube. The tires design and construction is a big contributor in this as well.

Soft terrain generally use higher pressures. The higher the pressure makes the tire resist knob deflection and promotes it to dig into the soil. Although using higher pressures help in these conditions it lessens the tires overall contact patch thus the tires will slide much easier. Also higher pressures usually give a less forgiving ride especially when hitting an occasional hard object they will bounce off it possibly jolting the ride. Again tire construction and design have a big factor in this as well and will be discussed in later articles.

Well there you have it. I bet you didn’t know someone could make inflating you tires such a chore or technical, but considering its one thing that is relatively free and a do-it-yourself “mod” that anyone can get a benefit from it stands to reason it should be an important thing to check before each ride.

On last word, tire pressures are not an exact science and are very subjective no one setup will work for every rider that is why this article is only a guide to aid in the pursuit of extracting maximum performance out of your machine.