Hi all, yes please laugh at me first lol.

This evening I was leaving my brother's home, it was dark and I drove my 2007 Suzuki Eiger 400 about half a mile at the very most on flat road doing 20mph before I noticed my parking brake was on.

LOL first time it has happened.

I disengaged it and drove home. The bike seemed to drive as normal and the brake seemed to work fine and as it normally would. When driving with the brake on, the bike felt like normal I didn't notice it sluggish, or any smell. Important to note the parking brake has a lot of play before it begins to actually brake so maybe this is why I could pull away slowly and not feel any resistance and not notice it.

Should I be worried? Is the worst damage slight wear on the pads or discs (not sure what this model has and it's my first ATV)?

Man I am learning so much with this first bike and will now have a mental note after this happeninv to check that before driving lol.

I am sure I am not the first and I am sure I won't be the last.

I am terrified through my learning curves or wrecking this thing.

Thanks in advance for any insight or comments on this.

 

If it is a manual, you won't have done the clutches any good. A local farmer has one and regularly wears out clutches, both centrifugal and normal, due to over-adjusting the handbrake cable. However, in that space of time it won't have done too much damage. If the handbrake holds on a hill, it is tight enough, the lever should almost touch the bars when pulled hard on. The rear brake is drum type on an Eiger.

 

i also rode briefly with brake set on a 2015 KQ400asi, no worries on burning a cvt belt ?

 

No, the auto has the same centrifugal clutch as the manual, but in a short distance, both it and the belt should be OK.

 

thanks merryman, your opinion appreciated!

 

Clutches shouldn't regularly wear out anyway. On most quads they never wear out. I once had an old Yamaha Timberwolf that smoked like a steam locomotive but the clutch still worked fine. Manual King Quad 400's must have a poor clutch design. Still, someone at some point should tell this guy to stop messing with the cable if this is the result. Seems a bit odd to continue to have the same problem.

 

Manual Eigers and 400 King Quads do have a poorer clutch than Hondas and old Yams, but so do Kawasaki KLF300s. We are not talking about once a month, weekend trail bikes. These Farm Quads are used every day, and many clock over 1000 hours a year. I am doing the first centrifugal I have ever done on a Honda 400 auto, the rear brakes are seized on and I suspect must have been like that for at least six months.

The cable on the Eiger etc, is springy, so the brake lever gets fairly close to the bars when you pull hard, but starts to work after a little movement. The farmer is convinced that it shouldn't get that close and telling him doesn't do any good.

 

Yeah, was thinking about that later. 1000 hours is a lot of years of normal recreational riding. My Grizzly only has about 300 hours on it and its almost 10 years old.

 

The parking brakes are so weak on most that you did don't hurt anything. That's why you did not feel anything as well.

I like the newer CVT with a actual "Park" gear much better.