Took my new EFI to WV last week (with the new belt and your alls advise on when to run in low) it did great, pulled out a grizzly and Foreman walked away from everyone in the open. One problem goin down a couple of steep grades I noticed the back brakes don't hold. Setting on flat ground held the foot brake on -gave it some gas, no hold back at all. the front ones work fine. Is this normal?
Thanks
Chas[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

No its not normal.. when you mash the hand brake and gas it do the rear wheels spin? The hand brake should stop your rear brakes too... If the hand brakes are working the rears and the foot brake isnt then you might just have some air in the foot brake line to the rear, because the foot brake runs on a totally seperate line than the hand brake.. Even has its own bleeder... So you might try bleeding it if that is the problem...

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try

 

No the hand brake stops the front, and foot brake stops the rear. The foot brake is supposed to act as a back up only, but I would try bleeding it. Its important to be able to lock your back up when rolling down hills in reverse (as the fronts don't do much). Let us know if that works, if not we will think up some more ideas...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Actually you are wrong the hand brake is both front and rear and the foot brake is just rear. And there are two seperate bleed valves on the rear caliper one for the lever control to the rear brake the other for the foor control to the rear brake..

 

You may be right but I've owned 4 Sportsman's in my life and I'm not following what you are saying. When on a gravel road and I hit just my hand brake it locks up my front only. Now if I hit my foot brake and hand brake it will lock all 4 up. So my hand brake only works the fronts to my testing.

 

Sounds like you might have some problem with your brakes also.. Look in your owners manual pg 34 .. "The front and rear brakes are applied by squeezing the brake lever 1 (refers to diagram) toward the handlebar. The front and rear brakes are hydraulically activated disc type brakes that are activated by only one lever." I know mine controls both front and rear because I have had to replace my master cylinder and bled the rear and front. Also when I mash the lever all tires lock up. Only a front brake locking up could be dangerous.

 

Try using the foot brake only for about 10 stops from 20 or 30 MPH. This something that should be done to all new ATVs from Polaris. The foot brake gets the least amount of pressure and cant get broke in enough by using the hand brake especially now with EBS. A glaze can form and reduce the braking even more, thats where alot of squeaking comes from on some machines.
Alot of new machines have air in the foot side of the rear caliper and bleeding with a mighty vac is the easiest way to bleed it. Its wierd that the brake works good new then 100 miles later its air bound.
Still havent fixed mine yet and I have 1300 miles on it.

 

I just read that page, and you are right. However I've tested both of my 700s and they didn't all lock up when I pulled the hand brake. I'm going to go as far to say it must be wrong, the only rear wheel lock up I feel is EBS. It works great when I hit the foot brake. astro are you 100% that your rear is locking up when you hit the hand brake only? I will try to get a video made on my digital camara showing what I'm talking about. None of the Sportsmans I've seen lock all 4 when you hit just the front brake. But in the manual it does say that. Is there anyother Sportsman owners that are like mine and my friends??

 

If the hand brake does not controll the rear brake, why when I bled my brakes and a friend assisting me squeezed the lever brake fluid squirted out the bleed valve? Also why does a line run from the lever to a metering valve then to the rear brake ... Jack your rear tires up turn AWD off put it in gear spin them and mash the front lever see what happens... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]



On edit the reason for your rear tires not locking might be because of the metering valve also remember only the rh side has a rotor and caliper the other side has no brake...