Hey guys,

I want a 2005 DS650. I have heard that the bombardier DS650 has had transmission problems. This will be my first quad. I just want a reliable quad. I am not too worried about no having reverse, because I live in the desert (lots of places to turn around). I would appreciate your feedback on the tranny. Also if you have anything else to add I would greatly apprecaite it.

Thank you guys!

 

iv'e owned 3 new ds quads , never heard of tranny problems, i know the battery on my 03 took a poop , but thats it ,,you want a real reliable quad you buy a ds 650 , you want the fastest thing out get a 450 honda or yamaha , but you better be rich because those bikes are maxed out on power the ds is not ..have you noticed bombardier has not changed the engine in 5 years , must be good ,anyone else have feedback , rj

 

Thats a first for me. I have never heard of tranny problems on a DS.

 

I believe you are in error.......I did allot of reasearch before purchasing my DS and they <u>never</u> had transmission problems.Thats a first for me as well. I have heard of tranny problems on Yamaha Raptor so maybe that's where your getting the mix-up in information.
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I have heard of a few cases of people bending shift forks, but that's operator error. Otherwise, the DS is as bullet proof as they come. According to the interview in ATV Sport with a BRP Rep, there are changes coming for the DS. They didn't specify other than they acknowledged the DS is getting old and could use some improvements to stay competitive in the market.

 

The only Tranny Issue would be the shift forks. I wouldn't say it is operator error though. The 2000 and 2001 models had a different fork than the newer models. The design looks the same but, it appears the metal on the newer forks is harder.

The number of people with 2000 and 2001's that have experienced an issue are few and far between but, that is the only tranny issue.

If you heavily modify your bike some have undercut the transmission and others have kryo treated their tranny but, for the average rider where high HP and heavy drag type shifting aren't involved this isn't needed.

Keep in mind I'm talking about machines that are running twice to three times the HP of the stock bike.

There are even more that are running twice to three times the HP of the stock bike without changing a thing on the transmission.

To answer your concerns on reliable:
This engine is the same engine that BMW has been buying to put in their F650 bike for years. . . Yep, BMW buys this engine from Rotax (BRP) because they believe in the quality of the engine!
This ATV has won the Baja and the Drakar! + numerous other Desert Series Races.

The ATV has been out for a few years but, I wouldn't say the design is old. The DS still stands up agains any of the others in its class as a leader for comfort, power and reliability. As well, it's simplicity in design (take apart a Raptor 660 engine and then take apart a DS engine and any engine builder will tell you the DS engine is a much better design.)

 

The only tranny probs I have heard of are early model predators and raptors.

 

I personally own a '05 Ds that I have had since Sept. I have about 200 miles on it now, and have not had any problems with the tranny. I have a HMF pipe, Vortex CDI, K&N filter, and jet kit. The only thing that I have noticed is that when I used the Amsoil moto in 10-40 the tranny was a bit notchy. I switched back to Honda syn 10-40 and it went right back to normal. It is a bullet proof bike and I would personally own no other.

 

The DS does Have a week link in the trany it’s a $5 part. It’s the neutral switch. The neutral switch is made of a cheep plastic and the end of it snaps off and locks the bike in a gear. You have to split the cases to get it out. Needless to say my bike does not have a neutral switch anymore.

 

BigDogAZ,
I had read a while back about the shift fork failing on someone's DS but I think that is a rare occurance and only happened on build motors.
That's the first I have heard of the neutral switch problem in any DS.
What causes it to fail?