can someone explain the operation of the clutch in a polaris. i have ridden snowmobiles before, but i am not exactly sure how the clutch works. one of these days i will take a look at it when it gets warmer. i have a '99 scrambler 400 and plan on working on it myself, and doing some mods in the spring, so i'd like to become familiar with its operation. you guys speak of engauagment, i understand that when it reaches a certain r.p.m. the clutch somehow squeezes the belt, or ???? how does this excatually happen. the helix is..?? these are the weights in the clutch..?? when you speak of backshift, i don't actually feel any shifting, or upshift, is that just when the weights shift... i would like to hear a simple explanation or a page, something that might show the operation of a clutch. can anyone please help me? i know i should get a service maunal too when i get a chance. i plan on it if i want to work on my scrambler. i always have 2 strokes racers, basically simple to work on. i am anticipating alittle bit more of a challenge when working on the polaris. are there any special tools that anyone might recomend buying??

bigdevil/'99 acrambler 400

 

I just got the clutch tuning book from AAEN PREFORMANCE.It has all the information and then some.

 

one way to get a good visual idea of how the clutch operates is to remove the housing cover and using an extreme amount of caution ride your machine in your driveway (or street) and watch how the clutch moves. make sure that you keep clear of the pulleys and belt though!

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chris mattox 99 scrambler 400 4x4 / 98 300 express

 

Just put it in neutral and kick it with the cover off, slow at first, it is pretty cool to see how it works.