Note : 2wd polaris quads do not apply to this thread

I was riding in the Pine Barrens this beautiful weekend ( Rained all weekend ). I was having some electrical problems all weekend ( probably due to keeping my bike outside all winter and not riding it for a few months ) but not enough to slow me down. On the way back to the campsite the bike started slowing down and i was getting sprayed with sand from the front wheels. " What the hell is going on " , I said to my self. I stopped and then started to move and i also noticed that the steering was a little bit squirly. I then stopped to investigate the machine and noticed that the chain was missing. " Holy S**T " , I thought to my self. I ran back down the trail and found the broken chain. The pin broke in half. Oh well.....I walked back, hopped on my bike and rode it home on the front wheels. I was about 2 1/2 miles from the campsite and i was by myself.

When i told everyone what had happened they said how the hell did you get back. I said " I just rode it home on the front wheels. ".

Chris Picciotto
99 Scrambler 500

 

Chris...
Ain't it cool...? I did that last Friday on my Scrambler.. I had just put the transmission back in it, and had forgot to get a new wear plate for the swingarm.. but I wanted to test out my work... So I fired it up and ran around in front wheel drive only... Steering is almost IMPOSSIBLE while on the throttle... BUT... I can spin the front tires on the pavement while moving!!...
Ask Adam Dowden (quad_man) about driving a Scrambler in front wheel drive only in almost nothing but pure MUD!!... You gotta admit Adam.. it was kinda funny...

 

You guys sound like you invented front wheel drive atv's (ha ha)
Must be harder to turn the corner on the trails.
If i was in that same situation as you guys i probably would have just sat there all night, i wouldn't have thought of driving it any further.

 

My brother-in-law broke the chain on his 500 SC but we went to the house and got a rope, we didnt even think of the 4wd since he never uses it.

DUHHHHHH LOL

 

Chris,im very confused.If rear wheel slippage is needed to activate our front wheels,with no rear chain,there will be nothing driving the rear wheels,so how will the front wheels drive?Please explain this to me.I have a 00 Xplorer 400cc 4x4 and often wondered what I'd do if the rear chain broke.Are you telling me I can drive it home on just the front wheels?I cant see how?====BILL

 

Yea, but it was even funnier watching the faces of the people on the sides of the trails. I have never seen front wheels roost so much... And with so little front fenders, I was covered...

That was my 3rd time to do that. Last time I was riding with a guy on a Banshee. He was very impressed! Last time he broke a chain, he had to walk home and get tools/parts to fix it.

Once I had to ride on the pavement, hard to steer. Just let off the gas and the hubs will freewheel and you can steer. I bet I could held the rear brake and done burn outs.... :-) And probaly break a u/cv-joint.

 

While living in Alaska, I had a similar experience with a '80 GMC pickup. The spiders in the rear differential broke, damaging the ring and pinion. I pulled out the spiders and the 'chunks' and ran a front wheel drive 1/2 ton GM Chevy until the parts came in and I repaired it

 

Bill, if it was already in 4x4 it would have stayed there. And therefore had front wheel drive. I believe the sensor for the rear wheel slippage isn't located at the rear wheels (I could be VERY wrong on this, but I don't remember seeing any sensors out back, and if it wasn't 1AM I would go out and look!) so the "rear" would be turning faster, since there is no drag/friction at all from that end. I have talked to my buddies about the front wheel drive thing when we were ridding in the mountains of KY a couple of years ago. They were asking me what I was going to do if I got down there and broke a chain (It was squeeking really loud from the dust and mud). And I told them I would use "front wheel drive" but none of us were sure that it would engage. I've read that the 4X4 will go "in and out" of engagement depending on whether or not 4x4 was needed. But both of my Polaris 4x4's stay locked once the button is pushed and the initial slippage takes place. The first time I noticed it, I thought that something was wrong, because of all that I've read about it engaging and disengaging when needed. So I checked the other quad and it does the same thing!?!? Any1 else ever noticed this? Just my $.02 If I'm wrong (probably! LOL) somebody clear it up for all of us! Later,

 

The 4x4 system engages when the rear wheels spin faster the the front ones, since there wasn't a chain the transmission spins as if the quad is up on a block with the rear wheels spinning. The sensors are in the transmission so the system thinks that the quad's rear wheels are spinning and then engages the front. This is a great way to get home but the front driveline is not built to withstand a constant pounding, It is made to assit the rear wheels, not to handle the entire wieght of the bike. On a scrambler with less wieght than my sportsman 500 you could probaly get away with alot more than my 700 pound monster. I also had the privledge of driving a truck with only front wheel drive, my buddy lost the rear end in his F250 and we drove it home on the front, It worked but it was hell to steer.