Hey Wires, I also live in Calgary and ride at Mclean or Wiaprous which is about 5000ft. I also did the 2" abs snorkel change- what jets did you rejet to? Did it really make that much of a difference? Not a carb expert- how difficult to do rejet the Cat? Sorry for all the questions, but if it really helps I would tackle it. So far the 650 has been awsome. I would highly recommend a tire swap. I put 26" mudbugs and the difference was substantial. The goodyears were ok for traction, but the handling was terrible in my opinion with this rubber. They would roll over terribly, even with more pressure(which did help). It handles much more positively with the bugs and is a lot more fun to ride- not to mention the traction is incredable, at least in all the snow we have. Thanks for any help.

 

cattman,

We have a cabin up by Caroline, so that's where I ride the most. I was thinking of doing Mclean some weekends though. The power increase from the snorkel and exhaust mode was immense. I bought the DynoJet kit for a '03 Prairie 650 from Blackfoot Motorsports (ABout $120 I think). I used the needles on notch 4, and the jets are currently set to 138/142. I haven't been able to ride it much since the changes, so I'm still not sure if that's right. I was running 134/138 with just the snorkel mod.

If the intake and exhaust changed, and after re-jetting, when you crack the throttle, you get that crackly raspy sound from the exhaust (sign of a perfect burn). I initially tried notch 5 on the Dynojet kit (as per their instructions), but it bogged lots in the mid band.

Re-jetting is really easy. I'd recommend replacing the bowl screws with allens (Canadian Tire sells them). They are 4mm diameter, and I think I replaced them with 14mm (maybe 12mm -- it was the longest they had which was similiar to mine). Also picked up some metric allen wrenches with the ball ends.

You can re-jet by just pulling off the 2 plastic side panels, and the belt case snorkle. One screw is at the top when you pull the seat, the other you need to pull the panel out a bit to get at (It hooks the colored plastic to the black piece). It's easier to do if you remove the screws from the airbox, loosen the clamps that hold the carbs down. I'd recommend it for the first time you do it, just to get a feeling for it.

Thanks for the tire tip. Of course you just cost my $500. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] At 5 PSI I have a bunch of scratched up chrome rims (a little ticked because of that). Weekend before last I had it out with 8 PSI, and it seemed way better, but then, the tires don't really dig in too much on snow.)

Maybe Santa will bring me cash this year. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

thanks for the tips Wires. I think I'll take a look this week at the carbs before I buy dynojet kitsee if I have any questions. My buddy has mudlights on his new Cat and it also is a major improvement. The bugs are a little stiffer so they handle a bit better, and ride firmer. Mudlights are somewhere in between. Going to Mclean this weekend if your interested.

 

Heh cattman,

Which ones do you like better. Bugs or lites? My buddy has Gators, and they are great, so I'm a little torn on which to pick. I was thinking lites just because they are lighter.

Can't go this weekend. Thermostat was sticking, so she's in the shop.

 

Wires- I prefer the bugs because they seem tougher, the lites have a softer sidewall and a softer rubber compound in general. The bugs seem to claw and pull for traction more than the lites as well. The lites are showing slight signs of wear while the bugs are not. (they both have about 200kms) The lites are only slightly lighter than the bugs- about 1lb front and 1 1/2 lbs rear in the 26" size. The lites may ride slightly better- its tough to tell in the 1 foot of snow conditions. Can't tell for mud yet, I'm sure they will both perform well. As I said earlier, both make a huge difference in your Cat. Good luck with your choice.

 

Thanks cattman.

I'm thinking either bugs or gators. Since my buddy has gators, I might do bugs just so we can do a side by side comparison. I'm thinking they'll perform very compariable though.

I do like the heavy ply tires though. With the gators (bugs as well I imagine due to the 6 plys), you can have 100% air loss, and the tire is still driveable.

 

Cattman,

What size of tires did you replace the stock ones with?

The 650 comes with 26/8-12 up front, and 26/11-12 at the back. My dilema is the front tires are only 25" diameter, and the rears are the posted 26".

Thanks.

 

Wires- went with 26x10x12 up front and 12x12 in rear. Seems to work great. The quad looks much meaner as well. Did not affect the steering at all, exept to make turning so much better and flatter handling. You will not be dissapointed. Ordered the Dail-a-Jet system today. Heard anything about it? Seems to be a great setup according to Kawi guys. Will keep you posted.

 

Ok, That's what I'll do.

I've heard the dial a jet is a nice thing. Allows you to change the jetting on the fly (for winter/summer, etc). I didn't get that, but I kind of wish I did.

 

Wires,

Do you have any info on how to swap out this black spring. Can this be done alone or do you need to go for service to do this.

Lazer