I went out riding today and noticed some play in the handlebars the lower part of the shaft seem to be tight ,
when sitting still I can move the bars side to side and back and forward just a little ,It seem to have play in the upper column mount ,The upper mount bolts are also tight , Is this normal or am I just being paranoid ?
I still only have 202 miles ,so she's still new to me .

 

i have an '03 500 and it's the same way.

 

My 04 650 with 128 miles is the same way. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

My 04 500 does the same 67 miles on it so far.

 

My 04 400i manual is the same way. Is there an echo in here????

 

are the tie rod ends loose

 

It is very normal unfortunately. There is a two part plastic bushing inside the upper column support. It wears very quickly and allows for quite a bit of movement . Once you get used to it you are ok. Safety wise it is not a big deal as the column is well supported but it does make it a little more difficult to detect loose or worn tie rod ends and ball joints which are real safety concerns.

 

Thanks for the quick response ,This is my first quad that took 33 years to get so any noise or looseness will get a quick repair . well as long as it's normal ,I can live with that .

 

yeah they all seem to do this! grease will hep extend life some. The p/n from Arctic Cat is 0405-020 and they are only $1.29.

 

yep thats right just deal with it..its the nature of the beast