What did I burn up?
 

I was dragging some downed limbs, brush, etc. with my AC 650. I was in a position that I had to use the winch to drag some branches uphill and then back up the hill myself, load still attached.

I was in 4wd, not locked, and using the reverse override to maintain speed to back uphill. I noticed the smell and saw the smoke. Smelled like burning rubber. I shut it down. I unhooked the branches at this point as I was into enough of a clearing to pull the rest of the way with my truck.

As I started to pull the AC out of the way, I knew something was wrong. There was a continuous jerk as I accelerated. Not whiplash inducing but noticable.

What did I tear up? I first guess was the belt was slipping but I don't have enough experience with these things to know.

What did I burn up?
 

My guess would be your belt, I kow if you burn one on a sled it sort of "jerks" when it hits the flat spot. You werent actually dragging with your winch were you??

What did I burn up?
 

Burning rubber smell in reverse.......burnt belt. Reverse isn't geared low enough IMHO.

What did I burn up?
 

I had the load attached to the winch and was backing up the hill dragging it. Weight really wasn't that much- traction was more of a problem.


Thanks for the responses. The belt is what I figured it was. Guess it's back to the dealer for repairs. I may as well get the new tires while it's there. Those factory MTRs are too squirrely for me.

What did I burn up?
 

I have to agree with DaveB on this one. Reverse is geared like forward high. What I've experienced with the big cat so far is that if you use reverse for anything other than backing your bike off the trailer or out of the garage you will smoke the belt. (thats exagerating a bit but you get the idea) Especially if your still running the stock clutch spring setup and haven't re-shimed.
I would recommend going to the black EPI secondary spring and either the P700 primary or pink primary depending on your pleasure.
You'll find 99.9% of the 650 owners have ditched the stock clutch spring setup. It just can't seem to handle the power of the 650 and the bike runs so much better with one of the above combinations. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

What did I burn up?
 

Tech at the dealership said the same thing- reverse isn't low enough and doesn't handle getting loaded up very well. He felt the belt was toast too. So they will get it fixed for me.

Going to try some Mudlites too. Dealer said he would put some on and let me ride around the back field to see if they are what I was looking for. If I like them, fine, if not, he'll take them off and no charge. Really like my dealer.

He is also a Kawasaki dealer. Wonder if he would do the spring mod while in there fixing the belt? Or will it void the warranty?

What did I burn up?
 

Heads up about pulling with your winch, it isnt designed for just pulling, they are made for winching, you can strip your gears out by pulling with it.

What did I burn up?
 

If the clutch spring mod voids the warranty then everyone on every ATV site I've ever been on has a voided AC warranty cause there's a crap load of moded cluthes out there! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

What did I burn up?
 

My dealer told me I could do pretty much anything I wanted to do to my machine and it WONT void my warranty, the only thing that migfht void it he said is if my jetting is way out and I burn up my engine. That was good to know since I have a 3 yr on it and have done a few things to it.

What did I burn up?
 

I am new to the spring and shim thing. I am not an aggressive rider so having mods done that make it launch faster or accellerate like a rocket really don't mean much to me. I think it has plenty of power as it is.

My use is recreational trail cruising, pulling a small cart around for yard work, hauling a small trailer of metal and paper targets at the range, and hunting chores at this time. Eventually some use on the farm for checking cattle, fixing fences, etc. will be part of it.

That said, what benefit am I going to notice with spring mods? If it is a durability issue that will cut wear and tear on the AC overall, I am all for it. If it's just a go faster mod, I don't feel the need for it.

While at it, what can be done to firm up the front suspension? I have adjusted the shocks to the max and they don't help with the dip and roll as much as I would like. Are there aftermarket shocks or HD springs that can be switched with the OEM ones to stiffen the front? It just seems like the front plows in turns really bad. I am having Mudlites installed in place of the squishy MTRs, hoping that will help some.

Thanks for the info from you all that have been there, done that, and have the t-shirt to prove it......... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]