I have driven a friends 2004 650 on many occasions and he has a few problems with it. Limp home mode, horrible rear brake, Poor shifter (shifting into gear felt "spring loaded" ),and the shift linkage "e" clip popped off in the woods a couple times. Looking at the 2005 models, I noticed the shift linkage and rear brakes are different, but the dealers will not let you test drive them. The 2005's have a warning tag about limp mode, so I assume they did not fix the problem.

Can anyone who has driven both models speak to the difference between them? are the 2005's any better? thanks

 

With the 2004 650's they had problems with the belts going into "limp mode" and they came out with something called a rectifier, which you plug into the belts electric system. The 2005's already have those built in. So from that aspect the 2005 model is better. If you own a 2004 the rectifier will do you a world of good.

 

oh yeah, the rear back is a sort of a factory defect. the unit leaks and the rear brake is not very effective, you could get it replaced 10 times and eventually you may run into the same problems.

 

I'm thinking of purchasing a 650 but I've heard allot of negs about a "limp mode" What is limp mode and why was it put on the 650 and not 500 TRV? What is the purpose of it and does other ATV MFGs also have a "limp mode?

 

Limp mode basically is a safety measure so you don't hurt your 650. The CDI box senses a spike in the transient voltage and limits your revs. All you have to do is reset the CDI box with the reset key. You get a key with your bike so it's no biggie. The Kawi's all have the same set up.

 

The fix for the problem is the Noise Filter addon that was mentioned above. I believe it is a warrenty item so just go in to your dealer and they should take care of it.

 

Well thanks for your reply
I don't know what a cdi box is but where does a transient voltage come from? Is it an engine rpm vs. wheel rpm? Or engine vs. belt?
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Electrical feedback causes the CDI box to miss read what is going on. The Noise Filter gets rid of the Electrical noise. It just plugs into the wiring harness and all is fixed. There is no belt or engine problem it is basically like when a radio station fades out under electrical lines.

 

BTW I work at an Artic Cat dealership here in Kentucky, and if I don't know the answers I can find them out. I don't give crap answers because I don't like getting crap answers. So if there is anything I can help with in the future let me know.

 

Thanks
It seems like the function of the cdi box is to compare pulses from more than one spot and if there is a miscompare it places the machine in limp mode? Do you know exactly what the function of the cdi box is? Maybe I'm out in left field facing the bleechers but how does limp mode protect the 650 and why didn't they put it on the 500 TRV
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