WOW!!!

I LOVE THE CLAWS!!!

I finally got to spend some time with my new shoes and I'm not disappointed.

I put the Bi/Tri combo on my 2000 Arctic Cat 500 4x4 Manual and went to the Deepwater public trail system south of Clinton, MO. Deepwater is over 400 acres of trails that bump up against Truman Lake on the north side and you can see it from Hwy 13. I got lost for over an hour on the south side and never saw another ATV. It got kinda crowded by noon with all the sport bikes so we got outta there but, I did put on 20 miles in a little over 2 hours.

My buddy Roger and I also pulled out a Jeep Cherokee that was buried to the axles in mud. We pulled up beside them and offered to give them a tug. I think they thought we were kidding when we said we could get them out. No sweat.

To test the 'claws we picked a mud hole that had a well traveled bypass trail. It seemed no one was daring enough to go straight through. Well I did. A half a dozen times. The 'claws pulled me through without hesitation. The engine did bog down to a crawl though. Even in first gear.

I'm really impressed with the trail manners of the 'claws too. Under 10 mph they are a little rough but turning on the Bi's doesn't seem any more difficult than with the stock Titan 489s.

The best part is hearing "That's one bad a$$ ATV." everytime you turn around.

You can see some pics at the following URL: http://photos.yahoo.com/dreymac

When I get a few more minutes I put together a few more observations. If you have any specific question please reply.

 

Man am I jealous!!!!

It looks like you guys had a lot of fun. Saturday would have been a great day to ride, cool temps and recent rain for the mud.

The claws look awesome! Did you find anything bad about them at all, any regrets? I'm sure there probably aren't but just curious.

Lance

 

Great photo's DreyMac!! Those tires look amazing!
I don't know so I am asking....are the tread patterns on the right direction? They look backwards to me, but I don't know. (just want to know for my future tires) Again GREAT pics..looks like lots of fun.

shmoky

 

When I ordered the 'Claws from HighLifter I got them pre-mounted on a set of ITP steel wheels. I also ordered two pairs of spacers expecting I might need them on both the fromt and rear. I did put the rear ones on to compensate for the lift kit. But, the 'claws do not contact the front suspension and I was afraid spacers on the front my influence turning.

It's interesting to note that the ITP wheels seem to have a slightly different offset that the stock AC wheels. With only the lift kit on the stock tires (Titan 489) actually rubbed the lift kit bracket under full articulation. The 'claws don't touch at all.

My concerns with the 'claws were the effect on turning and the possible effect on ride. Both were completely removed by running them this weekend. The narrower 9.75 bi-claws turn just as well as the stocke tires and the trail manners are just fine. The only time the ride is really effected is when I pull onto the cement floor in the garage. That's when you really notice the lugs rumbling.

The only downside I have experienced is the inability to throw gravel and spin the rear tires with rapid acceleration. The 'claws bite so good it just doesn't happen. I guess I'll have to get my kicks in the mud instead;-)

 

Great pictures Dan, Can't wait to get out there
again.

 

Yep, the tread is turned the right way.

 

Nice Quads, I love the Dodge also.

 

Actually I found that the ITP wheels were closer to the shocks than the wheels on my 99 Arctic Cat 500. Might be the difference in Year model.

How wide are your factory wheels?

Don't forget that the factory tires are 10" wide and the Bi-CLaws are closer to 9" wide.