Ok, now for more questioning! Possibly some stupid questions...

Breakin Period:
One side of the camp says to go easy on a new bike when you are in your breakin period. Just like the manual says.

Another side says to "break it in like you're gonna drive it". I would assume that the logic is, that if you want your quad to run fast, break it in that way.

Which side holds the most merit?


The 2500# Warn Winch.

Just curious, what will the Warn REALLY do. Any one have any stories? I want to develop a baseline for what I should and should not attempt with it. I'm a guy and we tend to over do things sometimes.. Know what I mean? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]


I figured it was time for a new thread. This time I tried not to ask too many questions!

Thanks!

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] EtherNut

 

I've allways broke them in by taking it easy for the first couple hours, no top end blasts and try to keep it under 3/4 throttle and vary the speed (rpm & gear). Then open it up a little more as time goes on. By the time the first tank is gone just run it like you are going to ride it except for long wide open throttle runs,. Them I save for about the 3rd or 4th tank of gas. I've owned several atvs and never had any motor trouble out of any and broke them all in this way.
As far as the winch, just hook it up and try it out some before you NEED it to get familiar with it. They will surprise you sometimes and disappoint you others. They will pull more with less wraps on the spool than with more. A snatchblock will double your pulling power while cutting your speed and line length in half. Don't worry it won't pull the front of your quad off though[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img].

 

Muddcats right,Avoid wfo for a while,acelerate slowly up to half throttle or a little more then let off the throttle and let the engine braking slow you down,do this for 10-20 miles of operation and you will notice as the rings seat you will start to slow down more rapidly.Try not to hold the engine rpm steady for any extended period during break in. As for the winch,I do not have one on my AC 400 but my riding partner has one on his AC 454 and we just use it so far to pull out the Hondas,Suzukis,Yammahas,and Kaws,Oh yea and one Polaris that get stuck trying to follow us.

 

I would go with the other guys advice and run it normal except for full throttle blast and make sure to shift easy/properly. Pay attention to engine temps and noises. Check your fluids before/during/after a ride for awhile(1-2 tanks of gas or 100 miles)

My 2000 warn has saved my tail a few times. A snach blocks is awesome for off angle pulls and when you need more pulling power. I saw a guy use two of them one time and man was it slow but he pulled some serious weight up a muddy hill(anchor your quad first!). norther tools has them and I've seen one in a jegs catalog before. Try a couple of test runs on something or just go get stuck somewhere and give it a shot. Take pictures, they back up or disprove your story!

Dakota R/T

 

Before using the winch you should "stretch" the cable. I believe the owners manual recommends spooling in under a load of at least 500 lbs. I hooked my cable to the rear of my truck and spooled in uphill with the brakes applied every so often.

As far as breaking in a new machine I do similar to the others, vary speeds, and no wide open throttle for a couple hundred miles. I always change the oil and filter at the first 100 miles to clear out any metal shavings.

 

Sounds like the break-in was covered.On the winch don't forget to prewind the cable on the drum. If the cable is loose on the spool and you pull something heavy the cable will bind up. I believe Cowboy covered this not to long ago, if you do a search on winch or something like that you should find it.

 

What type of oil is best for the quad? My natural tendency is to want to put in Mobil 1 Synthetic (or some type of quality synthetic). But my understanding is to do this after the breaking period with normal oil as the Synthetic will prolong the breaking period. Does this sound correct? Is there a certain weight of oil that I should be using as well?

What about the oil in the diffs? Would a lighter synthetic reduce drag on the drivetrain?

Thanks again!

EtherNut

 

Any high quality engine oil should do fine. I prefer using 10W 40 the viscosity for this oil covers from 0 to above 100 degrees F.As for the synthetic oil,it may prolong break in due to it being slicker than conventional oils. e

 

We had this topic a while back. The consesus was that make sure and break in the engine good first with regular oil and then switch to synthetic oil. I'm still running the reg oil and will probably switch around 400 miles. The manuals shift easier and the engines run a bit cooler.

 

I am providing links to good oil discussions in the Arctic Cat forums for some of you with similar questions.

Motor Oil
Differential Oil Discussion
More DIfferential Oil Info
Breakin Period and Oil Filters
Oils and Filters
Good Oil Filter Compilation
Tire Sealants? Get some!
Auto Oils vs Motorcycle Oils