Finally took some time to take some photos of the flex in the new 500i's. At first I didn't know what to use, but then I remembered I had car ramps that gave 9" lift and thought they would work good.

I have 2 wheels flexed at the same time without any weight on the ATV. The front left and rear right tires are up ~9" (a little more in the rear).

This shot is of the front, you can see both tires up, and all 4 on the ground, lighting is a little off, but you get the idea.

This shot is of the rear, you can see both tires up, and all 4 on the ground.

This shot is of the rear, you can see how both rear tires are still perpendicular to the ground (maximum traction), even though they are staggered by 9+ inches. With a solid axle, even if it flexed this much, you would not get either tire perpendicular to the ground.

 

Awesome pics man !! You did a good job. Now you should see how far it will flex before the tires stop touching the ground. You can use a jack under the tire and jack it up all the way. If the jack doesn't go high enough then get some 2 by 4s and put them under the jack. If you don't want to do this then I will post some pics of my quad flexing to the extreme.

What I plan on doing I'll take the stock tires and rims and put 2 stacked up on each other and drive over top of it with one tire and see what happens. I have my outlaws on black and chrome ITP rims so I got 2 sets of tires and rims. Thanks for the pics.

 

Good idea!

I actually tried that with my hydrolic jack, and The tires were on the ground for the whole heighth of the jack. I didn't think about adding the wood, stupid me.

Should I only do that for 1 wheel, or try to do that for 2 diagonal tires at the same time, which is harder to do? Also, the one I did, was without anyone on the ATV, and 2 diagonal tires. Should I also try it with some weight on the ATV (like when it's being riden), because the results will probably come out better.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Awesome! There is no need to worry about any other quad flexing near that good. My buds 660 will not even get one rear wheel off of the ground more than 5 inches with out raising the other one. This thing is going to be great at the technical stuff. Maybe I should've waited on the i models, nah I'm happy with mine. But that sure is some articulation, even without any weight on it. Does it have much sway & lean in the corners? Great pics man keep em coming.

 

Hey mudcat, I have ridden your ATV (2002 500man at dealer), and it was what convinced me to wait for the 500i (in a good way). I was just about to give up waiting and get a Grizz 660, but then rode your model and decided to at least wait and ride a 500i. I was thinking if the 500Act rides that good, then the 500i should ride at least the same. So enjoy that quad of yours, it is awesome.

How's the 27" 'ers on that doing? Have to add any spacers, lifters, etc? Any noticable loss in power?

later

 

Rides4Fun~

That is some AWESOME articulation on that suspension!! I knew the 500I was going to be good, but your pics just keep impressing the heck out of me. Keep up the great pics, I can't wait to see some more. Your nice web site has given me the push I've been lacking to get mine done and get some pics of the family's 4X4's and our trips out there on the net.

Keep it up!

SilverBear

 

No lift kit but have to run spacers on the rear,could probably get by with different offset wheels (ITP). I'm happy with my ACT 500. My son has a 01 250 4x4 it has irs. He has a hard time with cv boots getting torn and that is what turned me off to the i model. But after seeing that flex wow. Maybe by the time I get ready for a new ride they will have a 650i manual or something like that. This is the 3rd AC 500 I have had and with the exception of the auto they have all been trouble free, and very dependable. How about the body sway , does it seem to be very bad?
The 27" 589s are a great tire. In your pics it looks like you have the MT on the rear and the MS on the front, is this true.

 

Mudcat,
very observant (you're the first to pick that up). My theory (I will let you know if it turns out true or not) is that the M/T is a little flatter (top of the tire) than the M/S. I figured that for the front end, to make turning a little easier on me and the steering mechanism, I would go with a rounder 589. If it doesn't work out I will switch back to my M/T. So far the M/S makes for a better front tire, and the M/T is awesome for the rear. Good to hear about that suzuki 500, that was another selling point for me (the reliability and power from that 500 & tranny - time proven). As for your sons CV boots getting ripped, what type of boot protectors have you tried? I bet you, there will be a 650i (or I'm thinking 660i - My dads 2000 Arctic Cat snowmobile has a 3 cylinder 660)?

SilverBear,
Let me know if you want any web templates. I through that site together quickly, just to get the pictures out. Will be making it better soon.

 

Rides4Fun~

Sure, I'd appreciate the web template. My email address is jeff@thebillingoffice.com...Thanks!

On your new 500I, that articulation is still boggling my mind, it is so impressive. Now I have to go out to the garage and see how well the grizz does. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Does the AC500I have sways bars? I know the SP700 & the Grizz 660 do, and I've read some people have took the sway bars off to gain articulation.

Happy Holidays!

SilverBear

 

Just sent them, enjoy.

I was almost a Grizz 660 owner myself, very impressive quad.