jetsnow600, How well does your 2002 DS handle compared to your 2004?

 

I've been riding my '04 pretty hard now for about 6 months. No Problems. My neighbor has the '04 and has a tendancy to catch a little air now and then, No Problem. I think Bomb decided to go back to steel for cost reasons. The dealers need something to tell the public. Let me think...hmmm...oh yea...'reliability issues'[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

I weighed them, they were 1/4 lb. heavier than the stockers, nothing significant.
They must have changed the heims, because the ones I got recently are high and tight, only got about 10 hours riding on them so far but still tight. IF they fail too quick I will replace with a higher quality for sure though.

Now I still can't get a single new model owner to tell me what his caster angle is, because it is my belief that there is absolutley no change in the geometry of the new a-arms from the orignals of yesteryear. So I'm gonna go to the dealer with my gauge and measure the one on the showroom floor as soon as I can.

 

I bought a set of 04 a-arms off ebay and I will check the caster angle and let you know this weekend.

 

I had heard that too...
However I bought them and love 'em.

I also heard they had a problem with the arm hitting the shock at full droop... not mine.

They ball joints will last quite a long time, depending on your riding ability. The more aggressive riders who also stray far from camp should upgrade them sooner than a rider who's on a "weekend getaway" and they never get out of 3rd gear. To say "don't buy them" just because of the heim isn't really for everyone out there. The mom who rides every trip out for maybe an hour a day... well they'll last the life of the quad. For me, they'd last 300 miles. But then they'd still only get sloppy.

I've upgraded my Heims for $50 (I get a bro deal locally) which is still worth it.
But I also found my ASR arms from a guy who thought they were crap (He had also heard all the BS about them being crap on the internet) so I got his loss... my gain. I paid about $125 on Ebay for them.

Again... In My Honest Opinion.... They're great, and work great.
If you NEED to upgrade the heims... then do so, and they'll still only run a small cost over some other brands that are marked up beyond belief. Think about how much they cost to make! Pretty much nothing once the jig is done... the heims are the only cost. Then the bolts and spacers, then the tubing. Chump change. Some poeple think when buying something the more it costs... the better it must be (not saying YOU)... Why is that?? It's BS!!

Ride hard!

AND... has anyone on this forum BROKE the ASR heim??? Actually broke it I'm talking about... not just a sloppy heim issue. I'm talking BROKE the heim off the arm?!

 

[quote]
Ya, me too. I only bought mine for CASTOR adjustment. Or the ability to adjust if needed. I've got quite a bit of angle in mine (positive) with a tad positive on the camber too. Weight shouldn't be too much a concern for anyone... I mean, come on... you bought a DS remember?!?!

Crazy huh?!
I ended up taking my angle finder into a dealer to see just what I could... they were like, "uhhh... sir, can I help you?!" As I take out my angle finder and measure the floor... jot down some notes on a pad of paper, then measure the quad a few times... more jotting down notes...etc. Too funny. What "device" are you gonna use to get your angles?? I used a magnetic angle finder, pretty simple device. Same as this one; http://www.toolking.com/greatneck/view.asp?id=2226 If you don't have one (speaking to anyone)... time to buy one, they're cheap and when needed... a great tool.

 

Johnny J that the exact type of tool I use, different brand. just stick a straight edge across the spindle and set the angle finder against it, its that easy.
So tell me then, what is the caster angle of a new model DS for crying out loud man!!!

And about the denting the shock at full droop, well that only happens if they weren't installed right. if you screw the pivot heims all the way in to make the arm as short as possible, well they will dent, but you got the bike jacked up and at full droop for the replacement anyway and easily see this so just screw the pivot heims out far enough to get 1/4" of clearance from the shock. Several people have dented their shocks by not realizing this, some people have even ground on the a-arm, rather than screw the heims out.

 

Cool...

My sis just bought a new '05.... I'll measure hers when she gets back from dunin' this weekend.
We'll get that answer! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Maybe ... just for you [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] ... I'll shoot over to the local dealer (it's only 1 mile away) and measure it. However... my sis bought the last one they had together... hopefully they put another one together. Especially since she's gonna buy a second DS... one for her hubby, or vice-a-versa! I'm super happy for her. But that's another story.

Check back soon ... I should have the degree your looking for!

 

Hey Johnny, what camber/caster/toe did you set on your bike? and for what type of riding? i'm about to install mine and want to see what other people are prefering.
thanks