thinking about getting a 4x4 quad to go along with my yz450. only thing is i want it for mud/water riding when the bike just slides around etc. i was riding to day with a friend on a suzuki 400 4x4 and he crossed a "creek" and then couldnt even hardly move because (we assume) the belt was slipping from being wet. if this common on auto / cvt quads or what? if i plan to ride mud and water alot i dont want to worry about this and i'll find a 4x4 without a cvt tranny.

 

Sad, isn't it, a 600 - 750 lb. machine being stopped by a few ounces of water? Unfortunately, a belt is very vulnerable to that, but most CVT quads are vented pretty good, the main thing is to look for the intake and exhaust from the belt housing, any water getting in there will cause problems, some can be fixed by adding a little bit of tubing, and making sure the cover gasket is sealed good. I have seen some up over the motor in mud/water with no problems, so a good seal is important. It seems the choices for an auto clutch/shifter type utility quad are getting pretty slim, Suzuki and Arctic Cat and Honda have some, and I think the Yamaha Big Bear is still an auto clutch, one of the reasons I'm still holding onto my 95 Wolverine is the lack of a good replacement quad that has the weight/sportiness/4 wheel drive/transmission combo that I want.Good luck, and make sure whatever you buy fills all your needs, and you'll be happy with whatever you pick.

 

Just skip all those belt drives, and get a new water cooled, fuel injected Honda Rancher 420, with a nice time proven reliable manual trans!

 

Most newer belt drives DO NOT take in water. I know from personal experience. I have been standing on my seat more times than i can count, and NEVER had my belt get wet. On the otherhand, a wolverine in our group got wet every time it saw water. Polaris is same as Arctic Cat. A new one will be just fine. I have no experience with yamaha, can-am, or suzuki

 

I think I`ll get a newer CVT so I can get the larger displacement I want. I`ll just make sure the air intake and stuff to the CVT is air tight and routed up high

 

i know from expierence that yamaha and polaris have high air intakes and high clutch cases entrances. If your gonna buy new it shouldn't be a problem, and also as long as you don't let off the throttle, even if u get a little water in the case you should still go, hense my scrambler. I've almost sank it, the clutch case filled right up, and it wrecks your belt after a while lol.
Also snorkels can be bought or made in my case

 

I ride in a lot of mud and cross through some high streams. I have never had my belt slip or water come from the drain plug. On Sunday I was actually screwing around in a mud hole for over an hour in the pouring rain and I had no trouble with the belt what so ever. I was even pulling some 20-30' trees after going through the mud to clear more paths. And I would assume if there was any water in the casing the belt would have slipped while pulling these trees. I have not experienced any belt slippage with my Bruin, which I must say has had a hard life so far [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]