Yea, that would be helpful to hear first hand about the Progressive spring.

got the bike back for the dealer! had it worked on got the belt adjusted as you all said and the BLACK SPRINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn nice of the line - PEPPY little thing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe i'll talk the wife into the module this weekend. SPEED!!!!!!! (a monster has been born!)

they said the valves were out of wack! that was my problem . . . . OK, if they say so! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]


Just got to say thanks guys! I posted the same message on 2 other boards to get some answers and got very little attention! Here I feel like a long lost friend and not the bothersome evil cousin!

THANKS!!!

 

It does seem to be a bit different here in the Kawasaki section, even in this same forum go to a different brand (with a question about a different brand) and it becomes a trash session, and my bikes better than yours type of thing. These guys in Kawasaki are very helpful.

Glad to hear about your great results!!! But be careful (ITS ADDICTIVE);
Kevin

 

One more question and I’ll be out of everyone’s hair!

Had the dealer put in the black spring and adjust the belt to 24 t 25 MM like suggested. Now I have a ...... low squealing / bumble on start up when I have a load on the 650 or am towing something. I don’t remember it doing that before. What's causing it Rivermud, Scotia650, or anyone?

Wife's sisters kids came over for the weekend. The 2 girls wanted to go for a little ride on the 650. They wanted to see it go fast. I put them on it and hit the throttle. in 250 ft it hit 55mph!

DAMN!!!!! I almost had the wife talked into the DG holeshot until them!!!! ;(

 

DBCooper, Im not sure what your problem would be other than your dealer did'nt do it right. That squeel on takeoff under a load is the reason I did the blackspring and adjustment. It is a sign the belt is loose. If it squals at idle Iwould say its a bit tight and would get better. Alot of dealers seem to think since the black spring increases the tension on the belt, the belt adjustment isnt needed. I do remember when mine was first done it seemed worse than before as far as a little slip on take off, It didnt make the noise though. After a couple hours ride time It was hooking up real good and doing wheelies. I determined grease had gotten on the belt from dirty hands and when it wore off I was very happy with the performance. Hope someone else will chime in here and give more opinions.

 

DBCooper,

First, you not bugging anyone. This is what the forum is for. An exchange of info for the benefit of all. So ask away.

Second, I have to agree with rivermud. A squeeling belt on takeoff would be an indication of too loose. When measuring deflection it takes 13 lbs. of force downward on the belt to get the proper measurement. If not enough force is applied to the belt then a measure of 24mm might actually be 30mm if done correctly and this is too high. Pull the cover off and use a ruler and fishscale to measure the defection for yourself (don't forget to spin the rear clutch several times to drive the belt to the top of the sheaves). Let us know what you get for a reading and we'll go from there.

 

Guys,

"Got under the hood" and the belt is at 27+/- .5.

We have a small stream on the upper end of the property and yesterday i had to ford it. Well, we had lots of rain this week and it was a little deeper than i thought. The 650 got a little wet and now the damn thing doesn’t squeak. Go figure! I was pulling out some trees that had fallen in the stream and it squeaked once or twice then . . . . ...... nothing! Sounds better.

Need new tires - i need tire that have good gripping quality, good in mud, and water. General type of farm tires. What suggestions do you guys have? likes and dislikes? Will I need to change out the rims?

SLIME in the tires???? I was going to look into having calcium or gel put in them for weight and puncture resistance. Ideas?

Mudhound, can you give us a pro/con for the Progressive Springs please?

 

DBCooper, Glad to hear it sounds better. As far as tires, I have 26'' Dirt Devils, good and bad. They do grip well and are 6 ply for puncture resistance however they are small. The 26'' DD is actually smaller than the stock 25'' it came with, so I would not recomend them to anyone, you could buy larger than 26'' but then your paying more and not getting what you paid for. There are alot of good tires out there but my next tire purchase will be the 26'' ITP (Mud Lites). I Have seen and heard many good things with these tires. They get good grip, smooth ride, good wear, and they are light weight for a mud tire. As far as slime goes, it has alot more good than bad, it does work and will be well worth it for your stock tires. It does add some weight and probably isnt as big of deal if you go with a 6 ply tire. With wheels you dont need to change them unless you want to. I dont mind the way the stock ones look and they are lighter than alot of the aftermarket wheels out there. In most cases you can go up two inches from stock tire size with no problem and no modification. I choose the 26'' mainly because this is the size that most of the tires change there tread to the deeper lugs, but they arent big enough to really slow you down.



Kevin

 

Tires seem to be a personal preference and vary from rider to rider. For you, I would chose something in a 6 ply and a size close to stock. If you need traction go with something that has a larger lug such as a 589, mudlite, dirt devils, etc... If you need to tread lightly then go with something less aggressive.

27mm is at the upper end of the spectrum. Removing the 0.6mm shim is going to make it a little too tight. So your on the bubble. Use the bike for a while (maybe 2-3 hundred miles) then pull that cover again and remove the smallest shim. You might be a little tight but the bike will work great and you'll get better belt life. A small squeek while in gear would be ok (sign that the belt is on the tight side).

Enjoy.

Steve

 

Steve and Kevin,

Thanks for your time guys! You are great and it's my pleasure to meet and learn from you!

Thanks again!

 

DBCooper,

We all learn from each other. Meeting and communicating with others who all enjoy this great sport is definately a pleasure. We'll talk again I'm sure. Until then, enjoy.

Steve