Is there any reason why I should not purchase a Warn winch rated at 1700lbs of pulling power? I mean the bike is roughly 600lbs...so why would I want, say, 2500lb pull winch?

 

As with everything else BIGGER is BETTER, when or if your stuck, the mud acts as a vacuum and sucks the wheelie in, it takes great pull strength to overcome the elements.

 

this is off a warn 2.5
Pull by layer layer/Lbs(Kgs.)
1/2500(1134)
2/2200(998)
3/1930(875)
4/1700(771)

this is a warn 3.0
1/3000(1361)
2/2640(1198)
3/2320(1052)
4/2040(925)

this is warn works 1700
1/1700(771)
2/1400(635)
3/ 1220(553)
4/ 1100(498)

this is a ramsey 3000
1/3000
2/2500
3/2100
4/1890
5/1680

note ratings are probally a bit conservative for legal reasons of liability,
but you get the idea, all pull ratings are based on the layer of cable
on the spool, the more layers on the spool, the less the pull rating will be,
yes a ****** block will let you pull more, and increase it as well.
some of the smaller trailer type winches have a 25' cable,
others have a 50' cable. all depends on what you want and your wallet.

you can get a remote ramsey 3000 for about 325, or a 2500 for 280 plus shipping
from
Trax motorsports

 

I'd getting the biggest you can. We stalled out 2 2000lb winches trying to get a polaris scrambler out. The wheels werent even stuck touching anything, all suction on the undercarriage. Bigger really is better with winches.

 

Not sure about this, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the 2.5 ci (and for cerain the 3.0 ci) are sealed much better than the 2.0 model.

You might want to check into it if you plan to do any water/mud riding.

 

Winches are rated for pulling power, not lifting power. This means that a 1700 lb winch will be maxed out while pulling a rolling load of 1700 lbs on a level surface. If you want to pull your machine out of a hole, or out of the mud, or if you ever plan on carrying anything on you machine, you had better plan on buying the higher rated winch.
I have a 2500 lb Warn winch, and I made the mistake of leaving the brakes locked while using the winch to pull me up a steep hill. It performs so well that I might use it for plowing furrows in the garden next spring!