when you run the MX tracks, do you have your prairie in 4 wheel drive? i went to a poker run today, me and my buddy was ripping it up and then i found this car eating ditch and wham-o. the back end flew to the sky. i think if i werent in 4wd the front tires would have just gave up and not pulled me out of a serious problem.

im really thinking about doing a hare scramble, i was pumped. my buddy lead about 5 miles out of a 32 mile track. i was kicking some @$$. i wanted to see the faces of the sport quad riders as i passed them but i didnt have time!!

just wanted some input.
___________________
02 650p
nyroc muffler
super snorkle
147.5f/152.5r jets
.033 on needles
dynatek cdi
epi black
700p drive spring
700p belt
water wetter
plow
receiver system
warn 2000lb
bighorn's
air/fuel ratio gauge
2 DAYCO BELT'S (HP2017) 4 SALE- CHEAP

 

Deerchopper,
Yes, I always race my P650 in 4x4 mode on an XC course come rain or shine. The downside is that the 4x4 mode tends to wear out your arms a little faster than 2wd mode...but I've gotten used to it by now and its not really a big deal anymore. I use 4x4 mode all the time b/c I really like the stability that it provides in steep hill climbs, off camber situations, and I like the traction it provides in soft sand/mud/etc. Of course the downside is that you can't slide the rear end around like the sport quads if you are using 4x4 mode...but this don't concern me b/c my power slides seem to be very wide/uncontrollable anway.

I have occasionally gone to MX tracks to practice and race my friends and these MX tracks usually have some soft sand/sandly loam surface...so I have found that I make better times using 4x4 mode on these MX tracks...probably b/c I get better traction each time I come out of a turn and hit the gas again.

I have 3 things for you to think about.

1) If you take your Prairie to a MX track and run it in 4x4 mode, make sure that you land your jumps properly! If you think that you are going to land with the front wheels first (a bad landing), then make sure you are ON the throttle when you land. I have noticed that if you completely let off the throttle when jumping and then you land front wheels first, it can be a very rough landing (I suppose its even possible to flip over too!). I have practiced enuf times that I usually land on either my rear wheels or on all 4 wheels (it helps to goose the throttle just before leaving the jump).

2) The reality is that jumping while in 4x4 mode puts more stress on the front wheel drive components as compared to jumping in 2wd mode. So keep this in mind b/c there is always the possiblity that jumping in 4x4 mode will lead to front CV joints or other parts breaking down...altho I have not had any such problems on mine yet (knock on wood [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ). Only a few of the local XC courses that I race in have MX style jumps, so the reality is that I'm not jumping my P650 very often.

3) Don't remove the front rack if you are hitting big jumps UNLESS you install a bar across the front rack mounts to support the front shock towers (the shock towers tend to bend when landing off of big air jumps unless they are supported by the front racks or some other bar to support them). I keep my front racks on for this very reason, but I think that Mike P. might sell a bar that will support the front shock towers if you remove the front racks.

I highly recommend that you go race in an XC race...its a lot of fun! In fact, I raced yesterday in a local XC race and it was VERY MUDDY. I passed lots of stuck sport quads and other sport quads that couldn't keep up with me in the muck. I ended up 1st place out of 3 in my utility quad class and 5th OVERALL out of 32 quads in the B class race (most of which were sport quads). I recall following a YFZ 450 for about a mile or so and thinking that we were making good time (so I had no immediate intentions to pass him) and then he saw me following him and he just pulled over and let me by! Its usually the other way around on a dry XC course, so I was very happy to pass him!

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

thank you mikeyboy.

are you still running the stock rear shock?

i just wish i could fly through the dust like some of the MX racers do. when i hit a big dust cloud all four are locked up. i just cant do it. you know, cant see cant speed.

___________________
02 650p
nyroc muffler
super snorkle
147.5f/152.5r jets
.033 on needles
dynatek cdi
water wetter
epi black
700p drive spring
700p belt
plow
receiver system
warn 2000lb
bighorn's
air/fuel ratio gauge
2 DAYCO HP2017 BELTS 4 SALE, CHEAP

 

You're most welcome and yes, I'm using a stock rear shock. I understand that some folks (like Prairiewrench) have added more nitrogen to their rear shock to make it stiffer (so it won't bottom out when you come down off of big air jumps). You might want to ask PW about this mod if you are interested. I have no plans to change my rear shock or add nitrogen (never bottomed out the rear shock as far as I know).

With respect to riding/racing thru clouds of dust, I agree it can be a bit scary to ride thru when you don't know who or what is on the other side. I tend to let off the gas and kinda coast thru it if its terribly think/impossible to see thru...but I try NOT to let off the gas if I can at least see well enuf to know the rider in front of me is still going fast (b/c I don't want to get too far behind). If there is 1 thing that I learned in this past 6 months of XC races, it was to not fall back from your nearest competitor so far that he is out of sight. If he is right in front of you, you can watch which lines he picks and you can copy him or change lines if he picks a bad line. Also, I tend to stay much more motivated and push myself to keep my speed up when I can see a rider in front of me that I wish to follow or catch/pass. If I'm all alone and don't see anyone in front of me or behind me, then I tend to slow down (even tho I usually need to keep up a fast pace at that point).

I encourage you to go watch and/or race in an XC race and see how you like it...me and one of my riding buddies started XC racing in January and now we are both hooked on this sport!

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

mikeyboy, i dont bottom out im just hate the rebound from a ditch or woop. thats why i slow down in the big cloud, dont know when i might find one. over the weekend i went to a poker run and damn near went over twice because of the rebound. i do beleave if i didnt have it in 4 by 4 i would have went over, i keeped it nailed and those bighorn's did there job and pulled me out of a bad situation. i dont have the money to get the elka's but i would like to go with the elka' front spring's.

_______________________
02 650p
nyroc muffler, 9- 3/8" holes & 3- 3/8" holes through two baffles. noise level was the same
super snorkle
147.5f/152.5r jets
.033 on needles
dynatek cdi
water wetter
epi black
700p drive spring
700p belt
moose hand guards
plow
receiver system
warn 2000lb
bighorn's
air/fuel ratio gauge
2 DAYCO HP2017 BELTS 4 SALE, CHEAP