shifting on the fly is not a problem. the manual says not to shift while moving for liability reasons. It is actually engineered to shift only while moving.that is why it won't shift when sitting.the trick is to shift when not under load such as hard acceleration or when already in a low traction condition such as mud. when moving there is very little movement between the gears in relation to each other as all the tires are moving at the same speed.

 

You can try shifting on the fly but I wouldn't recommend doing it, especially at high speeds. It can cause a havoc in the front diff gear box. It's like shifting gear on manual trans w/o pulling in clutch lever on a bike. Sometimes you can shift nicely, other times you may hear unhappy dog-gear grinding/clunking noise. The owner's manual says don't shift on the fly for this "mechanical" reason as well. But it's your bike...

 

why is it some people quote the "the manual says" to do one thing only to ignore it on others. I sure most of the people on this forum don't heed the warning about how deep of water to drive in etc. so why listen to the manual when it says to shift only while stopped. I have been a mechanic for 24 years and I know manuals are only written to protect the manufacturer not really provide any useful info other than specs for lube and fill capacities.shift how you want to shift but remember that the manual is only a guide and is written with a bias to protect the manufacturers assets more than your own!

 

It's your bike and you may ride anyway that pleases you.

 

for two years I have be shifting on the fly with no problems. the key is not to do it when you are stuck. I try not to shift when I am going over 15 mph.

 

If I remember right my dealer said you can shift while moving along but do it under like 10mph. He also said that it will not engage into 4x4 until it slows down to a slow speed like 10mph. He told me some number but I forgot. So if you hit the button without knowing you did it won't shift until you slow down. I have never tried it though.

 

that is due to the speed sensor.

 

You .........DO NOT...........want to try to go to 4wd drive after being stuck in 2wd.
My bf650 is in the shop right now with the entire front diff being replaced. I was stuck in a hole and tried to engage 4wd as easy as I could and the indicator said I was in 4wd, I even felt in engage I thought. Then I hit the throttle and something popped loud and it shuddered in the front end. The shop said it even broke the housing. They said the bearings,gears ,switch actuator, everything had to be replaced. $952.00 for parts .......Kawasaki's price...................the warranty covered it luckily

 

Wow. Sorry to hear that. Thankfully the warranty covered that. I've shifted mine into 4wd in all kinds of situations, even after I was stuck. I never had a problem (knock on wood).

 

They are an awesome quad but that has always bothered me on thier 4wd engagement , if they only had the griz type engagement , then they would be perfect.