Brute 1100 Mile Report
#1
06-11-2006, 12:57 AM
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Brute 1100 Mile Report
Well, I have hit 55 hours and 1100 miles on my 06' Brute 650 SRA.
1) No mechanical problems at all after some hard riding. No overheating issues, tranny belt seems to be nice and tight, and no valve noise. Had it in the shop for an unplugged fuel guage, and that has been it so far.
2) On 80 degree or above days, the radiator fan kicks on and is stays on most of the day. I do like that the fan stays on even when the machine is off/key is out.
3) I still have the stock Dunlops, and while they are soft and not the best, they are actually holding up great after 1100 miles on hard pack, jagged rocks, etc. No punctures at all. Pretty surprised they hold up so well. Tire upgrade is coming though.
4) I have changed the fluids over to Amsoil 10w40 and Kawachem rear brake oil. Plan on flushing radiator fluid soon and then start over with that Water Wetter stuff. Changed spark plugs and found the rear plug to be a pain in the butt to get a ratchet and extension into. It took about 30 minutes. Changed over to the NGK Iridium plugs. Not sure they will offer much of an upgrade of the regular NGK's, but even a modest gain in fuel economy would be nice. The plugs only cost a couple bucks more than the regular ones anyway.
5) Brute does sometimes act funny when starting. It can be the same temperature everday, and sometimes she will turn over with one push of the green start button, other days I have to choke it, give it gas, struggle, turn over. I am hoping the Iridium plugs improve starting.
6) Moose module is holding up well. It does not improve the starting efficiency of the Brute as I thought it would. It definitely does exactly what it advertises and nothing more---down low power from 0-10 mph. Pretty cheap and great upgrade.
7) Windshield--trying to figure out how to mount the supposed "universal ATV" windshield I bought from Maier. The Brute's handlebars are too short and have too many things on them to mount this windshield. A paperweight for now, but will pay someone to fab up the brackets to fit. Dragonflies are killing me while going 40 mph and above. LOL
8) The Brute SRA doesn't have the ground clearance of the IRS obviously, but does pretty good in the mud. Only been stuck once, and that was because I didn't switch to 4wd ahead of time. The Brute shines in high speed trail riding. It can conquer steep hills easily and makes me glad I purchased the V-Twin over the single cylinder stuff out there. The power band of this machine is incredible and never seems to run out of it. I like the confidence of having power whenever I need it. It has actually saved me from a couple of mishaps that were borne of stupidity.
9) Transmission--Running her in low gear under 20 mph or so is what I do. The belt still looks great after 1100 miles, so i must be doing something right.
Well, that is my 1100 mile report. I am extremely happy with the machine and its reliability. I am meticolous about maintenance items like oil, air filter, etc. I change these things religiously and I hope for continued reliability.
Bubba out!
1) No mechanical problems at all after some hard riding. No overheating issues, tranny belt seems to be nice and tight, and no valve noise. Had it in the shop for an unplugged fuel guage, and that has been it so far.
2) On 80 degree or above days, the radiator fan kicks on and is stays on most of the day. I do like that the fan stays on even when the machine is off/key is out.
3) I still have the stock Dunlops, and while they are soft and not the best, they are actually holding up great after 1100 miles on hard pack, jagged rocks, etc. No punctures at all. Pretty surprised they hold up so well. Tire upgrade is coming though.
4) I have changed the fluids over to Amsoil 10w40 and Kawachem rear brake oil. Plan on flushing radiator fluid soon and then start over with that Water Wetter stuff. Changed spark plugs and found the rear plug to be a pain in the butt to get a ratchet and extension into. It took about 30 minutes. Changed over to the NGK Iridium plugs. Not sure they will offer much of an upgrade of the regular NGK's, but even a modest gain in fuel economy would be nice. The plugs only cost a couple bucks more than the regular ones anyway.
5) Brute does sometimes act funny when starting. It can be the same temperature everday, and sometimes she will turn over with one push of the green start button, other days I have to choke it, give it gas, struggle, turn over. I am hoping the Iridium plugs improve starting.
6) Moose module is holding up well. It does not improve the starting efficiency of the Brute as I thought it would. It definitely does exactly what it advertises and nothing more---down low power from 0-10 mph. Pretty cheap and great upgrade.
7) Windshield--trying to figure out how to mount the supposed "universal ATV" windshield I bought from Maier. The Brute's handlebars are too short and have too many things on them to mount this windshield. A paperweight for now, but will pay someone to fab up the brackets to fit. Dragonflies are killing me while going 40 mph and above. LOL
8) The Brute SRA doesn't have the ground clearance of the IRS obviously, but does pretty good in the mud. Only been stuck once, and that was because I didn't switch to 4wd ahead of time. The Brute shines in high speed trail riding. It can conquer steep hills easily and makes me glad I purchased the V-Twin over the single cylinder stuff out there. The power band of this machine is incredible and never seems to run out of it. I like the confidence of having power whenever I need it. It has actually saved me from a couple of mishaps that were borne of stupidity.
9) Transmission--Running her in low gear under 20 mph or so is what I do. The belt still looks great after 1100 miles, so i must be doing something right.
Well, that is my 1100 mile report. I am extremely happy with the machine and its reliability. I am meticolous about maintenance items like oil, air filter, etc. I change these things religiously and I hope for continued reliability.
Bubba out!
#2
06-11-2006, 01:53 AM
#3
06-11-2006, 05:32 PM
Brute 1100 Mile Report
Good to hear there holding up, I only have about 600 miles on my 06 brute 750 and have no problemsat all, I have tried to moose and dyna as well as reclutched and jetted. A few weeks ago i added an aftermarket oil cooler that upped the oil capcaity to 3 quarts even which is nice.
Great first quad for me, Never liked 4 wheeler much before now i find myself riding it more than my dirtbikes
Great first quad for me, Never liked 4 wheeler much before now i find myself riding it more than my dirtbikes
#4
06-11-2006, 09:06 PM
#5
06-11-2006, 10:04 PM
Brute 1100 Mile Report
I love my Bforce 750, But Dunlops are total junk. 3 holes, so soft that my front wheels look awful. (Hatfield McCoys trails) I have had to take off my one front tire off the rim to pound it out straight. The only problems I have had took 3 or 4 trips to Extreme Kawasaki (Powhatton,Ohio) to fix. They were the same problems, just took that long to finally hire someone that could fix them. Gas guage read wrong, hesitation (or bogging) between 11-14 MPH, tranny braking not working properly, shock squeaking. I'm afraid to put on mods in case that they try to void my warrany.
#6
06-11-2006, 10:11 PM
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Brute 1100 Mile Report
Hi guys,
Mouser: That sucks you have those pesky problems with your Brute. Mine had the fuel guage thing, but that was because when they assembled it from the crate they did not hook up the wires as is needed when coming from the factory. As for the hesitation, I have not experience that, but I have the 650, which is a different animal for the most part. Yes, the Dunlops are not the best, but heck I didn't expect to get 1100 miles from them and I have, so that is cool.
As far as the mods go, I would just call or go down there and ask them point blank, "Will you void warranty if I put X, Y, or Z on the machine. I know the Moose module is one of those mods that you can easily unhook and they would not know it has been on there.
The most worrisome thing to me is that you had to take it back to the same dealer 3-4 times. Maybe it would be a good idea to look farther out to a different dealer. The last thing I want is the owner's son playing ATV mechanic on the side. Not with how much these darn things cost.
**On a another note, I have noticed that the plastic on the Brute is very easily prone to being scratched. I have the shiny hunter green color and simply getting off the machine and rubbing your foot across it will make permanent marks. I tried rubbing the heck out of it with Meguiars wax, but it simply made it shiny and scratchy. Also, the black plastic is very loosely put on and will probably degrade later in the quad's life.
Mouser: That sucks you have those pesky problems with your Brute. Mine had the fuel guage thing, but that was because when they assembled it from the crate they did not hook up the wires as is needed when coming from the factory. As for the hesitation, I have not experience that, but I have the 650, which is a different animal for the most part. Yes, the Dunlops are not the best, but heck I didn't expect to get 1100 miles from them and I have, so that is cool.
As far as the mods go, I would just call or go down there and ask them point blank, "Will you void warranty if I put X, Y, or Z on the machine. I know the Moose module is one of those mods that you can easily unhook and they would not know it has been on there.
The most worrisome thing to me is that you had to take it back to the same dealer 3-4 times. Maybe it would be a good idea to look farther out to a different dealer. The last thing I want is the owner's son playing ATV mechanic on the side. Not with how much these darn things cost.
**On a another note, I have noticed that the plastic on the Brute is very easily prone to being scratched. I have the shiny hunter green color and simply getting off the machine and rubbing your foot across it will make permanent marks. I tried rubbing the heck out of it with Meguiars wax, but it simply made it shiny and scratchy. Also, the black plastic is very loosely put on and will probably degrade later in the quad's life.
#7
06-11-2006, 10:15 PM
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#8
06-11-2006, 10:22 PM
Brute 1100 Mile Report
OH.... The plastic. I have the camo, so the scratches don't show, but the way the extensions are designed, they act like bulldozer blades when you enter a mud hole if you get next to the side wall. Also, when the tranny brake failed, I barely cliped a traa. The extension caught the edge of the tree and put a 4 inch rip in the front fender, right beside the warning label. That would be my fault, but my 300 Hoda had had a heck of alot of harder hits and just scratched.
#9
06-11-2006, 10:26 PM
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Brute 1100 Mile Report
This being my first quad, I know what to look for next time. I love my Brute, don't get me wrong, but if Kawi would clean up a few items like the plastic and other stuff, they would have a nearly perfect machine. The motor on the Brute family is its big selling point and is does not dissapoint there.
#10
06-12-2006, 01:51 AM
