Mine has allways straightened out my front end. This may be obvious, but try your locker on flat land such as gravel or something and see how it works.

You can replace the quad, at least you did not get seriously injured.

 

I'll echo Jlpier01 - If your 650 still runs, or after you fix it, experiment with the dif lock on safer ground - gravel or sand preferrably so you can see if it always grabs to the right. Although it would be hard to prove, if you can show now that the bike always pulls hard right whenever the lock is engaged, you could have a better chance to get Kawasaki to foot the repair bill. I would think for this to happen though you would have to find a definate problem - like the left side not ever engaging. Just a thought.

Jaybee

 

Sorry about your crash. I found out the hard way too but was able to save it. I read in the manual that it is hard to control when lock is pulled. After getting used to the quad, I use 2WD as much as possible & use the lock when I am stuck only. It is pretty hard to get this quad stuck & it will climb any hill I tackle as long as it is not straight up.

 

Sorry you got hurt. I have a few thoughts on what might have happened:

An open differential works by transfering power to the wheel with the least resistance. Let's assume that the right front had very little traction when you pulled the diff lock lever. This would cause the power to be sent to both front wheels equally. This would normally straighten out the machine. In this case, the right front has little traction so the left front now has half the total power but all the available traction. This could be enough to cause the machine to make a sever right turn.

I would suggest that you try the system on a flat gravel road from a dead stop and see if it happens again.

I switched from a Polaris to the P650 and was ready for how it handles although the "twitchiness" is a little more pronounced. I have had the front end jump around while climbing a hill with lose rocks and tree roots.

Get well soon.

 

Hey, thanks for all the kind words.

Yes, I will heal, although I am still really sore, and my left eye is starting to swell shut now. Got lots of questions when I went into the office this morning. If I can figure out how, I will try to post some pictures of the ATV I took in the morning. I might even through in one of my ugly face!

As for the machine, it will heal too, and although I ordered about $500.00 worth of parts today, I'm sure my three hour trip to the emergency room will be more than that. I am anxious to get the thing back together so I can experiment with the diff. lock on safer ground. I was going straight up the hill, there weren't any turns, so I really want to find out if it was me screwing up, the bike malfunctioning, or a combination of factors in the hill, speed, traction, etc. I would really have liked to see the thing fight to stay straight like others have said, as I would have been on top of the hill in a couple seconds and I wouldn't be posting on this thread.

As I said earlier, I am glad lots of people are reading this thread, as I'm sure some are inexperienced with the diff. lock like I am and maybe they can learn something that will keep them out of trouble. I'm really impressed by the wealth of information and experience on this site, and the willingness to share. So many people have said that this machine is a great hill climber, and I believe them, but I just have to remember that you really don't need the diff. lock to make it that way.

Again, thanks for all the info, I will be lurking and posting now and then. I decided tonight that I might as well order my winch now too, as it will be easier to put in with the bike completely stripped. And hey, Nyroc, no offense taken about the drinking thing. It is good to remind people that there is nothing wrong with having one, or two, or more now and then, just don't get behind the wheel or handlebar of anything with a motor!

Take Care,
Todd

 

Well, I think I was able to post the pictures of my banged up 650 (and my face) on PhotoIsland.com!

To get there, simply click the address below or cut and past the address below and enter your guest password: p650

http://www.photoisland.com/servlet/G...ieftam@aol.com

If that doesn't work, go to www.photoisland.com, and log in to my albums with the following information:

Log-in ID: chieftam@aol.com
Guest Password: p650

Take Care,
Todd
__________________________________________________ _______________

 

Chief.....you're damn lucky, this could have been real worse and America could have lost one of their finest. Sorry this happened to you, but from your posts and the replies there is a real education here on how the front diff lock works and how to use it properly. Moving up from the 400 to the 650 has been a lesson for me in itself.
Get well...get those new parts installed...and conquer that blasted hill.

 

Chieftam, they say scratches and dents add character. Well DAMN! ! ! ! ! Your wheeler has more character than Jim Carrey!! That is one busted up ride! Glad to hear you are on the mend. Hope you find out what the problem is. You should experiment with your lock lever BEFORE you put on all your new parts, just in case! Look at it this way, if it bites you again, you can always pull out your 9 and bust a cap in it's a$$! ! ! HA HA HA HA!!!!! Take care Chief.