i figure since im new and have a few questions, i might as well post a few of them all at once. if you can think of any tips for the scrambler 500 4x4 or just in general, please let me know. whether its maintainance, or things to watch out for, or whatever. anything and everything. thanks

 

GET A SERVICE MANUAL!!! That is your first step. Keep on top of your maintence, fluids, and greasing, and chain adjustment. I dont know of familiar you are with these machines, but when switching into 4wd (which can be done at any speed) let off the gas so that your rear tires aren't spinning faster than the fronts. Any more questions, or any specific question you have feel free to ask

 

see, im learning something already. i thought you had to stop before switching to 4wd or "serious damage may occur" or something like that. but you can switch on the fly, huh?

 

Yup! Switch on the fly. As long as your rear tires arent moving any faster than the fronts then you ar fine. That is because the 4wd (actually AWD) doesnt engage until the rear tires slip I believe 1/5th more them the front. Then the 4wd kicks in. That allos for them to run TRUE 4WD instead of limited slips in the front and also allows for easier steering in 4wd. This is a well proven great system That is also why it is important to change your hub fluid regulary. Dirty hub fluid (and it gets dirty quick) can cause the front hubs to stick or not even engage.

 

bigbadscrambler, thanks for your tips so far. as far as your suggestion for a service manual, im not sure if im ever going to be willing or able to try anything major myself. ive been spoiled. up to now, ive only had a dirt bike.... a honda xr200r. so with the 200 im sure you know what i mean about being spoiled. not only does the big stuff intimidate me, i dont enjoy working on them at all. in fact, when things arent going perfect i get down right pissed. this weekend i only changed the oil and tightened the chain and even that made me feel like picking a fight with my own kids. anyway, with that in mind, aside from oil changes, tightening the chain, and greasing anything with fittings, what kind of basic maintenaince would you recommend to a rookie, and what would you say that i better get done by someone else if not me, short and long term. thanks


p.s. by the way, if you dont mind the typing, please just rattle away on any tips and any detail. getting first hand experience from someone in the know to me is invaluable

 

Well, the oil, trans fluid, hub fliud, and front gearcase fluid all need to be changed every 100 hours, as well as the valves should be adjusted. I guess if you dont like doing this kinda work, you can take it to your dealer and have him do it. I would also suggest picking up a K&N air filter with an Outerwears (availble for the best price from RMATV) It will be the last air filter that you will need to buy. Also make sure to pick up a recharger kit for it. If you plan on doing a lot of jumping, I HIGHLY suggest getting a chain tensionor. It will help prevent your chain from getting to loose and snaping from jumping a lot. You should grease it about every 25 hours, or every few rides. If you ride in wet areas, it is best to grease it after your are done to push out any water. Any good synthetic grease will do the trick. Also, if you ride alot of wet areas, it is a good idea to drain your starter/recoil housing. Just make sure your pull start cord is fully seated. NEVER run the machine without the battery. You run a good risk of blowing out your lights. Now for the belt. If you do get water in the clutch housing, you will notice the belt slipping (reving up and going nowhere) STOP IMMEDITAELY. Pull out you drain plug, put the machine in neutral and rev it up for a few minutes to expell the water. Also,If you for some reason smell burnt rubber, STOP. You are smoking your belt. Remember, as long as your tires are spinning, you are fine. If your tires are nit spinning and your motor is revving, you are smoking your belt. When the time comes to start modding, let me know. Myself and others have had a lot of experience in differnt setups. The clutches are very tuneable with different clutch kits and setups. That is all that I can think of for the moment. Maybe someone can add something to this.

 

alwayssomethin...Your getting excellent Info from the Scrammy GURU!! this guy will lead you in the right direction, and cause you to spend your hard earned money on worth*while mods. LOL!!

 

AWW Shucks Scrambo[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img] Hey, look at it this way, now you can beat that P650!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Hi. I am not to sure of the cooling system on the scrammy but after pumping all my oil onto the ground I always give my coolant hose clamps a quick onceover before heading out for a ride. I have also placed two clamps on each hose just to be safe. I also grease all moving parts in the steering linkage to keep the squeaks to a minimum. The top of my shocks are squeaky too so I grease the spot where the spring touches the rubber thing at the top.