ok, I have read the forums and there is a lot of talk about which clutch kit and pipe to get for a 2004 Scrambler 500 4x4.
Im fairly new to the ATV scene so forgive my ignorance but,
I want a clutch/pipe/air intake kit that isn't going to be too loud, rude or **** everyone off.
I don't want to be one of the reasons our deminishing places to ride gets closed off.
I want to be able to ride in National forests, Tracks, Trails, organized rides, and everywhere in between; however, I like the performance gains Im reading about with the HPD, Hotseat kits, etc....

Exactly which kit am I looking for or does such a beast exist for my requirements, legal riding and non offensive sound? I do like a beefy sound but not at the expense of others.
Do these kits take away from the reliability of the machine? I know the more you trick a bike the less and less reliable the bike becomes.
I would like to mod my 04 bike a little but not at the expense of reliability and longevity of the bike.
I like to take care of my toys and make them last cause it's just not that easy to up and go get another one.
Should I stay away from these mods and be happy with a stocker?
Any suggestions and clarification would be greatly appreciated.

 

The mods are not going to hurt reliability at all. In fact, the clutch kit will actually improve the belt life. Hot Seats kits are way overpriced IMO. Not to mention, I dont care for the black painted headpipe. I would have recommended getting the HPD, but it does NOT come with a spark arrestor at this time. So that is probably an issue for you. Otherwise, it is a great exhaust. Nice sound, great low and mid power, and not too loud. You may want to give HPD a call and see if they are going to build a spark arrestor for it. MY recommendation for your case would be a White Bros pipe, HPD aggressive clutch kit (or you can just do springs for now if you're on a budget), and the HPD air box mod with a K&N and Outerwears.

 

has anyone had experience with aeen mods for the 500. The stage four looks good.

 

You will want to talk to fishslab on that one. I believe that he has the stage 2. The stage 4 seems like a lot of $$$$$$$$$$ for the few more horses you gain. I would rather go with a big bore for the money

 

thanks for the advice how much difference did the mods in your bike make? my bike is identicle to your. i think mine will do about 58 it used to do about 63 so i was thinking about upgrading. i havent touched it yet.

 

Low end torque is great. It has no problems either breaking traction or popping a wheelie. Acceleration is much better. Throttle response is much better. Now that I got new rims, we will soon find out how the top speed is

 

i will be interested to here. What rims did you get? I was thinking of gettting new ones to. I have to buy new fronts to match my rear bear claws. they didnt make fronts to fit at the time. i will check with the fish guy (lol) before i invest any $$ thanks again!

 

Check outt how mine is set up and you would like the same.WB pipe has good low rumble(not too loud) The primary spring was sujested to me by Ritter(works great not too high engagement)the TEAM roller secondary is where I say the bigest improvent in trail ridding(instant backshifts) K&N air filter is ok for flow.Other than the TEAM I have spent only $250 on the other stuff.Found the TEAM from a guy selling his performance parts before trading his bike.New they run around $300.As for the Aaen muffler it is way too loud without the sparkarrestor and way too expensive with one.

 

Aaen can set you up for exactly what you described. They have always treated me well. Truthfully most of these places can. I was able to make some deals with Aaen for returned merchandise and saved a small bundle. I was a stage 2, but went back to stage 1. I have not baught anything from RcR, but have been impressed by Rick from some phone conversations. I have seen where he offered to sell some scratch and dent stuff at a discount.

 

I got ITP T-9 Pro Series front rims and ITP T-9's for the rear. Previously, I made the mistake of putting tire Slime in my tires and got a horrible shake at speeds above 40mph. Therefore, I was never really able to test the top speed of my machine after the mods due to this shake felt like the bike was going to fall apart. Now that that stuff is out, we will have to find out