I just bought an '04 SP700 about a month ago and haven't had a chance to take it out much, but I have noticed one little quirk. When shifting from neutral to low or neutral to reverse, the gears sometimes don't engage until I add a little throttle. Then, it engages with a bit of a "clunk." I figured that might be normal given that the engine has had very little break in time, but figured I'd turn to the experts so I can take it back to the dealer during the warranty, if needed.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

As long as you are at a complete stop and the engine is at idle when this happens, I would say you might need an adjustment of the shift linkage.

 

Hey there Sandman...

When you say "it engages with a bit of a clunk.", it leads me to believe this is the "normal" SP700 drivetrain noise. ALL five of the SP700's I have personally ridden have had this annoying little quirk. Some more than others. My neighbor's 700EFI "clunks" a lot louder than my 700 Carb. His buddy's 700 carb barely "clunks" at all. I feel it's just the nature of the beast. There could be other factors involved (dirty/sticking clutch, belt wear/alignment....) Without being there it's sort of a tough call. But I'm going with "it's normal"....

Here's something you may want to check.... There's a spring that connects the foot pedal to an electronic gizmo. I think this is the gear position indicator/lock out device (could someone confirm this please?) Anyway... The spring needs to be pulling out the little plunger when the pedal is pressed. Not real far mind you, but enough to "release" the shifting mechanism. This is also what acts as a "lock out" device when shifting into reverse or high gear. Work the shifter while watching the plunger and you'll see what I'm talking about. This spring need to be bent a bit (ie. shorthened) in order for it to actually do what it's supposed to. Before the mod, the spring on my 700 carb did nothing but rattle. It was WAY too long. Shifting was VERY hard, rough and clunky. While it didn't completely eliminate the "clunk", it did tone it down a bit and it made shifting a whole lot easier.... Check it out on yours..... (I'm posting a new pic to my gallery right now. It may take a while to show up.)

BTW... I have been in touch with Polaris, and have been told "they are looking into this "clunk" that people have been talking about"....

 

Thanks guys for your help!

I just called my dealer and spoke with the service rep., whom I have a pretty good rapport with, and he says it's normal. He did say that they've improved it some on the EFI's, but they haven't completely eliminated it. Obviously Polaris is aware of the problem. He pretty much quoted what Moose said in that "it's the nature of the beast." I'll definitely have a look at that spring, though.

Thanks again, guys!