Hello atving
About one of your comments "when a straight axle compresses on off camber" a straight axle rear suspension doesn't compress on off camber as IRS will.
To answer Andy's question I have logged numerous miles on an sp500 and my riding partner has an IRS King Quad of which him, and I on my Honda have logged over 2000 miles together.
I have seen the good and bad of IRS and I do like IRS for trail riding, but you have to learn the difference in handling, sort of like learning the difference in handling between front or rear wheel drive in a cars in the snow.
That's my .02 thanks.

 

also bigred you must realize that the suzuki you were rideing is a single i beam IRS system that when it contracts, contracts in a V pattern where as the Sportsman is a double i beam IRS system that contracts straight up and down therefore even keeping your bike sitting at an even straighter angle.

 

I don't think the Kodiak is unstable and definitly not comapared to a SP. All writeups will tell you it has a 45 degree tilted engine for a low center of gravity with 9.6" of clearance, or better yet ride one.

 

I would consider just about all of these very stable quads. The difference I think would be miniscule at that. The kodiak should be on par with everything else. I took my old 300 honda up some stuff today and found out one thing. It is nowhere near as stable as my AC500. I scared the hell out of myself. Especially trying to back down a hill I couldn't climb. No such worries on the AC500 which even outweighs the little honda by 200 lbs.

 

Whats up Atving? We sure had this go around before haven't we? I personaly like the FEEL solid axles give me on the trial or off. Of course I like the feel of the IRS on my back. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Of course we all could point out Jeeps have Solid axles and Hummers have IRS. The point is it don't matter what my Honda has or Atving's SP500(sure he'll be getting a HO soon!!!) has. The point is each have a feel for our machines and we are each confident in the FEEL of the two setups. I am sure though i could ride a SP500 for a bit and go anywhere (or as you Polaris guys say more places)my Rubicon went and feel just as confident in the IRS. My point is each is good, but the rider determines HOW good each one altimatley performs. Saying that some like the feel of the performance of IRS in those situations and some like the axle back there. Both have their purposes and advantages in different off-Road situations.

Later, Scott

 

MAN THIS IS GREAT
You got to like this thread.I was in some awsome stuff today undoubtly the toughest stuff I've ever riden in COLORADO,anyway took the new camcorder today was first time to use it got some quad pics and lot of my feet and the inside of camera bag,guess need to go back to instruction manual and learn how to shut it off.Anyway I did stop on the way up and pulled into ditch that was off camber,and took pics.The lower side does not I repeat does not compress the axles were even!!!!!I have the old 425Magnum with solid axle,as someone says maybe just getting used to IRS.But I'll take the IRS anyday over straight axle,I like the feel of that axle on the ground not in the air.I have software to down load video to net so will work on it this week,right after I read the part about shutting the thing down.On the up side got some great shots of the LINT on the inside of the bag!!!HI big RED!!!!Your right the 500SP is abeast all it's own you have to learn to handle it.I've said it before and one more time in my opinion,the 500SP won't go anywhere any thing else won't but I think many things it'll do easier the ride and suspention is second to none and the true 4x4 will take you places that the limited slip won't.I can guarantee that a limited slip machine would have hard time doing some of stuff we did today.I'm not saying it won't do it only that they would have a hard time of it.We watched some jeeps today go through the same place some with lockers and some without,it wasn't hard to tell them apart.The HOLY CROSS TRAIL that we were on today is rated by almost everyone that writes about it or has riden it,one of toughest trail in COLORADO.here is link to summary on it.CM

http://www.4x4now.com/trcohc4.htm

 

Cob, do you ever catch that problem of the IRS squatting and lowering your ground clearance? Such as exiting a ditch or something that puts more weight on the rear end. I'm wondering about that right now. Do you ever end up smacking the bottom on rocks because of this?

This is the one thing that I hate about a straight axle. I have to watch it or I will smack the low hanging gear housing on a rock when straddling it. The Sportsman IRS I thought would be a cure for that.

 

3atv
Yes that was where we were at,I have always read about it and just didn't find the time toi make.Well I bet the next time I'll have time.We went to the top up past HOLY CROSS CITY to Fancy Pass.That was awsome as I said it's the toughest I've seen in COLORADO.We left camp at 9:00 and got back at 5:00,and it was 14 miles of road the rest of the 23 miles we did were on the trail,we were tired.You have to try it on ATV that was the greatest!!!!We had to winch over the big rock above the city but made the rest of it,sometimes not to easy.We had rain saturday and was nice today only wet and muddy which added to it.We ran into rain on the way home. CM
Here is another site about it from fractured axle club!

http://www.off-road.com/4x4web/travels/hcctrail.html

 

ANDY
Sorry about that got so excited that someone else had ridden HOLLY CROSS forgot to answer your question,I really couldn't say for sure,but watched the suspention on Poopsie's quad today as I followed her.There is very little flucuation in it all.CM

 

An entire IS set-up will sit higher off the ground on a level surface. If however, you happen to go on terrain that has highs and lows it will let the body go down while the wheels go up. Reducing ground clearence substantially.