Guys, i hope yall can help me out with a minor or (major) problem. I got a 2005 400 sportsman the other day. Right now it has 23 miles on it and 5 hours. I was riding around in the back yard yesterday and decided to cross this fallen tree i have. I got the front end over ok and then the back wheels started to spin, since i havent needed to use 4wd yet i decided to try it. I stopped and put it into 4wd and tried to ease over this log. i wasnt going anywhere so i gave it a little more gas (not thinking that i was in high gear) and the back tires looked like they were trying to grab but after a second or two i noticed thick white smoke coming from under the cowling near the gearshift. i shut it down immediately and after thinking for a second put it into low range, took it out of 4wd and hopped right over it. this whole thing took maybe 5 seconds and it was smoking for maybe two seconds. i freaked and drove it around shifting from high to low 2wd to 4wd to see if it was ok. It seemed like a little more noise from the back end but in all it SEEMED ok.

I called my dealer and explained it to him and he thinks I spun the belt in the pulleys (?). It sounds right to me because of the color of the thick white smoke and little burned rubber fragments on the plastic near the gear shift. He told me its not a big deal, the belts are really tough and to learn on the machine for a while before i come down and get the one free replacement belt. He said there may be a few bumps in the ride when taking off at low speed due to a burned spot in the belt (which i find there is at reallly low speed until i get some speed up then i cant feel anything). Which brings me to my question and needed advice.

Is this really a common thing? Is it a big of a deal as i think it is? Is my machine gonna leave me stranded? Can I really just let it go and drive it a while or does the belt need replacement now? And last can what i did cause big time damage to my ride or is it just the belt and will this condition cause any further problems down the line if i take the dealers advice and go a while before i change belts. thanks a million from here in the hurricane state!

 

I did that 5 or six times the first few days so I decided to go buy a new belt, when I took the original off and compared them there was no noticable differance. Haveing a spare never hurts. Take it out and give it a good beating, they like that. :-) These things are alot sturdier than you are giving it credit for. Enjoy

 

I know that the warrantee covers one replacement belt... do you need a cause to receive that? Can I go to the dealer and ask for a replacement belt, or do I need to break the first one? A spare is nice, but a free spare is even better.

 

Not sure but I would guess it depends on the dealer, give your a call and see what they say. I didn't even know they offered a free one when I went and bought the spare.

 

I'll bring it up next time I drop off a chunk of change for something there [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Just a chunk ? You must have a good dealer, I usually drop off a boat load of cash every time I get in there [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

Well I do my best. Carry only cash. In limited quantities.

 

Good plan, you anywhere near Elsworth ? My sister has a B&B near there, 60 acres and she still won't let me bring my quad up to go for a ride, never liked that girl [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Alright flcracker400...seeing as no one really answered yoru quesiton i guess i will...first off don't baby your bike...if your in a lil pickle like u described an in high you cannot try an "creep"...as u noticed u will burn up ur belt...u have to give enough gas to fully engage ur belt to avoid belt slippage...second thier is probably a .00005% chance that you did any damage to your clutch...your belt doesn't need replace if you can live with the slight notice of hittin that bare spot...this is most deffinetly not a big deal...your ride is made to get beaten a little...just never forget about low gear...it engages at lower RPM's and saves your belt...specially in 4wheel drive...it would probably be a good idea to get tha belt and hold on to it for a rainy day...if you look at your belt an see little frays in it then deffenitly replace bc the end is near for it...hope that answers your questions...

 

My camp is right near Ellsworth. There was some good riding there, near the Beech Hill trails. But I got there through a real complicated path through camp roads, gravel pits, fields, powerlines. Anyway, they were all well-travelled roads, but I only had special permission for a few parts of the ride. With the new laws this year, I think Im gonna have to either find a club or do a lot of door knocking.

tyler