Im really starting to lose the love for my Sportsman. This weekend, I put the new ramp buttons in my secondary clutch. This thing is a beast. Cutting doughnuts on dry pavement like its nothing, climbing up everything I see, it WAS a beast. We were riding some trails, hills and mud holes. I never used the 4wd until I got stuck in a mud hole and when I was climbing very steep hills. I climbed a hill that was pretty much straight up at the top of it. The front tires kept coming up and when I got to the very top of the hill, I heard a very loud snapping sound, the 4 wheeler was pulling left and right very hard, I knew then that I had broke something on one of my front axles. After careful inspection, I had broken the front left CV joint. The brand new boot on there was ripped and the ring and bearings in it were all gone. We were 15 miles from the house so we stopped right there, got my buddies tool kit out and took that front axle off so I could get it back to the house. So I rode in 2wd for the rest of the day. It was riding fine like that so I continued riding hills, trails and stuff, just never used the 4wd (or 3 wheel drive in my case). As I was shooting a hill, not a very steep one, the a$$ end started pulling to the right really hard. Once at the top of that hill, I got off and looked, I broke the left rear axle. At this point, Im MAD. So I just got back on it and limped it home. Are these problems ever gonna stop? Since Ive had it its been nothing but a new problem that I gotta fix every weekend. Im really thinkin about fixing it and sellin it so I can go get me another yamaha. What should I do?

 

Well all I can say is........it's going to happend, I don't care what brand it is......and it's a 96 model!

 

What do you expect by doing donuts on dry pavement? Quads aren't indestructable. My 600 can take a beating pretty good, but I don't abuse it by trying to break it. RAJ is right too, the '96 models had smaller/weaker axles and CV joints. It's only a POOPlaris when you treat it like POOP, and that goes for any brand.

 

Go back to Yamaha, or buy a MV Sportsman.

 

It seems to me if you spend nearly a decade beating on any machine it's gonna break stuff.

 

I would bet that your 9 year old axles have some wear & tear on them, then you do the doughnuts on pavement.

You are just asking for trouble with the doughnut deal. I would replace the axles & ride it sensibly.

 

Being a 96 is the problem.

 

DITTO the 96 500 Sportsman is kow for weak axles and cv joints.Just wait until you bust a front hub.

 

Go buy a 10 year old Yamaha.......beat the snot out of it until it breaks........and then go on the Yamaha forum and complain about it being a YamaPOOPa.

 

yup! you took the thoughts right out of my brain! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]