Xplorer Xperiment pt 1 (spring change)
Oct 14, 2000 | 07:59 PM
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The corn is all in the bin (YAHOOOOO) so now I finally got to try out the primary clutch springs I got from Ritter Cycle that had been burning a hole in the shop workbench (thank God for Sat. afternoons) I tried to do this as scientifically as I could, so I did some benchmark testing to see where we started from, then tried the same test over the same route all within about an hour of each other. Here go the results on paper:
Top speed - speed at the end of a 1/2 mile stretch, sloped just enough to barely tell.
Stock - 58 downhill, 53 uphill
White spring - 58 1/2 downhill, 52 1/2 up
Green spring - 58 downhill, 52 up
Stock spring with a K&N filter - 60 down & 53 up.
I tried the K&N from a buddies ride. I don't have one on mine & don't know if I want one. I have heard horror stories about them letting dirt through. Rick said he would rather see me with a Uni filter out here in the farm dust & cow trails, but didn't deny a K&N will really flow. I got the Uni.
Top speed wasn't affected at all, in my opinion, by changing the springs. The extra 1/2 MPH with the white spring could have just been a gust of wind at the right time.
HERE is where things start to get interesting. I set up 2 markers on a dirt road. Traction conditions were excellent. I don't have an exact distance, I was just trying to check initial acceleration.
Stock - 36 MPH
White - 38 1/2
Green - 39
The 'seat of the pants' impression of these were quite different from each other. The stock felt, well, stock. The Green took off like a rocket, especially from the start. The white was just a little stronger than stock right at the start, with an acceleration rush right around 30 MPH. I would be willing to bet that if I did the acceleration run again in a longer space, the white spring would pass the green somewhere around 45 MPH.
Pulling - Didn't clock this, but my impressions:
Green all the way unless you have to pull something at a high speed, white close behind once things start rolling, followed by stock. Green would likely be the way to go with big tires because of the extra grunt at the start.
Intangables: Engagement:
White : somewhat stronger than stock, but still very controlable. Low range wheelies were pretty darn easy to do, but technical hills were as controlable as stock, in my opinion, for a rider with any amount of experience. Engagement is at just enough higher RPM so as to tell, but that was about all.
Green: Whew! Takes off like a shot! Wheelies were EFFORTLESS in Low if the traction was there. High range wheelies weren't all that tough, either. Engagement is getting on the harsh side of controalble. I'm sure a person could get used to it, but could get hairy in a situation where a delicate start-up was required. NOT for the inexperienced in hills at all. For my uses, the engagement RPM seemed too high. I trail cattle quite alot and the high RPM (noisy to the cows) combined with the overly strong engagement turned me away from it, to the white. I am keeping the green, however, for the times when some smart alec so and so thinks he can walk all over me with his 300 brand 'x' machine (we have one in the neighborhood - would be worth the half hour it takes to swap to green just to show him up that much more - sorry, getting carried away).
What really suprised me was the white spring. Had less harsh engagement, with a real speed rush right through the midrange. Going down the road, it seemed to be the best for going up & down hills. The stock seemed to let the motor bog just a little, and the green seemed to shift a little early for best speed. Green wins hands down right out of the hole, though.
I was initially going to go with a larger front or smaller rear sprocket, but Rick Ritter suggested I try the springs first because I might not want to give up the acceleration for a few MPH I might not need. I think he is right. I will likely only go with the sprocket change if I get outrun too often.
Farmr
PS Thanks for the RCR sticker, Rick. I put it in back, next to the taillight where everyone else on the trail will see it. haha
Top speed - speed at the end of a 1/2 mile stretch, sloped just enough to barely tell.
Stock - 58 downhill, 53 uphill
White spring - 58 1/2 downhill, 52 1/2 up
Green spring - 58 downhill, 52 up
Stock spring with a K&N filter - 60 down & 53 up.
I tried the K&N from a buddies ride. I don't have one on mine & don't know if I want one. I have heard horror stories about them letting dirt through. Rick said he would rather see me with a Uni filter out here in the farm dust & cow trails, but didn't deny a K&N will really flow. I got the Uni.
Top speed wasn't affected at all, in my opinion, by changing the springs. The extra 1/2 MPH with the white spring could have just been a gust of wind at the right time.
HERE is where things start to get interesting. I set up 2 markers on a dirt road. Traction conditions were excellent. I don't have an exact distance, I was just trying to check initial acceleration.
Stock - 36 MPH
White - 38 1/2
Green - 39
The 'seat of the pants' impression of these were quite different from each other. The stock felt, well, stock. The Green took off like a rocket, especially from the start. The white was just a little stronger than stock right at the start, with an acceleration rush right around 30 MPH. I would be willing to bet that if I did the acceleration run again in a longer space, the white spring would pass the green somewhere around 45 MPH.
Pulling - Didn't clock this, but my impressions:
Green all the way unless you have to pull something at a high speed, white close behind once things start rolling, followed by stock. Green would likely be the way to go with big tires because of the extra grunt at the start.
Intangables: Engagement:
White : somewhat stronger than stock, but still very controlable. Low range wheelies were pretty darn easy to do, but technical hills were as controlable as stock, in my opinion, for a rider with any amount of experience. Engagement is at just enough higher RPM so as to tell, but that was about all.
Green: Whew! Takes off like a shot! Wheelies were EFFORTLESS in Low if the traction was there. High range wheelies weren't all that tough, either. Engagement is getting on the harsh side of controalble. I'm sure a person could get used to it, but could get hairy in a situation where a delicate start-up was required. NOT for the inexperienced in hills at all. For my uses, the engagement RPM seemed too high. I trail cattle quite alot and the high RPM (noisy to the cows) combined with the overly strong engagement turned me away from it, to the white. I am keeping the green, however, for the times when some smart alec so and so thinks he can walk all over me with his 300 brand 'x' machine (we have one in the neighborhood - would be worth the half hour it takes to swap to green just to show him up that much more - sorry, getting carried away).
What really suprised me was the white spring. Had less harsh engagement, with a real speed rush right through the midrange. Going down the road, it seemed to be the best for going up & down hills. The stock seemed to let the motor bog just a little, and the green seemed to shift a little early for best speed. Green wins hands down right out of the hole, though.
I was initially going to go with a larger front or smaller rear sprocket, but Rick Ritter suggested I try the springs first because I might not want to give up the acceleration for a few MPH I might not need. I think he is right. I will likely only go with the sprocket change if I get outrun too often.
Farmr
PS Thanks for the RCR sticker, Rick. I put it in back, next to the taillight where everyone else on the trail will see it. haha
Oct 14, 2000 | 10:15 PM
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Great post Farmr123!
This is one of the best readings in a while. Now all you need is someone with an Xplorer and a full clutch kit(EPI or other) so we could finally get the low-down on comparison.
It's cool to see how just one spring makes all that difference. Good move with the Uni-Filter. I have one on my Scrambler and the difference is very noticable compared to stock.
Brian
This is one of the best readings in a while. Now all you need is someone with an Xplorer and a full clutch kit(EPI or other) so we could finally get the low-down on comparison.
It's cool to see how just one spring makes all that difference. Good move with the Uni-Filter. I have one on my Scrambler and the difference is very noticable compared to stock.
Brian
Oct 15, 2000 | 09:06 AM
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I posted awhile back on the differances, according to the Polaris manual, on these two[white/green] springs.Seems to be very little as I suspected.I wished I took a time trail on stock spring vs green spring in about 200 yards.I'll try it when I get a chance,
Bill
Bill
Oct 15, 2000 | 12:13 PM
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About the only difference I could tell was the initial hook-up. Once they got rolling they seemed about identical. The Green had a surge right off the line, and the white surged after things were rolling. Also, the white allowed a lower engine RPM when puttering around.
Farmr
Farmr
Oct 15, 2000 | 05:14 PM
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Excellent post .
Did your corn run well ? We had good crops here this year and good weather this fall . The heat and dryness really dried our corn well , we put most corn in the bin at less than 20% moisture . It dried quickly too . Down here on our place our yields were higher than normal , it rained perfectly this summer .
Did your corn run well ? We had good crops here this year and good weather this fall . The heat and dryness really dried our corn well , we put most corn in the bin at less than 20% moisture . It dried quickly too . Down here on our place our yields were higher than normal , it rained perfectly this summer .
Oct 15, 2000 | 08:23 PM
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White Spring for the Sportsman. Definitely. I just took the green spring out and put the white spring in. More control, smoother take off but still a little kick, hopefully some mid-range improvement but that is harder to measure. Thanks for a great post with real info.
Silly Later, Fourlix
SP500,425EXP,325Mag
Silly Later, Fourlix
SP500,425EXP,325Mag
Oct 15, 2000 | 08:34 PM
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Hey Rick, are the springs different from the EBS to the Non-EBS systems? I may have the Honda sold, and will be looking at a 500 HO Sportsman, or a 500 Magnum.
