Hi everyone! I'm new to the board. I just picked up an '03 Sp 600 Twin and had a couple of questions for those in the know. The manual talks about not letting water get above the foot level and having to take it in for service if it does. My question is what can I do to "waterproof" the ride so as to not have to have a standing appointment at a dealer? Any tips for maint. and such would be appreciated as this is my first ATV. It only has 600 miles on it.

 

Hey I wouldnt get too worrried about the depth you take your wheeler in. You're air intake is just below the gas cap on your machine. I have a 04' sportsman and i've had it nearly submerged over the seat. I have found that the machine is more likely gunna stall out due to backpressure on the exhaust than get the belt wet. If water starts to get near your lights...thats when i would start to worry.

 

600 miles, that's not a lot, and it would be a bonus if those miles were easy ones. There wouldn't be a need to take it to the dealer if water doesn't get into the clutch cover. If water does get in there, then you would just need find the leak and seal it up. You could let the dealer do it or you could do it yourself.

As far as maintenance, you might want to check the fluids to see if they are in need of changing. Welcome to ATV Connection!!

 

just be sure to keep an eye on your oil level after going through water. if the oil level has risen up some then more than likely some water has gotten in and you'd need to change it asap. the dip stick does a pretty good job of keeping the water out but when I know I'm going to be in some deep stuff, I take a sandwich bag and a few rubber bands and wrap the end of it. looks goofy but works.

 

We go through deep water all the time. As mentioned ealier, as long as you don't get water in your air box you shouldn't have much of a problem. We run a mud bog that is basically deep water at a bar in Island Lake Wisconsin all the time. Sometimes it is so deep that your bike can't make it thru. I make sure I give it gas and shut it down with the revs spinning. Then I winch her out and she fires right away. If you let the water come in thru the tail pipe when she is lit, you can get into some problems. My son got water in the pipe and the airbox and it took me two hours and an oil change to get her lit again. Bike ran fine after that.

If you have belt slippage after getting wet, you should check the seal and make sure it is water tight.

 

w/ 600 miles on it and you dont know if its ben completely serviced or not i would change all the fluids so your starting fresh and new and can keep track of the service record from there. i also have gone to the seat in water w/ no problems. even had it sit in a hole(see pics.) for 5 minutes waiting to get winched out w/ no leakage or effects.