On a Sportsman Atv, any with H & L range, is there a seperate gear range for L or does moving the lever just stop the transmission from going to a higher speed.

The Hawkeye has just H, N, & Reverse. High should have been just labeled "forward" (I think). When my buddies put theirs in L and creep along, my Hawkeye does the same. When they are in mud and locked in L (engine reving and going slow) mine is doing the same. Seems like the Hawkeye does the same thing as the gearing is selected by the forward speed.

Climbing or hard pulls they both seem to being doing the same thing only the Hawkeye does it without moving the lever to L.

Need da fac's Jack.

 

If a trans has a low position, it changes the gear ratio in the trans. The CVT trans in all auto bikes will also change ratios when the primary closes and the secondary opens. Think of it as changing gears on a mountain bike only your clutches will change ratios according to the engine load and vehicle speed. So in your Hawkeye you only have the clutches to change your ratio. On mofels with a low range, the rider can pick how much gear reduction (low or high) Hope this clears it up some for ya

 

Thanks, big help. So if L is manually selected, it is a seperate gear. The Hawkeye that will just selct, automatically the correct ration determined by the engine load and forward speed.

What then is the advantage of L gear??

 

Low range gives you a mechanical advantage. It's like using a foot long ratchet on a tight bolt, and then using a 3 foot long ratchet and getting your bolt out LOL Low is used for conditions where you would want extra torque, like towing and extreme mud/rock etc.

The CVT trans will try to keep the engine in it's power range as much as possible. When running wide open throttle the bike will rev a lot higher than when cruising at the same speed. It's a pretty easy concept, but tuning it can be difficult. The factory sets the bikes up to work for the majority of riders. But for people like me stock isn't good enough. I'm always playing with clutching trying to get a setup I like.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Mongrol

Thanks, big help. So if L is manually selected, it is a seperate gear. The Hawkeye that will just selct, automatically the correct ration determined by the engine load and forward speed.



What then is the advantage of L gear??</end quote></div>

The sportmans need low gear since the clutches are different from hawkeyes. They do exactly what scrammy said but not like the hawkeye. The hawkeye uses 2 centrifugal clutches in the drive clutch assy, and also has a driven clutch. It has a clutch similar to old shift style hondas(ones without a clutch lever) and very simiolar to say a chainsaw clutch. It has 3 weights inside a drum that engage first, then after more RPM, the cvt clutch kicks in and uses the belt for propulsion. It's tough to explain, but in my opinion a very good clutch setup.

When you first take off on a hawkeye, the belt is not being used.

 

&gt;Thanks guys, I understand it now. Was curious as I'm going to be adding tracks in a while and was concerned about the gear ration. Eg. Didn't want a lot of speed but wanted the lower ratios to crawl and climb. I think I should be ok.

Thanks again.

 

Do they make a track kit for the Hawkeye??

 

Several companies are getting ready to do the R & D, but that could be a while. Camoplast has been really good with info so I told them I was going to buy a track kit and build my own brackets and kit. They said the gearing I would need for the 300cc engine would be about the same as for the 06 Sportsman 400. Apparently they use 15 teeth sprockets in the rear and 16 teeth in the front so that the AWD thinks the back tires are spinning and locks the fronts so the AWD is on all of the time unless you switch manually.

I would recommend Camoplast (Tatou) to deal with because of the way they treated me and supplied Info.

 

Well let us know how they work whenever we get snow.

 

We're for cast for snow tomorrow but I will be a month or two before I get it done right.

Will keep everyone informed. If it dosnt' work, I'll have a nice lawn ornament.