i have the 06 hawkeye 300 and my dad wants to get the new sportsman 300 or 400 for a 2nd atv. the only thing keeping him from buying the 400 is the radiator and liquid cooled system.

what are the ups and downs about the liquid cooled system?

is there a overheating light or sensor or something like that?

does it get clogged easily if i go through mud and dune sand?

when it does get clogged, how would i clean it out?

and what at-home maintenance does it need to keep it maintained?

any help is appreciated!

 

I bought the 08 400HO with the radiator and I have had no problems. There is a warning light.

I have gone through some thick mud and did not have a problem.

I wash mine after every ride So I do not allow mud to cake dry .

 

more power for the liquid cooled engine, altogether a better engine then the 300 imo. yes the rad. can get plugged if you go thru enough thick mud and you dont clean it out. maintaince is about the same for any of the bikes.

 

Hey Hawkman, one thing you might want to look at is Cylinder Head Temp. gauge for the 300. You live in a hot area and it may keep you from a disaster.

Easy to install. Put the gauge any where you like. Then take the spark plug out and put the sender on the plug and put the plug back. Thats it. And you get some piece of mind on the hot days or when you're givin' her.

Good to know how hot it is when you start making changes.

 

Although I've had it for a relatively short time, my initial impression is totally positive...I too was a bit skeptical of the water cooling since the air cooled 300 has preformed so well for me and I have read all of the posts on here and other forums about overheating problems!
I used the 400 HO for a boat this last weekend at Riverview and even though there was a small buildup of muck and crud on the rad. guard, the radiator stayed pretty clean for the stuff I was going through and the engine showed no signs of heating up.

 

well, thats one thing i DEFINATELY want to look up cuz it can get up to 100*F in the summer sometimes, can you give me a link?

and for the radiator, if it does get muddy and clogged, is there any internal cleaning needed, like taking the radiator out, or do i just clean off the outside of it?

thanks for all the help guys!

 

Don't know of any site but they are used by aircooled 2 strokes such as motorcycles, and ultralite aircraft. They react 50 times faster than a regular temp gauges and not expensive.

Some reader will probably know of a site.

 

well, i need something cheap, like AROUND $50 or less. could i buy one that is for the SP 400 and put it on my hawkeye? where is the sensor light?

 

how does this hook up to the plug?

 

It is moveable from veh to veh, goes by the spark plug size and type.s No sensor light, an actual guage. And you;re proably in the ball park price wise.