I used to bump the shifter out of park or reverse every so often on my Sportsman X2. Not too bad.

On the Can-Am Outlander the shift is forward on the right side. I don't know how many times I've reached under the handlebar to get the shift and hit the throttle with my arm. Good thing I always hold the brake when shifting. Was sitting on one at the dealership and almost put it into a wall because of that.

 

Thanks for your informative replies. I keep learning and forming a judgement.

I gather the variable pulleys on the CVT provide the clutch action, and vary the input to the "two speed" gear box (low and high range). The gearbox has a neutral (maybe for pushing or pulling the machine) and a reverse. I imagine this gearbox has an output shaft to the front and rear differentials with a separate clutch on the front diff. Polaris engines are longitudinal and that makes sense to me. Crankshaft inline with the driveshafts.

So bumping the gear shift lever might very well cause a gear crash in the gearbox. I have seen pictures and video of that looong lever on the Sportsman 570, and it does look like a knee bump waiting to happen. Reminds me of a mop handle in a bucket.

May I ask? Does the CVT in a quad ATV function like a CVT in a car? If I thumb the throttle to 6000 rpm, with the engine immediately go to that speed and let the CVT do the work of "continuously vary" the input to the gearbox, so my acceleration is the best the engine can do. Once I reach my desired ground speed, then I can thumb the engine down to maintain that speed.

The twin cylinder engines appeal to me thinking they might be smoother, less vibration. The singles can rev pretty good, say 8000 rpm. The twins likely develop torque higher in the rev range, but a properly designed transmission ought to compensate for this and deliver good torque to the axles. It's a little like my old van pulling my 8000 pound camper up a 7% grade. V8 engine at 5000 rpm, speed at 30 mph. My newer diesel does the same camper up the same grade at 2500 rpm, 50 mph. The horsepower of the two engines is similar. Torque and drivelines make the vehicle. So a twin cylinder may "buzz" some at higher revs to make the same torque as the big singles.

Anybody ever seen a torque and horsepower graph for ATV engines? Seems like the 570 singles are in the 45 hp range and the big twins are in the 85 hp range. It would be a bummer if the torque of the twins was not that much better and they were making horsepower way up the rev range. Kinda like my Honda S2000. No torque, but good power if you rev it high. But you ain't going to burn rubber with it.

Speaking of rubber, is a higher revving twin harder on a CVT drive belt?

Moose, nice to hear your son's Sportsman 1000 is performing well for you. That's a high horsepower engine. That's a positive data point for me. And I assume you can crawl up a steep slope in low range with a loaded trailer with no problems even though the engine speed may be higher than a big single.

David

 

 

Thank you Mr. Tech. This time you provided an answer in 5 minutes! Possible new world's record! Interesting TEAM video. Supplying the snowmobile and atv markets in Minnesota for years.

Way back in the early 60s we used to call this type of variable sheave drive a "salisbury drive". Our application was farm equipment where we had to keep engine speed constant and vary ground speed. The primary sheave was closed mechanically with an operator controlled lever.

Many, many small cars have CVTs anymore. Some people cuss them, but they are an efficient way to get the most out of a small engine and the most fuel economy possible. Just not the sportest transmission on the market.

When I drove the arctic cat 700 TVR I did not notice the relationship between engine speed and ground speed. I was too busy trying not to hit a tree. I opened the throttle and away we went. I only went about 25 mph.

David

 

The new 2017 Polaris Sportsman has a very nice sales brochure. They continue to update and add enhancements. I hope they improved the ADC control, heat shielding, and seating material. They say the power is good and the handling is good. The early reviews seem positive, reviews are usually positive, even reviews of a cow pie.

I see they have a "power control" on the 1000 models that "detunes" the engine in three steps: performance, standard, and work. Maybe most people will never use all 90 horses. Hope this feature is reliable and works well, even after splashing through some mud and getting the module wet.

Has anyone, with more experience than I, ridden one of the 2017 Sportsmans yet? If so, tell me what you liked and didn't like compared to your current machine.

David

 

In my opinion, the different power modes seems a bit unnecessary but I guess some might like it. The inline twin that the 850 and 1000 is smoother on bottom end than other quads with v-twins in them. So they can be ridden slowly for work duties and the throttle not be jerky even at full power. I think the detuned settings would be useful if you wanted to slow the quad down if someone else was riding it. Can-am has an encoded key on some models that detunes them as well. All these new quads have electronic fuel injection so I guess its easy to tell the computer to slow them down.

 

"The new 2017 Polaris Sportsman has a very nice sales brochure. They continue to update and add enhancement"
So does the Cleveland Browns. They still suck.

 

Too damn funny!!!

 

I kinda like the on board option of the three power modes.See that option on a lot of cars now. A lot better than the old yellow key on the Rangers that just limited rpm and top speed to 25 mph. Just a device to keep people out of trouble on your machine or for workmen that didn't care and could abuse them more if they could.

 

Big twins aren't any harder on belts that I've seen. Rider style has more to do with belt wear. If you have a high output engine you tend to not bother to stop and throw it in low gear when you should. Situations like crawling up a rock and root strewn hill where you can't just pin the throttle and use momentum like you can on a sandy hill, going through deep mud, or deep snow, and any technical type of riding where you have to go slow call for low gear. The cooling fins on the pulleys go faster in low gear so they cool the belt better. Prolonged riding in high gear when you really should be in low will cause the belt to heat up more. #1 reason belts fail. I typically get at least a couple thousand miles out of a new belt.

The way Polaris delivers power is smoother than any quad I've been on with a CVT. Comes on a bit more gradually than the Can-Ams do. It's still no slouch at take off time. It will readily bring up the front end from a stop in high gear and will leave you with a big high speed grin on your face. We've gone up and down some crazy steep two-tracks (just wider than the quad) and I only saw one time where he almost lost it. It was steep enough that he should have been laying on the handle bars but didn't. Front wheels started coming off the ground. Shifted his weight and it was fine. Oddly enough, the Scrambler does not have ADC available so the Sportsman is a much better pick for chores. I don't think it has any engine braking other than feathering the throttle in gear to keep the belt engaged.