Hey whats up guys,

First post on atv connection, got my kfx hangin out in the garage with a bent lower left a arm, was wondering if you guys could give me a hand...

need to know what im in for with changing one of these out myself, im gonna pick myself up a repairs manual and i wanna get a used a arm from a salvage shop

anything hard or tricky about changing out a bent a arm? thanks guys any help you can give me is appreciated.. all new to me when it comes to working on quads

 

Generally just take off the tie rod, shock, etc. Unbolt the old arm and bolt the new arm on. A lot of manufacturers use taper fit ends. Leaving the nut partially on before some gentle encouragement will save the threads on those. The arms themselves are attached with simple bolts. I would be prepared to replace the bushings inside and possibly the ball joints too if going used. Hopefully you will get lucky and not have to adjust tie rod length/alignment.

All in all not usually a bad job, I can swap out my stock and aftermarket arms in about an hour. That includes doing the alignment.

 

does anyone have a suggestion on which way to go...

im looking for the easiest way to change it out no experience, im gonna pick up a repairs manual and look through it before i do anything, but it was brought up to me that if i have to do bearings and seals and all that to go new, if i go new does that come all assembled?

i was looking on kawasakipartshouse.com and i saw how it gives you the assembly and parts numbers... has anyone bought parts from them? is that the best way to go if i bought new and does that come assembled if i buy the parts from the site? it looks like everything would come separate and i would have to do all the work i would do for the used with the new anyways which im not trying to do... any aftermarket a arm that i can pick up for cheap just to swap it out that comes assembled so i dont have to do seals and bearings ?

 

thanks for the advice, went used and didnt have to change out anything part was in good condition, any advice people can give me on alignment would also be appreciated

 

Alignment is easy but time consuming. Eyeball the bars to be straight and use tie downs to tie them off to the rear grab bar. I pick a spot at front and back of each rim and measure to the frame. You also need to measure wheel to wheel front and back. This meas should be about 1/4" less in the front than back. That is your toe in and your machine/ riding style may demand a little more or less. Front rim to frame should be equal on both sides and rear rim to frame also same for both sides.

 

so i dont have to loosen the bars for them to straighten out? the only thing i need to loosen is the tie rods? and im a little confused when you talk about wheel to wheel, we are just talking about the front end right now right?

 

Yes, just wheel to wheel on the front end. Overall the leading edge of the front tires needs to be a little narrower than the trailing edge for best handling. Theoretically, the rims should be straight, so I like to use them as my measuring points but your overall difference in leading/trailing edge measurement will be a bit less than if you picked a point further out on the tire itself. The important thing is you use the same points to measure from on both left and right tires/rims.

Provided the frame is straight, I measure each wheel leading edge to a similar point on the frame for each side. Right leading edge to frame = left leading edge to frame. Repeat with the trailing edge of each tire/rim. This is to prove both sides have the exact same toe in.

Further more, the turns you use on the tie rod ends should also be about equal. In other words, each tie rod has two ends. One shouldn't have 3/4 of the threads showing while the other has virtually none. The end that is fully extended is a weak spot and more likely to bend in a crash. I use a sharpie and mark one side of each nut so I can count turns easier too. (Need to replace an end? 8 turns off for the old and 8 turns back on for the new should have your alignment really close.)

Finally, if your handling feels squirrely at speed, use a little more toe in for stability. Want the front end to turn in quicker? Dial it back out a little.

 

thanks for the advice scooter, i really appreciate all the advice