Behind the Grizzly, ya the grizzly vibrates but it is a 600cc engine, it only does this at crawling speeds then it disapears. The power is the best, it was the only bike that straightened my arms out when hammering the throttle.
The only think i didn't like about the 500 automatic was the air intake is right under the gas tank, they say is you go in deep water over this it can suck in water. I read that on this site when they tested it.
Oh well good luck.

 

HERE IS THE QUOTE THAT I DIDN'T LIKE, ATLEAST IT HAS A DRAIN BOLT LIKE THE GRIZZLY, BUT IS NOT AS WATER TIGHT. BETTER THAN A POLARIS THOUGH, THEY ARE THE WORST DROWNERS.

There is one item that should be discussed about the QuadMatic. The vent height
for the transmission is approximately 4 inches lower than the air intake snorkel. At 27
inches above ground level, the tranny vent sits a few inches higher than the top of the
tires. This location could cause problems for anybody spending lots of time in deep
water. For testing purposes we rode the QuadMaster upstream for about 10 seconds
in water that was well above the vent height. Because the huge inside mud flaps
protecting against cross splashing shielded the vent from drowning, we had no problems. After riding a bit farther,
we stopped in water deep enough to cover the tranny housing, letting the quad stand in the stream for about five
minutes. No problem here either. We concluded the tranny can handle any stream crossing within reason. Start
playing in water rack high and you may have problems. Our best suggestion: Keep aware of the vent height when
crossing deep water. Should you ever drown out the QuadMatic, a drain bolt underneath the unit permits purging.

 

Well I was supposed to pickup my Quadmaster this afternoon but because the winch was not installed to my satisfaction, the dealer still has it.

Problem: the dealer currently has no mount kit that will accept the roller bracket (the roller bracket serves as a face plate). The winch is mounted between the skid plate and front bumper bar. It sits right back out of the way but the problem is the roller bracket face plate won't fit. One other little problem, the switch that controls the winch would normally be mounted under the front rack. The switch won't fit under the rack, not enough clearance, so they mounted mine on top of the front rack. Not a good place in my mind seeing if you put anything large on the front racks you've just covered up your winch switch or worse yet broken the switch because of what you've put on the racks.

So all in all, the winch at this point is looking like a poor idea. Until there is a way to accept the roller bracket face plate and a sensible place to mount the switch I'd avoid a winch. I am hoping there is another kind of switch, something smaller. In order for the face plate to work different mounting brackets need to be developed.

[This message has been edited by c4drm (edited 01-06-2000).]

 

Hey ZASKAR.. Did you end up buying the buying the winch mount from Suzuki ??

 

r34...after reading through these posts I see you have the winch that was installed on my Quadmaster.

Do you have the roller as a face plate? If so, how is it they fit? If no, what do you have as a face plate?

Also what about a switch? Where did they place yours?

Thanks

 

c4drm...I did'nt buy the Roller Fairlead cause in Canada they are worth $80.00 !!!
So I just used the one that came with the winch kit. I bought the Quadrunner mounting kit from Suzuki,(just for the ease of installation) and mounted the winch by myself. It took me about 2 hrs to run the wires and mount the relay, and the winch itself did'nt take that long at all... maybe 45 min. or so. I will eventually get the Roller Fairlead, cause the winch cable will last a hell of a lot longer.
Mounting the Rocker Switch took me a long time to decide as to were to put it. It's such a weird shaped switch, compared to the Warn switch. It just did'nt look right mounting it on the front rack, I figured that it would get hit by a branch or something, and get wrecked. I looked at the instructions, and they suggested mounting it below the gas tank on that black piece of plastic that runs along the left side were the fuel switch is, except closer to the fender so your knee won't hit it. So, thats what I did, it's out of the way, and it looks pretty sharp to.

P.S. With the Suzuki mounting bracket, the Roller Fairlead bolts right on. It's as simple as removing the existing Lead and replacing it with the Roller.
P.S.S. I have a picture of the mounting bracket from the Suzuki Brochure. If you want, I will scan it and Email it to you.
[This message has been edited by r34 (edited 01-06-2000).]

[This message has been edited by r34 (edited 01-06-2000).]

 

Regarding roller vs. hawse winch fairleads, "Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer cherce."

The roller is more deluxe, no question. However, at line pulls, line speeds, and frequency of use likely in quadding, a roller fairlead is by no means essential.

Even if wire rope wear is greater with a hawse fairlead, given the price of cable, I don't think a roller fairlead is "cost-effective."

The small protrustion of a roller fairlead is no great hindrance to approach angle, I think; the SuperWinch roller can be easily added later, becaus it disassembles to accommodate the hook loop end when installing (no need to re-spool the cable). The new, orange dust-covered SuperWinch rocker switch is designed for handlebar mounting, but will fit elsewhere.

I don't believe a roller vs. a hawse fairlead will make the difference between a successful recovery and a botched one; certainly, a ****** block is a much more valuable accessory, because a ****** block CAN spell the difference between success and failure, if you must choose one or the other.

Tree Farmer

 

r34...thanks for your response, a couple of follow-up items.

I would loved a scanned picture of your winch setup. That would be awesome.

Where you mounted the switch did you have to drill holes in the plastic?

Appeciate your help, I now think the dealer does not have the correct mounting kit and that's why there're doing a half a$$ job.

 

No I haven't purchased the Suzuki mount kit yet. I have a brand new Warn winch that I am dying to try out.

r34,
Where did you mount the winch selenoid?

I stopped by a Suzuki dealer last weak and I looked at the Suzuki mount kit and I like the way it mounts better. They had the switch mounted on the left side of the handlebar, it looked very clean. I forgot to look for the selenoid when I was there.

The dealer had a roller mounted on theirs, but when I looked in the Suzuki catalog they showed just the plate that comes with the Warn winch. What's the deal? Does yours have the rollers or the solid plate?

 

Zaskar... The solenoid has to be mounted to metal for grounding purposes, and they recommended putting it above the back wheel against the frame. I'm sort of a perfectionist when it comes to my Quad, and I just did'nt like the idea of it being were the mud and water and god knows what else, is thrown at it. So, I used a flat piece of metal that I had kicking around, (about 3" by 3 1/2" ) mounted the solenoid to it, and then mounted the whole thing to the two frame bolts right above the spark plug. Sort of under the tank on the left side, behind the black plastic piece. Man... this is hard to describe ! I hope you can understand this.
The Superwinch Kit came with the solid or Hawse Fairlead.

Treefarmer...I agree with your opinion on the Fairleads, but I am concerned about winching at angles, lets face it, how many times does a winch get used on level ground ? Although I am seriously considering buying a ****** block as well.