I took my Eiger trail riding up by Clam Lake, WI this weekend, started out with 58 miles on the machine, ended up with about 145 miles. Two problems: first thing the top end was not as expected ( I have heard 53-58 mph). I got 50 mph out of it when I opened it up the first time on the way to my buddy's place on concret to put it on his trailer (58 miles on it at this point). Between trails on the blacktop over the weekend I was only able to get about 45 mph at most (125 miles on it), and at times only 38 or 39 on gravel roads or up very easy little hills!...So, when we got back to camp I checked it over and the boot on the front axle just outboard of the differential is trashed, and grease ran out, exposing the axle in that green hub that is just outside of the diff. I had checked the machine at various times over the weekend and I think I would have found that had it been wrecked earlier. So the dealer tells me the boot is not covered and that a stick probably poked it and wrecked it, and that it happens all the time on these, he sees 5 or 6 per week! What do you think, would that slow the machine down 10-15 mph? I don't think so. Should I raise hell about the boot not being covered? Some of the trails we were on were pretty hairy but the guard around the boot looks untouched. The same guy at the dealer told me before I bought the machine that they haven't had any problems with them. Please help, I am real new to ATVing and don't know what is acceptable and what isn't...but being down 10-15 mph seems ridiculous, and if the axle was dragging it down that bad you would think the machine would pull to that side, right? Any advice would be appreciated..

 

You can't really blame the dealer for the boot situation. Unless you have some reason to suspect that the boot was damaged when you took delivery (unlikely) the odds are that you did catch a stick or rock or other trail obstruction to cause the boot damage. While it is unfortunate for something like that to happen to an almost new bike, it's certainly the most possible explaination and will not be covered under any warrantee.

You've got to have something else going on to cause the lack of speed. If the boot situation was causing a drag problem, you'd be sure to feel a heavy pulling to one side if there was enough drag to cause you to loose 10 mph. It sounds like you have had a reduction in top speed as compared to what your bike has done before. There are too many things to list - tire pressure, dragging brakes to engine/ fuel/ carb. Keep in mind that your Eiger may differ in top speed from someone elses, or top speed could be affected by altitude, temperature and humidity. I've had mine at 54 mph and I ran out of road with still a little power left, yet on another day on a similar type trail surface it would only hit 51 with plenty of road in front of it. BTW, I weigh 200 lbs, run 4.5 psi and carry very little gear on the racks.

If in doubt, have your dealer check it out.

Jaybee

 

No problems with the boots on mine. Probably just a stick or some other debris. Let it break in some more before you worry about top speed. Mine has just over 300 mi and seems to still be improving in performance. 54 to 56 mph on clay roads.

 

Another thing I didn't think of before is the throttle stop. Might not be getting full throttle. Worth a try.

 

Another possibility:

Check your air filter. Some dealers let their most inexperienced mechanics prep the bikes. I've seen a lot of inconsistency between the two dealers in my area. The air filter may have way too much filter oil on it, causing an overly rich air/fuel mixture. This is known to hurt the top end. Someone also mentioned altitude; the higher you are, the leaner you should be running because the air is thinner up here. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Those two items combined might be the cause for poor performance.

Mark

 

Thanks for the info. The throttle stop on the handlebar is not the problem, I checked that right away. I guess I won't push the dealer on the boot, but I have brought them a lot of business over the years so who knows, maybe they will work with me a little bit. I don't think the boot and the speed deficiency are related, though. I hope I didn't damage anything in the front dif by having the boot let go....For what it's worth on the slower trails that machine went through and over just about anything!

 

Jim

Is your machine the auto or the manual?

I have heard the auto is a little slower on top end??

Ours manual goes 55 with my wife on it 120lbs
and about 52 with me 210lbs

4.5 lbs air, no rack weight.

 

I have the automatic, my buddy bought an identical machine and outweighs me by 35 lbs (185 vs 150), and he runs around 53-54...I dropped it off at the dealer today, should have an answer before the weekend...
Thanks,
Jim

 

The dealer at first said they thought 40 was about as fast as it goes. I told them that was BS, but fix the boot and we'll see how it runs. Well I paid the bill got it home and it now tops out between 55 and 55 mph. So, end result is problem is evidently solved, the machine runs great and I am happy with it.
Thanks for the input/advice....