Where I ride there are a lot of steeper hills. Problem is keeping front end from comeimg up. When your having trouble making it the more gas you give it the more front end comes up and if you don't stop you would flip it. Would changing from the stock tires help this or I was wonder about loading the fronts like they do with tractor tires.

 

yes my new grizz is light in the front end also..maybe a front bumper and a winch would do it.

 

Had a idea here ! What if you were to put lead shot (like the reloaders use)down the two tubes on the front. Think you could get ten to fifteen ponds per tube. Now your looking at maybe up to thirty pounds plus the winch. What's a winch ? twenty pounds,now your looking at fifty pounds. What do think ?

 

Shifty,

Honestly, i dont know about putting TOO much weight in the front end. Here are a couple of suggestions.

1. Have you stiffened the rear suspension to the max? (keeps the bike from squating when under load)

2. Do you put your body weight over the handlebars? (I usually will lay across the handle bars with my nose right off the front rack)

3. Add the winch. (weight is about 30 lbs.)

4. Do you climb in 4x4? (I find that this helps alot, first- it keeps the front end "pulling", second- keeps ya from spinning out and loos'n speed.

Just think for a second.... if you go UP the hill, well ya gotta come back DOWN the hill too. If you start adding a bunch of weight to the front end, you could cause it to "dive" on you. Dive into the corners and also dive going DOWN that hill. Sounds to dangerous to me...lol, and that is my middle name!!

I dont know your riding style and i have never rode with you in (your playground), but i do climb alot of hills here and the only changes that i have made are what i stated above. If i cant make it up, then i shouldnt be there...hehe, and TRUST me, i CLIMB [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Jonathan

 

I ride with a fellow who has the winch and bear claws(27"x10&quot and he can keep it down pretty good by leaning over the front.

 

That shot-pellet thing is quite an original idea. Might work too. Basically in the same way they use lead powder to adjust "swingweight" a golf club.

On the weight in the front end issue, my thoughts are that its better to be heavy up front than in the rear. ATV magazine weighed all the 500's last year and the AC500 had 100lbs more riding on the front tires than the rear. While you might think this was uneven, my AC was unbelievably stable going uphills, and noticed absolutely no adverse effects on steep downhills. And I've taken that quad down a hill that I still won't go down on the 660. (not a trail mind you, just a place in the woods in the middle of nowhere)

Coming off the AC to the Grizzly, its easy to notice that there is a difference in front end weight. I have not had any problems with the Grizzly having a tendency to flip backward, but I understand the point. I have the winch up there and thats at least 25lbs. extra on the nose. That lead shot thing might work. If you used cork and plugged it way down, then packed it tight and sealed it again with another cork plug or something. Just to make it tight so it wouldn't rattle.


Old 80's Suzukis were always light in the front. One guy I knew had a piece of railroad iron bolted onto the front of his quad so he could follow the yamaha's and honda's without flipping his bike over.

 

I bought a 81MM mortar shell box (25"x11"'x6&quot from Northern Hyd., and u- bolted it to the front rack of my Kodiak. It contains a ****** block and shackle, nylon slings, air compressor, tire plugging kit, halogen light, Mag light, quart of 5-50 Castrol Syntec, a Club locking cable and lock, and assorted other stuff. It does a good job of keeping the front end down on steep climbs.
454

 

Think Im going to try the shot deal. The way the tubes are pinched off at the bottom I don't think I have to worry about a bottom plug. I figured a few rides before it all settles down and then Im thinking just a rag stuffed in the tube and put the plastic caps back on. Some said to stiffen the rear end but I think the weight up front and maybe stiffen the front would work better. Maybe still keep the good ride.

 

I stiffened up the rear shocks after a few times in some gnarly uphills. Without the sway bar on, it will squat more on a steep climb, cause more weight is focused on the back. No real problems now on the next to stiffest setting.

 

I have mine set on the next to stiffest setting all the way around. My cousin and I have been known to try some crazy hills. No real problem here, we just keep our bodyweight to the front. I'll have to see how things work out when I get rid of the crappy stock tires and get some vamps.