quad

10 Minute Tuneup

fieldandstream-admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:48:04 -0400

You’re dressed, have your helmet in your hand, and you’re ready to hit the trails for some fun with your friends. But wait, is your ATV as ready to go as you are? Here’s a quick 10-minute tuneup to make sure your machine is good to go!

1. Tire Pressure

Make sure first that there is actually air in your tires…it’s important, trust us. If you’re riding on a hard-packed trail, then put the recommended air pressure in the tires. If you’re riding on sand or in mud, feel free to let some of the air out and run your tires a little flat. That way they’ll have a bigger footprint on the ground, giving you more traction. Oh, and always have a flat repair kit with you. Always. Seriously, don’t leave home without it.

2. Top Off Oil, Coolant, and Gasoline

Peek inside your gas tank to make sure it’s filled up before you hit the trails. We’ve yet to find a fuel station in the middle of the woods. Also, make sure the engine oil is topped off and the coolant, as well. That way, you don’t have to worry about this stuff when you’re having a good time.

3. Cable Check

Check that the throttle cable and brake cable are snug, not damaged, and aren’t catching on anything when you twist the handlebars from left to right. If they are binding, find the source of the problem before you hit the trails. There’s nothing worse than the throttle cable getting stuck when you’re heading for a tree!

4. Brake Check

Check that the brakes work, both foot and lever. If we need to explain to you why this is important, maybe you shouldn’t be in charge of a moving vehicle.

5. Air Filter Check

Make sure your air filter is free from dirt and debris. One of our staff members opened their airbox to find that a small rodent decided to make a little nest in it. That will definitely affect how your ATV performs. If it’s dirty, clean it. If it’s clean, get out there and ride!

6. Chain Check

If you have a chain-driven ATV, make sure the chain is properly lubed (you can use chain lube or WD-40) and isn’t rusted or catching on anything. If you have a belt-driven ATV, check that the belt is in good shape, hasn’t slipped off its seat, and isn’t cracked or damaged.

7. Wheel Lug check

Wheels on tight? It’s kind of important. Check the lugs.

8. Start It Up

Does your quad start? If it doesn’t, you’ve got some work to do before you’re going anywhere on that trail. If it does…well, stop reading this and get out there!

Synthetic vs. Conventional Oil

fieldandstream-admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:44:11 -0400

Are you using the right oil in your ATV?

Oil is often an afterthought for most ATVers, but it can actually make or break your machine. Obviously you wouldn’t run your quad without oil in it (because you wouldn’t make it too far), but should you use synthetic oil, or will conventional oil do the trick?

The basic breakdown is this: Synthetic oils are designed to withstand higher engine temperatures, reduce friction on engine parts, and resist thermal breakdown. Synthetic oils, because they are engineered, are made up of uniformly sized molecules, unlike conventional oil, because it comes from naturally occurring crude oil, which is made up of a collection of varied molecules (and the smaller molecules can evaporate when the engine gets hot). But, synthetic oil can also cost up to three times as much as conventional motor oil. Conventional oils do all of that to a much lesser degree and may contain trace amounts of contaminants. There are arguments for and against each type of oil, but the real catch is cost. If you are willing to pay more for synthetic oil, then your quad is probably better off with it than with conventional oil. But if you are like most ATVers, conventional oil works fine and fits nicely into your budget.

Synthetic Oil

Pros: Fewer contaminants, doesn’t break down or evaporate as easily, works well in extreme hot or cold weather

Cons: Costs up to three times as much as conventional oil, should be used at the beginning of an ATV engine’s life (not on an old engine).

Conventional Oil

Pros: Easy to find, easy on the wallet, gets the job done.

Cons: Contains contaminants, more prone to viscosity breakdown.

As always, you can leave your opinion at the bottom to let us know which side of the great oil debate you fall on.

Goo We Can't Live Without!

fieldandstream-admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:01:51 -0400

Here is a list of the gooey, greasy, lubey stuff we love and use all the time. From sprays to tubs to tubes, these are the things that no ATV garage should be without. What secret weapons do you have in your garage? Let us know what your favorite is!

WD-40

Sprayed liberally on the undercarriage of your machine before a ride, it prevents mud and debris from building up all over your frame rails and under your fenders. Once you’re done riding, give your machine a good cleaning and then spray it down again for yet another one of its good uses: to prevent rust (this works well if you’re riding in snow, too). After washing your quad, use WD-40 liberally to any levers and other metal-to-metal points to help prevent rust and premature wear. Just don’t spray the brake discs and rotors or the seat. We even use the stuff to lube cables by spraying it into the cable housing. It’s also good for lubing chains, because it’s non-sticky and won’t attract dirt.

Lime-A-Way

If you’ve got a raw steel exhaust pipe (or any other part), you know how hard it is to keep clean. Our trick is to use Lime-A-Way to remove rust residue without having to spend hours scrubbing. First apply it with a scouring pad and then follow up with a rag. Be sure to wash all residue away with water after teh rust is removed, and then coat the pipe with WD-40.

Loctite

Any time you are replacing components on your ATV, be sure to spread a little Loctite on the threads of the bolts. This will help keep them from vibrating loose over time. We use it for bolts we want to keep put, but Loctite has different strengths for different uses. Blue Loctite is medium strength and is great for nuts and bolts that you adjust regularly (and you can remove them with handtools after applying blue Loctite). The red Loctite is high strength and good for nuts, bolts, and studs that are prone to loosening (and you may need heat to remove these after applying red Loctite). Green Loctite is extreme strength and is good for nuts and bolts you don’t want to come loose ever again. But, if you do need to remove them, you may eed special tools and heat (so use this stuff carefully!).

Bel-Ray Waterproof Grease

This grease does it all! It keeps water out while lubricating and protecting bears and grease seals. It’s compatible with the other greases you may have used in the past, and it even improves the performance of the old grease. We use it all the time, and we always have a tub in our workshop.

Glass Cleaner

Use it to wet down large graphics and slide them into place. If you’ve ever tried top put a graphics kit on your quad, you know how quickly the graphics take hold. By using glass cleaner as a lubricant, spray the sticky side of the graphics and easily slide them into place before they take hold. When they’re in the right place, squeegee the excess glass cleaner from underneath the graphics with an old credit card.

Pam Cooking Spray

We use this stuff when we’re heading to the mud pits. We spray the underside of the fenders with it, which keeps the mud from sticking. When we’re done mudding, we wash away the mud easily thanks to Pam (plus it smells buttery and delicious).

Top 10 Tire Tips!

fieldandstream-admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:31:30 -0400

1. Tire Flip

If your sport quad’s rear tires are nondirectional and the leading edge has become rounded over, flip them to the other side of your ATV. You can tell if your tires are nondirectional by looking at the tread: if the tread pattern is equal in both directions, then you can flip them. Switching the tires will give your tires a sharp leading edge, which will put more power and traction to the ground and you’ll be able to get the maximum amount of life from the tires.

2. Bead Leak

If you have a tire that’s leaking from the bead, break it down (and if you don’t know how, check out our next tip!), clean the bead, and reseat it. If it still leaks, the bead may actually be damaged. Break it down again, liberally coat the bead area with silicone, and reseat the bead. Lower the tire pressure to less than four pounds until the silicone has set up.

3. Bead Breaker

If you don’t have a bead breaker (and spending almost a hundred bucks on one doesn’t sound like a good time), there’s still hope. Whether you’re trying to dismount the tire for repair or it’s simply time to replace the tires, this trick can help. First, take the wheel and tire off your ATV. Then get a 2×4, 2×6, or even 4×4 piece of wood that is about three to five feet in length and pull the valve core out of the tire’s valve stem. Put the board on the edge of the ATV tire (just in front of the rim) and wedge the other side of the board underneath the front side of your truck’s front tire. Stand on the rim with one foot to keep it from moving, and then have a buddy very slowly lurch the truck forward. If the board is placed right, the weight of the truck should break the bead of the ATV tire. Flip the wheel over and repeat on the other side. *Please be careful when driving the vehicle up the 2×4! Go slow and don’t run anybody over!

4. Rebeading Tires

Okay, once you’ve debeaded, you need to rebead. You can do that by buying a cheap air chuck (get one with a clip on it that holds it to the valve stem if you can). Take the chuck apart and remove the pin that holds the valve stem core. Remove the valve stem core from the tire; this allows much more air into the tire. Make a solution of five percent dish soap and water, and spread the solution on the tire bead. Now clip the chuck on or have someone hold it on for you and plug in the airline. The tire should start to bead. If it doesn’t, pop the tire on the outside with your hands at the 10:00 and 2:00 position, and when you pop it keep pressure on the tire. Once you get it to start taking air, the bead will seat. If you can’t get it to seat with lots of dish soap, release the air, break the bead loose and stretch the bead. Using a good-sized pry bar between the tire bead and the rim, slightly stretch the bead, working around the entire rim a little at a time. Use caution as to not bend the rim. Now lube it again with plenty of dish soap and try again.

5. Flat Tires

Does your ATV get more than its fair share of flat tires? If your tires are getting sidewall cuts, it’s more than likely due to the way you’re riding. Are you going into corners too hard and slamming into rocks? If so, try backing off the corner entry speed and work on exit speed. If the holes in your tires are in the center, add more air pressure. Higher air pressure makes the tires more flat resistant. You can also add things like Tire Slime to fix the flat before the air runs out.

6. Water Weight

In order to keep the front end of your ATV from floating when in a deep mud bog, many top mud racers fill their tires with water to weigh them down. You must break the bead on both front wheels then fill them with even amounts of water, then reseat the bead and set the pressure. The added weight keeps the front tires down and grabbing whatever traction is available.

7. Snow Studs

If you’re a winter rider, here are some tips on studding your ATV tires. If you place multiple studs toward the outside of the tires, it helps clear snow better and helps to prevent the tire from getting all packed up with snow and ice. And even though studs grip like crazy when you screw them into a tire’s carcass, it’s not a bad idea to sue a nylon nut o the the inside of the tire to help keep the stud snug. If a stud does rip out, simply patch it with a tire plug and then install a new stud a little further away on the knobby.

8. Flat repair

You should always, always have a tire repair kit with you on the trail. You don’t have to buy an ATV-specific kit (the ones available at the auto repair store are fine). Tire Slime works well on tires with small pinholes, but if your ATV’s tire has a hole bigger than a nail head, you should use a tire plug. If you’re serious about not letting flats ruin your fun, you can look into Tire Balls and tire foam. If you get a hole in the sidewall of the tire, chances are anything you do to patch it up won’t work for long and it’s time to replace the tire.

9. Under Pressure

Before a ride, check to make sure all your ATV’s tires are running the right amount of pressure. If one is off, it can affect the handling of you quad. Also, we found that running higher pressure in rocky conditions and for high-speed riding is useful. Put less air in the tires for mud riding. Also, it doesn’t hurt to measure the tire circumferences with a measuring tape once in a while. It’s important that the two front tires match and the two rear tires match. Adding or releasing air pressure can adjust the circumference of the tires and put them in spec. If you’re on a 4×4, make sure you quad has the same ratio-sized tires on the front and rear. If you alter the size ratio, your 4×4 won’t ride right.

10. Clean!

You can wash your quad as much as you like, but if those sidewalls are cruddy, it’ll throw off that clean look you’re shooting for. To clean your ATV’s sidewalls, take a steel wool pad and water and start scrubbing. The grime and dirt should loosen, and then you can rinse them off with water. They’ll look good as the rest of your quad!

5 Ways to Keep Your Quad Safe!

fieldandstream-admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:43:30 -0400

Lock It Up!

Just because your quad is in your garage doesn’t guarantee that someone won’t steal it. We’ve seen garage burglaries from the easy (just opened the garage door) to the elaborate (sawed a quad-sized hole in the side of the garage to remove a machine), so don’t count on your garage to be your one and only defense. Lock up your quad while it’s in the garage, make it hard to get to, and never leave the key in the ignition! We’ve even had one industrious reader tell us about anti-theft system he installed in his garage that consisted of a metal loop cemented into the floor, and the quad was kept safe by attaching a pad lock and chain!

Hide It!

Never leave your quad out in the open for an extended period. If it’s in the back of your truck and you leave your truck parked outside, you’re advertising to thieves that you have a quad and you’re not worried about them taking it! If you have to leave it in the back of your truck or out in the open, take extra steps to ensure that no one can get to it easily. Backing your truck up to a wall/house/garage is safer than just leaving it out in the driveway. Never make your quad easy to take!

Back It Up!

You’re out on a road trip with your quad, you have a trailer packed with your machines, your gear, and all the fun stuff that goes along with a long ride with your buddies. Sounds like fun, right? An overnight stay at a hotel is nice when you’ve been traveling and/or riding all day, but waking up the next morning to missing quads, or even worse a missing trailer, will put your fun on permanent hiatus. Whenever we travel with a trailer and have to stay overnight somewhere, we do one of two things: We back up the trailer so that it’s up against an immovable object (like the hotel itself) right outside the window of the room we’re renting (and we make sure there are video cameras in the parking lot to ensure its safety), or we sleep in the truck/trailer and just use the hotel room for showering!

Insure It!

Your homeowners or other blanket insurance policy won’t cover your quad! You should have a specific insurance policy for your off-road vehicles, especially if you’ve just bought it and are making payments on your machine. Insurance on a quad won’t cover damage like it would on your automobile, but it will cover theft, plus the policies are a lot cheaper and less stressful than having to replace your missing quad. Most insurance companies have off-road vehicle policies, but if yours doesn’t, do a quick search on the internet to find a company that will cover your quad!

Alarm It!

Most dealerships offer programs such as LoJack, which consists of a trackable chip hidden somewhere on your machine that allows it to be traced in case it gets stolen. Now, that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get your quad back, but it might help. Also, you can get an alarm for you quad (we found one online called the Armed Guard ATV Alarm, which retails for about $130 and can be found at www.armedguard.com).

One Wild Ride: Fishing Alaska By ATV

fieldandstream-editor — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:45:00 -0500

The New Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI: This ATV is Unmatched

fieldandstream-editor — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 05:00:00 -0400

How To: Trick Out Your ATV for Turkey Season

fieldandstream-editor — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 04:15:00 -0500

SO YOU WANT TO CREATE the best hunting quad money can buy, huh? No problem. We've equipped this 2006 Yamaha Kodiak 450 4x4 Auto with the pieces and parts that make this one tough hunter. This one will take you deep into the woods and haul your trophy back home!

1. Moose Camo Tape Kit A roll of camo tape can be invaluable for hunters. This kit by Moose allows users to add that extra bit of stealth to nearly any surface. A kit includes four rolls of cloth tape that are six inches wide by 12 feet long with adhesive backing. One kit will typically cover the bodywork on an ATV, or use it to disguise accessories. Kits are available in five popular camo patterns. ($62; www.mooseutilities.com)

2. Otter Outdoors Super X ST Trailer With this Super X ST trailer from Otter Outdoors, hunters don't have to worry about overloaded racks. The tilt bed makes loading and unloading a snap, and the olive drab color blends into the surroundings. With a cargo capacity of 1,500 pounds and 20 cubic feet of space, there is plenty of room for whatever you need to haul. ($445; www.otteroutdoors.com)

3. Benz Silent Rider Don't announce to your prey that you're coming. The Silent Rider exhaust can quiet muffler noise by as much as 60 percent without a significant power drop. Installation couldn't be simpler: remove the existing end cap, bolt on the flange, and then slip on the silencer. Hanger bars secure the exhaust to the rear rack. The entire process takes about five minutes. ($182 including bolt-on adaptor; www.atvsilencer.com)

4. Yamaha Gun Boot Yamaha's system is particularly easy to install and use. The plate mounts with three U-bolts. Once the mounting bracket is secure, the cradle position requires no tools to adjust. Upon reaching the desired hunting spot, a hunter can remove the entire hard case or simply carry a firearm with the slide-out soft liner. ($141; www.yamaha-outdoors.com)

5. Kolpin Seat Cover A little camouflage goes a long way, and the big, black seat on an ATV can really stand out. This Mossy Oak Break Up seat cover from Kolpin helps disguise an ATV sitting in the woods. As a bonus, it also provides some additional gel padding for those long treks deep into the field. It's elasticized around the entire opening and has hook-and-loop straps that secure it to the seat pan. One size fits most. ($23; www.kolpin.com)

6. RAM Mount GPS Mount As great as GPS is, it doesn't do much good if it's packed away in a cargo bag or pocket. This GPS mounting system from RAM clips to the handlebar of any ATV and provides limitless positioning possibilities. It holds tight, even over the roughest terrain. ($34 (varies by GPS model); www.rammount.com)

7. Garmin GPSMap60c Going deep into unfamiliar woods without a guide is dangerous. This Garmin GPS has a full color display and 50 megs of data storage in a rugged, waterproof case. The unit stores 1,000 waypoints, so hunters can mark all their favorite spots. It utilizes battery or 12v accessory socket power. ($450; www.garmin.com)

8. Kolpin ATV Pack Whether you're packing an expensive spotting scope or a case of ammunition, the Kolpin ATV Pack will keep it secure and dry. The bag has closed-cell foam padding inside and a waterrepellent exterior, along with Mud Guard zippers. Best of all, it clips off the front rack and convverts to a backpack for carrying to a treestand or hunting spot that can only be accessed on foot. The pack is available in Mossy Oak Break Up, Realtree Hardwoods, or black. ($138; www.kolpin.com)

9. Moose Hand-Held Spotlight There are lots of rackmounted spotlights, but this handheld model from Moose boasts 250,000 candlepower for tracking game in the early morning or late evening hours. It stows easily, and the 10-foot cord plugs into any 12v accessory outlet. ($30, plus $24 for a power port if your machine isn't equipped; www.mooseutilities.com)

10. Yamaha Overfenders Nobody wants to be wet and dirty when hunting. Overfenders help keep mud and water thrown up by the tires under the ATV, not on top of it or the operator. The fenders are molded to fit specific ATVs and install easily with hand tools. You will have to drill holes in the existing fenders to install them, however. ($110; www.yamaha-outdoors.com)

11. Warn 2.5ci Winch and Accessory Kit A good winch can be an indispensable tool in the woods: It can help hunters get over obstacles, move fallen trees or obstructions, and even lift game into a cargo trailer. This Warn 2.5ci winch has plenty of pulling power-it's rated at 2,500 pounds. The Winch accessory kit includes two shackles, a snatch block, and a pair of tree-trunk protectors, all in a black nylon case that straps to an ATV rack. We also keep Warn's synthetic rope on hand to extend the distance the winch can reach by 50 feet. (Winch $448, Accessory Kit $107, Rope $128; www.warn.com)