Jump to content
Valley ATV Club

mikeexplorer

Root Admin
  • Posts

    6,383
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by mikeexplorer

  1. Just a few updates from the last meeting. They have filed for incorporation and "DBA" (Doing business as) next step is drafting club bylaws The have spoken to Waymart township about opening some roads to ATV usage and it seems like it will go through. I got them information about PaOHV and they are willing to help them out until they get more solid and possibly join. A guy I know from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley gave me info on a DCNR rep who is interested in developing ATV trails in our area. I forwarded that information to them as well. Mike
  2. Next meeting is this Monday, June 27th 7pm at the Gravity inn. I plan to be there
  3. As some already know, there is a new club forming in the Waymart area called "Responsible Riders of Wayne County" They have had two meetings so far and at the last meeting 16 people signed up for the club. The goal is to open ATV riding in the Waymart / Honesdale area. This club is just starting out and for now there will be plans to find riding areas that can be opened to use. Membership now is being used to get the club started as a non-profit and to get some initial funds going. Their first planned ride is to participate in the Pride & Patriotism Parade in Waymart on June 11th. (This conflicts with our club ride in Renovo for the Cancer ride) This ride you would have to be a member of the new club, but he extended it to all Valley ATV club members as well. Monthly meetings are held at the Gravity Inn in Waymart. Next meeting is June 27th, at 7pm If you would like to join the club, application is attached. (yeah they copied ours ) Club contact information: responsibleriderwayne@gmail.com Po box 94 Waymart pa 18472 570-647-7258 Mike Responsible-Riders-of-Wayne-County.pdf
  4. Our Initiative Today, on behalf of the PA DCNR we are completing a study to analyze existing ATV trails and parks in Pennsylvania, as well as explore possibilities for establishing additional riding areas. The purpose of the analysis is to create a statewide inventory of ATV riding opportunities on public and private lands, and to research opportunities to partner with local governments, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations to create and develop new ATV parks, trails, and facilities to meet the needs of Commonwealth’s 169,015 registered ATV owners. Our Request In order to help us with this initiative, we are asking you for your support and assistance. Please take a few moments and complete this short survey by May 1, 2016. There is a question on the survey about "unauthorzied areas" which I simply left blank. Survey is only a 5 minute one so everyone could please do this it could help https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PA_ATV_PLANNING_PARTNERS Mike
  5. You will like the Bighorns.
  6. Finally decided to sell it outright after busting on Michelle and I eh? Mike
  7. Geesh, you got me beat, 4 Cats verses my Three
  8. All of our machines have them. Awesome tire
  9. Put new paws on the cat. Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 mounted on ITP SS220 rims. Looks slick!
  10. Cube only sells Arctic Cats. Oh and he renewed his sponsorship for 2015
  11. He has always done me good work and the labor costs have always been reasonable. If you remember two years ago at the club picnic my machine started acting weird where it would act like I was not giving it throttle and I was putting up the hills on the trails. The chef was busting that he would have to push me up all the hills. I took it in and he thought it was the secondary clutch sticking so he worked on it. Very next ride it did the same thing. He had me bring it back and he investigated it for a week and found it was actually the diaphragm in the carb that was bad. He not only fixed that and cleaned it out, he repaired my starter since it was acting up and only charged me $40 in labor because he felt bad that he didn't fix it the first time. He also keeps a lot of parts in stock where most dealers will have to order everything. Usually on forum boards all you hear is the bad stuff about dealers and machines and such. Very few will post when they have a good experience with a dealer or a machine. I did check around when I was thinking of buying the new machine, but I already knew I was buying from Cube no matter what. In the end his price and service was better then any other dealer I talked with. Mike
  12. As some of you know after purchasing my new quad I kept the old one mainly because the dealer was not interested in a trade. Between over 14,000 miles and the fact the frame is welded is quite understandable So I kept it as a beater and a plowing machine, using the new one as a trail rider and a spare if needed. Back in May during the Loft Scrabble run I got a bit into the spirit of things in the mud pit and managed to get water and mud past the air filter after hitting a rut in the pit. A few months later the engine started burning oil. Not too bad at first but as time went on it got worse. Finally back in October it got so bad it was using a quart of oil for every 20 miles ridden. Compression also went very low as the quad also lost engine braking. The time came to make a decision, either scrap the quad or fix the oil burning. I called Cube Auto and explained what was going on. He felt it only needed a top end rings and piston (accounting for the high miles) I was given an estimate of $500-$550 to do this work. So I waited a bit to rake some money in and then after pondering the idea, decided to go for it. I figured for that amount it would be worthwhile to repair it and keep it as a beater and a plowing machine. This will save some wear on the new machine for awhile. I took it in on November 20th. He told me he was really busy with work since it was near hunting season and sled season is coming up. Plus he inherited all the work from Rusty Palmers as they gave up the Arctic Cat line. I told him no problem since I do have the new machine. I told him to take it apart first and see if that is all it needs since if there was more engine work to be done that it would not be worth it if this was going to cost like $1,000 Got a call last week. He called it a mix of good and bad news. First the compression was bad, so bad he could turn it like it had no spark plug. That was known so no big deal. (yeah I toasted the rings for sure) He did say the piston was still good to his surprise but the taper of the cylinder wall was out of spec so there is no choice but to bore it out and install an oversized piston and ring set. Ok no big deal as the price of a piston was figured into the quote. He did find that the timing chain was stretched out to the max and would have to be replaced which was "not cheap" He did also find the valve seats are worn out, but the valves themselves are fine. He removed them and lapped them clean. To get to the timing chain, he removed the clutches rather then splitting the case. The "good news" part is he found the internal bearings, crankshaft and primary clutch shoes were all in good condition. (primary clutch shoes have some wear, but well within spec) he attributed this to the fact I use synthetic oil all the time and I use the genuine stuff even though it is more money. By tearing into this side of the machine this also means all the gaskets and seals have to be replaced. The belt for over 8,000 miles on it is also in good shape. The secondary clutch is also good. (I clean that usually once a year) So what it came down to is to fix the engine properly (he does not like to fix stuff half-assed) he told me the PARTS alone will run $500-$550, ugh! So clearly this will cost well above the original estimate and is clearly not worth it. Then he tells me, since I have been a good customer (buying two quads, plus parts and stuff) he discussed it with Dave (the other guy there who works on machines) they are going to do this whole job for the ORIGINAL estimate of $550! So basically what he told me is he is doing this at no labor cost! Tell me another dealer who would do that for anyone! Of course since he is doing me this huge favor they are only working on my machine between jobs. So the estimate for it to be done will be another 2-3 weeks. Hell for what he is doing for me, he can take his time! So when I get this back, I will have a rebuilt engine. He did say he has to keep the "high mileage king" going, they have never worked on a quad with that many miles, hell they don't even see sleds with that many miles on them He looked over the whole machine and for what I put this thing through, the machine is still in decent condition. (which is why I work on them, I like to keep up on things to avoid breakdowns) So yeah you can say this is also a plug for Cube Auto (one of our club sponsors) and you know what they deserve a good plug for doing this. Yeah, I can certainly say I recommend Cube Auto if your ever thinking of buying a Cat Mike
  13. The old one came in handy last Sunday. Last Saturday we were riding Lost Trails and suddenly her quad gave her trouble. Would not stay running at idle and very hard to start. Managed to get it down on its own power (using low range and keeping on the throttle) Worked on it a bit but clearly the carb took something in and jazzed it up. It also had little backfires so it was a clear sign to send it to Cube's. (Carb work and valve adjustment are two things I don't know how to do) So she rode my old one on Sunday at NWORC. Did let her try the new one, she agrees, it handles just as easy as the 366. Mike
  14. Well the old one isn't dead yet, still going. The changes they did with that "ride in suspension" is amazing. You feel lower to the ground (lower center of gravity, meaning less "tippy") and the handling and steering is so much improved. Not sure how they did that since the A-arms are exactly like the old machine) Don't blame the age of the old one, it was tight steering from the start. I don't see a need for steer lites in this machine. hmm, already have them, so maybe ill just use them in the old one since they are worn out anyway. I might even dress up the old one with some free parts I got. Mike
  15. Installed HID lights last night. Only other mod planned is steerlites. Just from messing with it around the yard, it steers pretty well. I also noticed the coating used for the muffler and A-arms is better then the old machine. Should keep them both from rusting. Mike
  16. Ah, will still knock around with the old one. Then it will be good for parts.
  17. Finally did it and bought a new machine. 'Course it had to be another Cat It is a brand new leftover, 50th anniversary edition. Dressed it up with upgraded rack, and bumpers. Still have the old one, still runs.
  18. I have not had any issues with them so far.
  19. A few pictures of the installation of the HID kit for those who want to use them. Bob, these should help you in how to install them. I kept them forward of the oil cooler so they don't get too hot. They are simply ZIP tied to the front frame with larger zip ties. They have been working out well with no issues. Mike
  20. I will probably bring in a set to show how they hook up. I ordered one more set as a spare. Should arrive before the meeting. Mike
  21. Here is a good example of the difference. Both pictures taken inside the tunnel at Lost Trails. he difference is amazing. That is even accounting for the headlights are not aimed properly because the plastics and frame are out of alignment. Mike
  22. Here is the link, Ebay site http://www.ebay.com/itm/270890515433?var=570053762354&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 All Cats use 880 style bulb. (except the 366/425i models) I purchased the 6000K bulbs. Went out locally for a night ride and wow! what a difference. I also have to account for since my frame and plastics are "tweeked" the headlamp housings do not line up properly. Today I plan to do a quick ride at Lost Trails and take a picture inside the tunnel. I have pictures from before I did this change. So I will have an accurate "before & after" These are 37 watt kits which means they do not draw any more power then the stock lights. I bought two kits to do both set of lights which still made it cheaper then adding LED light bars and such. The only downside is it takes 5 to 10 seconds for the lights to come up to full brightness. Mike
  23. Oh yeah, these are going to be nice!
  24. Kinda slow around here The lights on my quad kinda suck, I was looking into adding LED bars and even the LED lights the chef has, but rather then add on to the quad (and also burns more power) it would be better to replace the existing lights with HID. Found these kits on Ebay for $38 each. Two sets is enough to replace all four lights and will draw the same power as the existing lights. Will post the results, have to dry out one housing first, I already have an idea where to mount the ballasts. They are listed as fully waterproof so they should be ok for the quad. Mike
×
×
  • Create New...