Spartan 500cc XUV Chironex Inc.

[lesjed]

I purchased a 500cc Spartan XUV (Extreme Utility Vehicle) side by side on 24 Feb 2009. I had chains installed on it and purchased the snow plow option. It really is unstopable. The manual choke works like a charm and starting was never a problem. The winch guiding mechanism broke within the first two weeks and the distributor replaced it immediately. Now that it is July 4th, 2009 I must say that overall the vehicle has performed very well.
HOWEVER a few suggestions:
I modified the fenders so that mud and crap do not spill over into the battery and gas tank compartments. I added insulation between the motor and the seats and cargo bed so the heat of the motor does not come up during the summer. I will of course remove all this for the winter months when the heat is much appreciated. I have a slow leak in my cooling system that drips down on the floor board but with the hood that does not open I find it difficult to find and repair the leak. Checking the oil is a real x*?%$, it seems to me that an extention could be added so it could be checked from under a seat. The seat belts are real crappy, they are always jammed and the springs appear to be soft and incapable of returning the belt and rolling it up. Other than this it is really a great machine.
One word of caution, do not back up when you have your cargo bed in the upright position unless you secure the locking handles out of the way. If you do you will end up with very damaged handles that will no longer lock, like I did! Stupid, stupid me!