2012 XMR Questions

[XMR]

Good day all,

I am new to the forums here and i thought i would begin by asking a pile of questions for my introductory post.

First off i bought a 2012 XMR late last season, graduating from a 1996 Honda 300 Fourtrax. i have been riding for quite awhile but mostly trail with a few mud holes as the people i have gone with have always made the attempt to go around rather than through. I am looking forward to new adventures with this machine, but i dont want to go unprepared...

Since i bought the machine i have installed a few goodies. it has an HMF slip on, chip, intake, throttle body, and cams. while noticing a difference i suffer from the belt slippage that seems to be a common problem. My first question is what would be recommended for clutch upgrades? do shim kits work copacetically with new clutch plates? can someone steer me in the right direction (post or otherwise) as to how these transmissions work?

Suspension... i am not liking the fact that the back tires are so close to the fenders, and have actually had them rub from time to time. is there a long arm kit available for the back? i have heard that one could go with a lift kit and just reduce the amount of lift to get the arms to shift the axle back. is this true? who makes lift kits (or long arm kit) for the XMR?

I am considering a snorkel kit. I know that the XMR already has somewhat of a snorkel system in place. i would like the added security incase i get into one of 'those' situations. im not a fan of the snorkels touching the skys, just ones that would be relatively even with the hieght of the rad.

I have heard of people putting turbo kits on their quads. whats the consensus on this? other than the obvious, what is the purpose/advantage? may be a stupid question...can a quad produce enough exhaust to get it to spool to be effective through the power band?

thank you to all who have survived my post, and thank you to all who have a response. i look forward to learning a lot from all of you and maybe someday being a wealth of knowledge to draw from as well.

 

[DaveB]

Good day all,

I am new to the forums here and i thought i would begin by asking a pile of questions for my introductory post.

First off i bought a 2012 XMR late last season, graduating from a 1996 Honda 300 Fourtrax. i have been riding for quite awhile but mostly trail with a few mud holes as the people i have gone with have always made the attempt to go around rather than through. I am looking forward to new adventures with this machine, but i dont want to go unprepared...

Since i bought the machine i have installed a few goodies. it has an HMF slip on, chip, intake, throttle body, and cams. while noticing a difference i suffer from the belt slippage that seems to be a common problem. My first question is what would be recommended for clutch upgrades? do shim kits work copacetically with new clutch plates? can someone steer me in the right direction (post or otherwise) as to how these transmissions work?

Suspension... i am not liking the fact that the back tires are so close to the fenders, and have actually had them rub from time to time. is there a long arm kit available for the back? i have heard that one could go with a lift kit and just reduce the amount of lift to get the arms to shift the axle back. is this true? who makes lift kits (or long arm kit) for the XMR?

I am considering a snorkel kit. I know that the XMR already has somewhat of a snorkel system in place. i would like the added security incase i get into one of 'those' situations. im not a fan of the snorkels touching the skys, just ones that would be relatively even with the hieght of the rad.

I have heard of people putting turbo kits on their quads. whats the consensus on this? other than the obvious, what is the purpose/advantage? may be a stupid question...can a quad produce enough exhaust to get it to spool to be effective through the power band?

thank you to all who have survived my post, and thank you to all who have a response. i look forward to learning a lot from all of you and maybe someday being a wealth of knowledge to draw from as well.

First: from a Honda 300, and you want to go turbo on a Can Am?

Second: XMR 1000 or 800?



General info:

Clutching...there are no shim kits. The clutches are like snowmobile clutches. Unless on dry trails on the XMR, STAY IN LOW RANGE. Upgrades in order of effectiveness are: a)upgrade secondary spring to Dalton yellow, b)install Dalton clutch kit. This kit comes with primary spring, adjustable weights and the yellow secondary spring. c) upgrade primary clutch to an aftermarket clutch. There are a few. My suggestion is the QSC primary for a stock or mildly upgraded motor, or a STM Rage 6 or 8 if you decide you must go turbo. d) upgrade secondary clutch along with the primary to an aftermarket one. STM makes 2 versions.

Suspension...CATVOS makes the nicest Can Am lifts that include new CV shaft and longer arms. I would avoid "shock extension-type" lifts as these will put your CVs at bad angles. Also, due to the nature of the Can Am rear suspension, the tires get closer to the plastic under full extension, so a shock lift will worsen the problem. Me...I'd just trim the plastic.

Snorkels...Google is your friend. There are many kits out there. The stock XMR snorkels work well and are up under the gauge pod. Go snoop around CanAm forums or Highlifter...lots of modded XMRs on there.

Turbos...I have no knowledge other than to say, "you don't need one on a mud machine". I wouldn't think a turbo would stand up to repeated soakings in water, but I don't know.

 

[DRD]

But going from a Honda to a CanAm makes quadding fun again. It's hard to reign in the "must have more" feeling once power has been tasted.

 

[XMR]

First off, thanks guys for the reply.

To address DaveB... hell no on the turbo. i was shocked at what people want on their quads. mine has more than plenty. especially moving up from the ol'300. it was morbid curiousity is all.

i have an 800 xmr. 1000 would be too much cash and too big of jump. i'd kill myself for sure.

My main questions were more along the lift and the tranny upgrades.

it seems google is not my friend today. i have searched for the snorkels and have found some pretty interesting ones though not quite was i am looking for. now that i have abused google to satisfy my own curiousities, i dont think that ill find what im looking for in this department so i might have to make something happen in the garage.


Thanks again DaveB for giving me some direction on the tranny and lifts.


DRD... simply put, no replacement for displacement. i like honda, but i love can am.

 

[kbrunlees]

The XMR is already lifted as well as the Stealth snorkle will allow you to put the quad in water level with the front rack. I would drive the quad for awhile before you start lifting to the sky. As Dave said you are going from a Honda to a 800 outlander, huge difference. I was sure that the XMR comes with the clutch kit already as well a 28 inch tires. If you are serious about turbos talk to get torqed out of edmonton, they also will advise about aftermarket clutches. If you go to Battenfelder ATV rodeo website you will see turbos running through mud pits, well skipping on top anyway. Doesn't yours have the airlift system. Have fun.

 

[XMR]

Kbrunlees,

I have ridden it (fall season and hunting season) and that's why i'm asking. Well, to be honest, i've heard if you sink a can am its good night Irene. I have been in water up to the front rack already; i guess im worried if someone comes into the same hole and causes waves...

I don't want the lift so much for a lift but to push the back axle back from the plastic. When i was at the ATV show (no get-torqed presence) and spoke to rapid revolutions they told me that there was a 4" lift they could use that would push the axle back 3-4" and only actually lift the quad 2" (i don't want a lift, like you said the suspension is air lift).

I actually know kevin and Yves fairly well. My quad has been there a few times for various things. They treat me well and i plan on going back; but not for turbo, that's far too much for me.

I'm not sure about the clutch kit but the XMR comes with 30" silverbacks.

 

[dasboot]

Dave is right on about the clutch kit. (as usual) The xmr stock is clutched up a bit but without a full kit and or new primary your going to burn belts. Pines in Prince Albert has a nice snorkel set up for the XMR,s. The air suspension drops air out of the shocks at over 30 kliks I believe.(cant remember exact speed) Seems like a mild pipe lift of 1 inch is enough to keep the rubbing away. Still is not as high as the level 6 but wont drop right down at speed.

 

[DRD]

First off, thanks guys for the reply.

To address DaveB... hell no on the turbo. i was shocked at what people want on their quads. mine has more than plenty. especially moving up from the ol'300. it was morbid curiousity is all.

i have an 800 xmr. 1000 would be too much cash and too big of jump. i'd kill myself for sure.

My main questions were more along the lift and the tranny upgrades.

it seems google is not my friend today. i have searched for the snorkels and have found some pretty interesting ones though not quite was i am looking for. now that i have abused google to satisfy my own curiousities, i dont think that ill find what im looking for in this department so i might have to make something happen in the garage.


Thanks again DaveB for giving me some direction on the tranny and lifts.


DRD... simply put, no replacement for displacement. i like honda, but i love can am.

I hear ya on no replacement for displacement. I just went from a Honda 450ES to a XMR. Like I said, makes quadding fun again.

 

[kbrunlees]

Yeah the 30 inch tires are a problem I have heard of guys getting aftermarket trailing arms to move the tires towards the back but I think that trimming the plastic would be cheaper. You have the Gen 2 frame I think rubberdown customs has a 2 inch lift kit that is supposed to be pretty good, I suspect you may have to put spacers on the wheels to keep your stability. Dave B is a great resource and If you know the guys at get torqed you have more info than you can shake a stick at.

 

[XMR]

So i dropped by Get-Torq'd last night, chatted with Yves for a bit and came to some conclusions.

Clutching - I have decided to go with the QSC primary clutch (RAGE 6 doesn't have engine brake control... BOO) and STM secondary clutch.

Suspension - Yves is going to custom extend my trailing arms (and all the gear) for me to push the tires back 3-4"... as an after thought; the added length may help in deep mud situations???

Snorkels - will have to be custom made so i guess that's a garage project when i have some downtime that i'm not riding.

Special project - Making a larger fuel tank for those long trips (need to stay out as long as a rubi 500) or extended mud pit fun, while putting more weight on the back tires... opinions?

Turbos - when i have decided i have lived a full life.

Now the question is what else can i do to my quad?

P.S. When i get all the work done i will post before, during (if allowed), and final product.

 

[DaveB]

Personally, I wouldn't extend an XMR...it's already the 2-up chassis (long). It's going to become like a SxS to get through the trees. Your bike though....sounds like yer having fun spending cash. LOL.

I like the QSC primary....although it also doesn't have engine braking. It has a 1-way bearing that makes it not glaze the belt at idle...but there is no actual mechanical means that engages engine braking. Only the stock primary has that. You can still achieve engine braking, but you have to keep blipping the throttle to keep it engaged...like a sled.

 

[XMR]

DaveB,

Ya, i know itll length it more. Im very OCD about things lining up and looking perfect. When i look at my quad i see the back tires are not centered in the wheel well and it drives me nuts. so i started thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of lengthening the trailing arms. i cant see it making such a substantial difference that i would notice it more than i already have going from the 300 to the xmr. You have given me things to consider though Dave, Thank you.

Yves was saying that the QSC acts similar to the stock clutch in that it brakes when not on the throttle... So would the STM rage 6 be similar to the QSC in terms of blipping the throttle to engage the brake or does it come with an engine brake at all? I havent ridden a sled in more years than i can count. i dont remember what its like to ride one. Only thing i know is i need something that will stand up to the worst of the worst and still survive. Not that i abuse my stuff (exactly the opposite) but you never know what may come up.

 

[DaveB]

Yves was saying that the QSC acts similar to the stock clutch in that it brakes when not on the throttle... So would the STM rage 6 be similar to the QSC in terms of blipping the throttle to engage the brake or does it come with an engine brake at all?

The stock clutch has two little pins in a spag assembly under the one-way bearing. When the one-way is spun against the rotation of the clutch (decel, downhill, etc) the two little pins push the clutch together and hold the sides of the belt. It is a very effective system...lots of guys find it provides too much engine braking and remove the two pins and springs. You can literally let the engine slow the bike to a crawl and have to give it gas to go down hills sometimes.

None of the aftermarket primaries have this feature. The QSC and the CV Tech (Airdam) have a one way bearing. The nice part is that the one-way is a smaller diameter than the stock clutch. Therefore, your ratio from a start (belt at the bottom of the primary) is lower than a stock clutch. The one-way only serves to let the motor idle without dragging the bottom surface of them belt. There is no mechanical engine braking mechanism. The STM primaries (they make 3 I believe) are beautiful pieces...and a bit pricier. The Rage series of clutches are very adjustable and strongly built as to handle any sort of power you can throw at them. I just checked the STM website and it appears they do put a bearing in theirs now...although it is a two-way bearing....so basically the center of the clutch "floats". Having the one-way (or two way) allows a user to run a tighter belt deflection. This gives a low start ratio and the the machine won't try to creep at idle. I guess a one-way would provide *some* engine braking as the belt is pushing the bearing against the clutch...but really, that center surface is so small, it''s really not much. The real clamping force on the belt is through the sides of the belt, not the inner ribs.


PS: air your shocks down...then the rear wheel will be centered in the wheelwells. LOL.

 

[DaveB]

Performance ATV Can Am Xmr 800/1000 Riser Kit 2012-current (Gen 2)

Found this over on HL....