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Coolant Overflow Bottle Snorkle Mod

Notice the mud I found in the safety plug under the cap before snorkling.

I used two metal valve stems and 4 feet of 9/32" vacuum hose. Remove the valve stem cores, drill a hole in the cap and install the valve stem.

Here's the cap installed on the overflow bottle and the other end of the hose connected to the toolbox under the back of the seat. I ran the hose along the left frame rail.

3 Headlight
Hi-Beam Mod
EBAY

Instructions

I installed a kit that keeps all three lights on when Hi-Beam is selected instead of just the light on the pod. Its a simple high power diode between the proper wires and this mod works great! The area in front of the bike is flooded with the low beam lights. The light in the handlebar pod lights the way on the trail wherever the handlebars are pointing.

Reverse Over-ride Switch Mod
EBAY

Instructions

This mod does three things:
1) Eliminates the need to ever use the over-ride button.
2) It allows AWD in reverse whenever the AWD switch is in 4x4 position.
3) It disables the engine rpm limiter while in reverse so you get as much power as you need from the throttle instead of the engine cutting out at a low rpm.
CAUTION: On occassion one and/or the other front hilliard clutch will remain engaged when quickly shifting from FWD to REV causing difficulty steering or possible damage to the drivetrain. To prevent this select 2WD and bump the throttle slightly before changing gears, this should disengage the front wheels.

HighLifter
MST Outlaw
Oversize Tires
10/10/2006

Installed Highlifter MST tires (mud/snow/trail), 27x12 rear / 27x9.5 front, on Highlifter steel 12x7 rims. No wheel spacers were required with these rims. Tierod clearance is the same as the stock tires and wheels.
Highlifter has a great site at: www.highlifter.com and a great ATV/offroad forum at www.highlifter.com/forum

HighLifter
HD Front Springs
11/10/2006

Installed heavy duty front springs to eliminate:
1) Sag due to additional weight of bumper & winch.
2) Sag due to age (typical for Polaris).
3) Larger tires from rubbing on fenders.
NOTE: The springs shown in the pics are not the correct springs and did not sit on the strut properly. I have since installed the correct springs.

Rear Lift Kit
by
Rubberdown
Customs
12/05/2006
Rubberdown's Email

A very simple rear lift kit installation. It increased the rear ground clearance by approximately 1.5" and allowed me to reduce the preload setting on the shocks for a softer ride and allows the suspension to follow the ground better on uneven terrain. BTW, that's laser etching on the sway bar connector, not computer added lettering.
See my Performance Review update for more info.

Search & Rescue
ATV
Alarm System
12/15/2006
EBAY

I finally got the alarm system I purchased last summer installed. Its a pretty nice system, it does the usual, sounds a siren and flashes the lights when activated but it also has a feature that kills the engine if its started without deactivating the alarm. It can also be shutdown using the remote and has a "Find my ATV" feature if its parked in a crowd at one of the big get togethers.

Performance
Review

Upodated
11/20/2006
12/05/2006

After installing the 27" MST tires, front springs and turning the rear spring preload setting to one click less than maximum I now have 14.50" ground clearance in the front and 14.00" in the rear. The stock clearance was 11.25" all the way around.

I gained a little extra clearance (in addition to the inch from the tires) when I raised the front shocks 1.75" in the strut housing when I installed the springs. This helped reduce the preload on the front springs so the ride is not as stiff as it would have been if I left the shocks in the stock position. Its really not noticeable sitting on the machine but since it has also made the front slightly higher than the rear I may have to do something else in the rear to compensate.

I think the extra gain (beyond the lift from the tires) in the rear clearance is from running the preload setting so high. This keeps the shocks lifted nearly to the max under most conditions but still allows them to travel. The ride is a little stiffer than stock but is still very acceptable. I may try installing a rear lift kit and reducing the preload sometime in the future. This should also help level the machine back out so the front isn't higher than the rear.

I was very surprised to find the steering to be much easier now with the new tires. I have since found this is what most people find with this brand of tire. The tires ride smooth at high speeds on hard pavement and perform very well in all trail conditions including mud. They bite on all types of terrain (gravel, rocks, wet leaves, logs, mud, etc), hold well going up and down inclines and their performance in mud far excedes the stock tires. These tires are not true "Mud" tires but so far I have gone through every place where I got stuck with my stock tires. I know the extra clearance has helped but I believe the tread design is what really makes this tire.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the tire and spring mods. It has made the machine a much better performer in all trail conditions. Even if you don't want to go oversize I would highly recommend these tires to anyone that does mixed trail riding and needs a new set.

Update (11/20/2006):
After my short ride this morning I can now add that in about an inch of snow over leaves and rocks on the trails the MST tires bite as good as in any other condition. I had no more concern about slipping and sliding than I do when the leaves are just plain wet. The more I ride them, the better I like them.

Update (12/05/2006):
Installed a rear lift kit by Rubberdown Custom Products. The kit has raised the rear end up slightly higher than the front, pretty much like the stock configuation. It was an easy install and I have reset the rear shock spring preload to the lowest setting. At this setting I have an increase of 1.5" of ground clearance. With the lower spring preload all the tires now stay on the ground a lot more while moving over uneven terrain because the susp[ension isn't so stiff. The ride is also a bit softer which makes it a lot nicer and more comfortable. The new ground clearances are 15.25" in the rear and 14.75" in the front after I drove the bike and got off without moving it. Thanks to Paul at Rubberdown Customs for a great kit!!!