Oct 7 2022

OK I’m ready !  The best place to start is with some cleaning. So do I remove the plastics ? Or not worry about what’s under them.  It’s not like I’m pressed for time.. However the time is coming soon where I will have to stop using the out side water..

I started with this part of the quad.  Pretty much all of the electrical is here.  And it was very dirty, so gave it a bath with the cyclone detail gun and a brush.  That’s a genital way to clean. Now I can read the fuse bock words!

I removed the rear rack to better clean the fenders and fix the crack from the underside. I’ll take this kind of stuff outside for a date with the pressure washer. Carefully.  With the sticher I fixed the crack inside the trunk.  There much better.  Bath Time !  I only removed the rear rack and the winch cover.  And I did use the outside water and my diluted purple power cleaner.  Then I put the stitches on the under side of the crack on the rear rack.  That takes care of all the plastic repair for now.

Wow it’s looking great..

I just erased 9 years from this one..  I got a great deal.  This is the way the quad will sit till all the bits and pieces come next week.  How ever the winch rope came the next day.

Yup bright red.. easy to see. I had a new hook and a Warn rubber stop too. This rope is supposed to be good for 8000 lbs.  The Polaris winch is a 2500 lb one and the ATV weighs less than 700 lbs.  And I have used winches in the past… get high centered on a log in the snow …and you will be thankful you have one.  So That’s why I’m fixing this one.

I had to remove the winch from the ATV.  Put it in the vice and spray the old cable… Tug Tug to get it free. It was jammed in the spool… someone ran it in too far.  any way I win..  Above is the new synthetic line , hook and rubber stop.  What’s the checkerboard metal under the atv you say ?

It’s on the lift table ! I can roll around on my stool to do the work.. Nice…So I’ve been removing each wheel so I can better check the brake pads and the condition of the bearings and bushings.

New video…  While we wait for parts.

Parts are here…  now the winch works perfectly. I was cleaning the air filter box and discovered these cracks on the under side of the boot that goes to the carburetor.

no way can I fix this …and I’m not going to duct tape it either.  New one ordered.

So it’s now spring 2023.  The snow is all gone and the the weather is getting warm.  I wish I had an indoor place for the Polaris… but I don’t.  So it has been siting all winter since mid October with a cover.

And .. well that’s been just fine.  A week ago on a very warm day I took the cover off.  Just for a lark I gave it a little choke and it started right up.  !  Wow !  Running just fine.. Needs an oil change ..so that’s next.

Update :  So the poor quad has continued to sit there under the cover. No place to go… no place to ride..  I fired it up once to move the utility trailer ( seen behind the quad) and that’s it..  It’s August now and I’ve decided to list it for sale..  The plan is to use the money for something I will use.  Thinking of a jeep TJ  to do some exploring here in Alberta.   We’ll see what happens..  SOLD

Oct 6 2022

Well I still want to have a quad… even though I may not get to ride it as much as I would like.  And that means a new one would be a waste of money..  The older ones are a lot of work.  My favorite quad of all time was the 2014 Sportsman 400 that I did buy new in 2014.  Went everywhere for many years with that machine.  Reliable , fun and I felt safe.  So I was aiming for that vintage with low mileage, and not beat up. FOUND IT… here’s a web photo of a 2013 Sportsman 500.. not mine !

2013 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O.; Studio Shot; 3/4 Front; Red; ATV;

But Soooo close.  Yes

Almost the same.. really the only difference  is fancy wheels and new tires..  and a winch.  Even thought it looks good in the photo..nothing nine years old is ever perfect.  There are a few cracks and scuffs.. It’s dirty under the plastics.  Nine years of dust !  But not caked with mud.

But I’m happy with the condition..  Don’t expect much.. fortunately it’s good overall.  Everything works as it should, runs and drives great.

Look at that 1511 miles.  1200 hrs.  So with out further adue.. Here’s the video I made

Okay .. with the introductions out of the way.. Let’s talk about what I need to do ..  work stuff.. pimping stuff.  Cause it needs to have my stamp. Without taking too much apart I had a good look.. Found things that I missed.. and a few things knew about.. like..

The missing winch control.  Strange…  but a new one is on the way.

The scuffed up front rack.  Hey it happens..  I sanded it and treated the wound.. All better.

Crack in the rear rack..  I’ll fix this . no worries.

Missing latch for the rear tool compartment. A new one is on the way.  Now for what I missed !

A crack inside the front trunk, left side.  Oh yes I did open the trunk but did not notice this..  I can fix it .  This could be caused by too much weight on the left side of the front rack.  It’s really not much stuff to deal with.. But lets add to that a service (new oil and filters). Plus I want to clean the electrical contacts and other bits.  I’m going to start a new post for the cleaning and repairs.

2013 Polaris 500 Part 2

May 21 2022

Cleaning and Fixing !

This is a bad gash in the top of the speedo pod.  I’m thinking chainsaw..  Can’t for the life of me figure out how one would do such a thing.  But I’ve had more than my share of head scratches.  Look how faded the yellow is..  I’ve tried the wet sanding method..  But this goes deep. I have a solution for that gash I’ll show later.

With the plastics off everything got a good bath.  Now I can thoroughly inspect the drive line and suspension.  And I found some loose stuff, and some things that need replacing.

Like the front brake pads.  This one was beyond wore out !  Tie rod ends are toast as well …So I have some parts coming. While waiting I started work on a boat trailer .   And I did some work on the bush guard and winch.

Cleaned up the winch, breathed new life into the fair- lead rollers.  Some were not turning at all.  And here’s what the yellow top of the light pod looks like now.

The gash was filled with epoxy and I used the heat gun method to deal with the fading.  Not perfect but does work 50% sorta thing..  Once I get my parts I’ll service the front hubs, bleed the brakes and tighten anything I find needs it.  Then I’ll move on to the rear wheels. The brakes are now working great and a new bearing installed on the left rear hub.  We tried and tried the start the quad..  no luck … what’s up it was running..  Best thing to do is park it and wait till I’m in the new shop..  And then do some more tinkering.  It’s a spark issue..

Oct 2022:

Well I’ve had the time to set the shop up ..  And evaluate what I’m doing this winter.  I’ve decided not to tinker with the quads.  I want to clean out the whole shop and work on my Avalanche.  So I have sold both to a nice guy who is a mechanic..  I will be replacing both with a new one …  Here’s the start of a new post:

2013 Polaris Sportsman 500HO

May 15 2022

The price was right and it came with extra parts quad.

It runs …it drives ..  But there are a few issues, like no brakes, and some electrical gremlins.  Probably bad connections.  We fix.  The plastics are faded. And the bush bar is a little bent.  The factory winch works, and the tires are good.  Someday I’ll bring it in the garage and look after these things.. What I really needed was the wiring harness that the parts one had.  That harness with / should bring my 2005 back from the dead.

Here’s the parts frame.  I’ve since removed the wheels , wiring and the handle bar.  And I put it on a pallet so I can move it easily.

So this 2004  yellow 400 is just to hold me over till I get the 2005 going..  I’m not sure when that will be, hope it happens this year..  So I’m going to put some effort into the yellow 2004 one to bring it up to my standards .  Here’s what I see is needed..

Wiring:  bad grounds and possible corroded connections.  I noticed the head lights are dim. and the kill switch isn’t working.

Check brakes, hubs and all bushings and bearings:  Just cause !

Plastics:  I’ll remove all the plastics and repair and polish them..  Make it pretty again.  Repaint the rims too.  And fix the bush bar.

And with the garage all organized and clean..   In comes the 400 to look after those things..  First thing remove the front rack and the bush guard and front trim.  Need to get a good look at the wiring..  I also removed the handle bars so I could tweak the the mounting plate a tad.  The bars and nacile had a bit of a tilt to the left.

While the guard was off …why not give it some fresh paint and bang the kinks out.

I was able to find the bad wire and now it starts and stops with the key..  Cleaned a lot of connections too.  Next I need to remove all the plastics.. this is were I find the broken bits.. But let’s start a new page

PAGE 2

Dec 9 2021

Repairing the body parts:

Got a new plastic welding kit I’m dying to try out.  However the welder uses butane… lots of butane.  So I’m not super impressed..  But I can use the mesh and the rods.  I have a cheap soldering gun with a flat shoe …and that works great.

Here’s the worst crack.  Front fender …left side.  I use the heat gun to soften the plastic and re – align the crack.  Then weld the backside to make it strong.

Then weld the good side.. but it never comes out perfect  with colored plastic.  But it’s repaired and strong .   This process works very good with the black plastic parts.  When melting the PE plastic some of it evaporates into the air.. So it’s necessary to ad more plastic .  Hard to do when it’s a color.

Here’s a bad one on the foot well.  Same process but looks much better.  The foot wells take a beating.  Even if you are careful…

There is the same crack on the other foot well too.  And a crack on the front bumper.  All easy to fix.  However lots of work needed on the rear fenders.

Two of the tabs under the seat were broken off. These are the front ones..  of the six along the upper frame.  When these broke it allowed the plastic to get too close to the exhaust pipe and melted the broken parts.. I had to re construct some parts..

I use paper clips embedded in the plastic.   It’s not pretty but works.  And it is under the seat so no problem.   That’s about it for repairing plastic parts.  Finally I’m trying different ways of polishing out some of the scratches.

Here I tried wet sanding with very fine grit. works but leaves a dull finish.  Power polishing with cut polish could bring the shine back.  This is much the same as restoring headlights.  One thing for sure it gets the years of grime off.

As a final step I use this ultra protectant.   Looks new.  But I haven’t dealt with the scratches on this yet..  So you know I’ll make the body parts nice again..  And I may just see about making my own side panels too.  Some of the parts may take a while to come..  So I’m going to start a third page on the ATVs that I have had, fixed and rode.   PAGE 3  My ATV history..

Nov  10  2021

I’m gonna need a winter project !

( photo from google)

But the photo is the exact same as the one I found ..  the front plastics are off mine, but I have them. Soon the reno’s to the house that need doing will be finished.  And in the yard there’s nothing to do but clean snow.. ( if it snows).  The garage is keeping a nice temperature.. so ya I can work out there.  This popped up for sale and I jumped on it.  $600. for a fixer quad that is my favorite model and my favorite color ! Dam right.  This one was listed as a 2004… but clearly not.. Right above the Vin it says a manufacture date of 02/04/2005. Even the key tag says 2005.  Bought in Red Deer.  A bit of research tells me that this is an early release of the new Sportsman models.  A body style that went right through to 2011.  I believe it’s the first years that you will see EFI as an option. Plus the new shape for the head lights, and a trunk under the front rack.  If it says HO it’s still got a carburetor, like this one.

Not as pretty as the top picture..  But that will change.

Here’s what I know:

It wasn’t crashed…nothing is bent or damaged to suggest it was. The motor and drive line is fine.  I can’t start it because the problems are electrical.  But the motor turns over nicely.  There’s oil in the motor and coolant in the rad..  can’t see any leaks.  The plastics have a few cracks in the typical places.  Nothing that I can’t fix. However we are missing the two side covers.

The tires are factory Polaris and not cracked and still holding air! Wow. Even the rims aren’t bent. I’m certain there will be things like bearings and brakes / bushings that will need attention, but not worried.  what is needed is repairs to the wiring harness. That will solve the problems that I will explain later.  For now I’m giving it a bath and storing it until I clean up the garage and finish in the house.

It’s full on December now.  The work in the house is done and Winter is here …maybe not officially, but it’s snowy and cold.  I’m making room in the garage for the Polaris.  I have one of the missing parts , the CDI.  The surepower ECM is on order and who knows when that will show up.  Those two things will get the electrical system up and running.

Here it is ! In the shop and on the table.  Still waiting for the ECM..  but I’ll remove the rear plastics. Makes it easy to get at things..  And they need cleaning and repairing too.

Wow…no damage to the frame.  Everything is straight.  I have found one broken wire and the left front brake caliper is hanging from a wire !!  It looks to be ok just missing the bolts to hold it on..  Fairly sure that this quad was stored outside..cause it’s dirty.  But there’s other things needed… Here’s a list …and this could grow.

• New CDI  : I’ve got it now
• New  ECM  On Order
• New carburetor,  Got a new one cause I can’t get the float bowl off and they are cheap..
• New rear brake Master,  old one looks like it leaked.
• New choke cable,   Old one broken
• Battery, later when everything works
• New Fuel pump. On Order, Again cheap so why not.
• All three filters needing changed, need to order them

As well..  I’m going to replace all four wheel bearings.  Change the oil.  While I wait for parts.. I’m going to clean and repair the plastic body parts.  So we have some  Plastic Welding to do…

  Page 2

Sept  8  2019

First I’ll show you a photo of a nice looking one off the web..  could be any ones..  Then I show you a photo I took of the one I have..

Ah come on it’s close..   Never mind the taped on light bar on the roof..  Or the fact that you can’t see through the half windscreen.  Ok I’ll stop slamming it..   It does run / drive..   and has some cool ad-ons.

So  why would I have a second one ?  Good question..  but easy answer..  it was cheap…  don’t ask  .. you know I don’t talk money on here.  Let’s suffice to say that I can make some cash by making it all good again.

These photos were before it had a bath…  but it needs more than that..   But let’s point out the positive stuff first.   It’s a RZR 800.  And that’s good..  I think this was the first year they made RZR’s  It has a roof, windscreen, winch, doors, bush bar, rear trunk, rear led lights,  And a 2 inch lift with wheel spacers to give it a strong stance…   It HAD ( cuz I took them off) a 32 inch LED light bar..  and a stereo that was not working very well.

That’s a lot of stuff / accessories ..   Makes up for it’s issues..  It’s LOUD… needs some exhaust work.  It scratched and scuffed and there is a few cracks in the plastic… not many… I’ve seen worse..  And I know how to fix them.  The seats need re- covering. the dash needs a make over..  there is a hole where the stereo controller was.  There’s a few missing fasteners..  And the winch has rope not cable…

Cool factory box..   DIRTY !   All this stuff I can fix… clean…  or repair.  So let’s see how I do…

Well it was raining  and that put a damper on the trailer cuz I have to work outside.  So I brought my 570RZR in and did a service and fixed a few things.  That prompted me to bring the 800 in the shop and see what I can do..  Right away I removed the doors , the roof and the rear body.

And this is what I was left with.  Now it’s easy to work on the motor and mostly the exhaust system.  AND I found out why all the noise..

One of the two springs was missing and so was the lead gasket.  Geez.. no wonder..  I’m going to give the whole exhaust a make over..  And install a new valve cover gasket too.  Also I removed the battery.

And cleaned up the rats nest of unused wires.  There is still lots to do.  I figured I better start with the exhaust pipes and muffler.

When I pulled the Y pipe off the motor and cleaned it this is what I found.  A crack that goes around to both sides.  Good thing this is steel..  and I have a welder.

After a good cleaning I painted all the parts with High Temp paint…  With all new seals and no cracks things should be noticeably quieter.  I also repainted the roll bar..   lots of scuffs and some rust..

Today I had only a bit of time to work on the 800… And I got the prefect soldering iron for plastic welding…  So I repaired the two rear side panels.. One had a good size crack… the other just a small crack.

This is the repaired crack.. the messy stuff in on the back of the panel.  You can still see the crack but it is strong again. I’m thinking I will have to sand the whole panel and apply clear coat to get the shine back.  And also today some goodies arrived for the 800.

Just some of the stuff I’ve ordered for the 800.  Another 12 inch LED light bar, Another mirror, some winch stoppers (enough for all the winches I have going) and 100 of the body clips… handy to have.  If the weather is good outside I work on the 18 ft trailer..   But I have spent some time on the RZR..   The roof is now all fixed… no more holes where they should not be..   The missing bolt in the valve cover is fixed… And the exhaust is back together.  I went to the Polaris dealer and picked up a few parts..  So I now have all that I need ..

Rainy so getting a few more things done..  The only thing I don’t have yet is the Dash panel..   I got the roof back on all sturdy once again.

And the exhaust system is all done.. maybe I’ll put the battery back in and see how quiet it is..

This is how it should be with ALL the springs and new gaskets.. Oh and not rusty !  Much less noise than before..   Lot’s has been done now because the rain has forced me to work indoors.  The seat bottoms are done.

Just like new again…..  I’ve been putting things back together as I recondition them..   Plus Dave & I removed the wheels to make sure things there are ok..  Had to tighten one bearing up a bit.. BUt the brake pads are toast!  So a new set has been ordered.  I have installed a horn, the new LED light bar and painted the bush bar.

Things are looking up for this sad RZR.  When we looked at the wheels we realized they are 14″ and not the factory 12″  and the tires are 28″ outside not 25″  so as well as the 2″ lift this machine has another inch or two.  Can’t wait to give it a try…  in a week I’ll be taking it up to the hunting camp and do just that.  But first I change the oil & filter, and hopefully the brake pads come Cuz don’t want to not have brakes!  Took it for a burn around the yard..  Lots of power.. there is a ticking noise coming from the rear left drive when you turn hard..  thinking it could be the fact that there is NO pad left on those brakes… metal to metal.  OR a bad drive shaft..  After the new pads we’ll see.  Also we replaced the winch line with new cable and hook.. even a rubber stopper.  And I got the dash sorted out..

The RZR now has a horn (left side) , a new dash panel with a volt meter in the middle, the front and rear LED lights.  And where the stereo controls were a power plug and USB charge ports.  Everything you need and nothing you don’t !  With the brakes done and everything ship shape..  I put the RZR up for sale … SOLD !

Oh and I should mention that I kept the doors for my RZR.

Jan  27  2019

I did it !

Traded in my much loved 400 quad for a side by side of the same vintage.   A 2014 Polaris RZR 570 trail !   Perfect..  even the nice blue I liked and choose when I bought my Quad.

Nice looking !  I’m very happy to put this in my garage..  The 570 is the perfect size..  Plenty of power but still good on fuel..  AND this is the trail version.. which is only 50 inches wide..  2 inches more that the quad.  That means the it fits on ALL the trails I ride on AND carries a second person.  AND more stuff.

I plan to make a custom box for the back.. with a lid to keep all that stuff dry and secure.  But before I get too much into plans for Pimping this ride..  let’s talk about what I don’t have to change..

This is the loaded RZR 570..  called the LE model.  And it comes with options like power steering, engine braking and nice alloy wheels.  All things I like and would choose.  NOW let’s thank the previous owner for adding the other things I like..  a roof , a windshield,  bush bar, 3500 lb winch, a horn..  and Turn signals?  yup LED turn signals.  The dealer added new tires , belt and a clutch kit … and we are good to go!.   So what else could I possibly add ?   Well lots !  Let’s start with a rear view mirror.  A must have.  and a bag that fits between the seats and holds your lunch…and other goodies where you can get to them.  Then I need my GPS mount and a second 12 power outlet for that.

What about more lights !  I like to have daytime running lights…  safety first !   And below them are the rear lights I will install..  Just in case.  I ordered a nice switch for those..  ( haven’t used the running lights yet )

And once again … just in case.. you never know..  Although highly unlikely…  A Sasquatch light ..

Ok..  it could come in handy as just a very bright light for tunnels and other dark places.  Most people call them a light bar.. LED of coarse. There’s a nice place on the bush bar for it..   OK that should do it.. Can’t think of anything else right now..  NO I don’t want a stereo in my ATV.. I want to hear the animals as they run screaming..  Actually the motor makes enough noise and I value my hearing.  I will post more in the spring when I install all these goodies..

It’s spring !   And I’m really wanting to get out and put this wonderful machine through it’s paces.  I can carry it in my truck..  I got some nice aluminum ramps for that.   But I really want a trailer to pack it around..  Found the “almost” perfect one..   And here’s a post I started for it..   ATV Trailer.

So I’ve been for several rides now…  I have all the goodies installed and love this ATV..

This is my LED light bar…  and boy does it work well.. already used it on a late night ride.

This is my LED back up light…

And here’s the trunk..  excellent at keeping things clean and safe.

Oct 17 2018

And I’m getting  out lots  ATV ing…   It’s now a tradition to go camping 56 kms up the Granby Rd..   Hunting season !  I don’t hunt but the boys aren’t all that serious about it either.   It’s a chance for camp fires … bad food..  and exploring on our ATV’s  My camping rig worked out good..

I had my own cozy place…   Unfortunately it rained more that we would have liked..  which dampened the fire and I got cold & wet every time I went for a ride.   Then in the second week I got the chance to try a Side by side ATV..   A Polaris RZR 800.

And yes it has a roof and a windscreen !   Wish I had that the week before..   In trade for using this  I fixed the bush guard seen above..

Here you can see that it’s bent down and it’s loose too..   I removed it for the rides I went on..   put on about 120 kms  of mixed riding..  and I even took a friend along one of the rides..   I really like the protection and the safe feeling …. not to mention the dry / not cold feeling.  It goes everywhere the quads went..  It’s only 4 inches wider.

You can see a bit of snow..  yup it’s cold.   But I was warm.. and it’s comfy too..   In the spring my friend will be selling this RZR.. and I may just want it..   After all it’s got a new and improved bush guard !

Also lot’s of storage in the rear tray too..

I like it..   So we’ll see next spring if I make a deal…  and ATVing will never be the same..

Jan 2019 :  NOT Spring.

I did a lot of research on RZR’s since that ride.  Looking at used ones.. The prices, the features and the condition.  One of them got my attention since early December.. And it was at the dealer where I bought my 400 quad.  So naturally they are willing to trade.  This one is a 2014 Polaris RZR 570..  with all the goodies I want..  So without  further ado… I’ll make another post… Oh and The 800 got sold to someone..

  Link to RZR 570

March  28  2017

Continuing with the RE-Assembly:

I’m going to spend another few days before I kick the TJ outside so I can use the shop for servicing tractors..   So let’s se what I can do.

The Chain :

There it is..  The greasy mess.   Well this took most of a day..  got the tension sprocket in the wrong place.  so had to do it all over..  Got it right now..  and everything is smooth.   Also got the brake caliper mounted ..  it fits it’s new home great..

Wheels & Rims:

today I was going to put the wheels back on the TJ..  But as I was looking them over and there was too much I didn’t like..  Two of the tires were very old..  like 40 years !  cracked..  They all had tubes in them.. .so there were other issues.   I decided to pull them all off the rims.  What a job..   rusted on there..  tubes stuck..  yuck.  So what better time to pick the best rims..  clean them up …  paint them and mount the new tires I bought two years ago.

This is the tires I got..   as close to the chevron tread as I could get with out breaking the bank..   Just need to go get them from storage.   And I’ve painted the rims…  black,  BUT  dark steel gray on the outside.. where you see..   classy.

When the paint is good and cured I’ll mount the new tires.  Hopping the bead seals and holds air ..

Rollin Rollin Rollin…

Those are some bad tires ..  but they hold air the way they are suppose too..   and they look good ..

I’m putting the body back on and covering the TJ outside for a bit..

But come on… gota take a photo first.   And just because the TJ goes out of the shop..  does not mean I stop working on the project.  I need to get the motor ready,  The seat ready, the floor panels, roll bar and windshield..   All these things can be done in the shop still.   All done for now.

Update :  When we were moving to Alberta a lot of things had to go …this was one of them. sold to someone who planned to finish it.