OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[hdsims]

I collect some of the info I encounter with my all time favorite Bombardier


2000 DS650

1) Chain Roller
2) Cooling fan
3) Twitchy Steering
4) Battery
5) Oil Breather

2001 DS650

1) Chain Roller
2) Cooling fan
3) Twitchy Steering
4) Battery

2002 DS650

None currently listed

Data:

Chain Roller:

Many people (Including myself) have had trouble with the chain roller vanishing suddenly. The stock chain roller on 2000 and 2001 models will wear out after only a few moments of use. If you have a 2000 or 2001 model and your stock chain roller is still in tact, it’s most likely that you’ve never compressed the suspension long enough to wear it out. Just keep in mind the day you do, it will be gone in mere moments.

There are several things a person should do to prevent problems:

1. Adjust the tension of the chain to specifications. Many chains come from the dealer out of specifications and can contribute to the demise of your chain roller.

2. Replace the stock chain roller before it’s too late!

A. Many people have used a skateboard wheel and 4 bearings as a quick cheap fix. Most skateboard shops will give you their used bearings if you buy the wheel.
B. TM Designworks makes a quality replacement chain roller.
C. UPP also makes a quality replacement for the stock chain roller (available in many colors other than black!)

Cooling Fan:

Many owners have had the stock cooling fan fail under various circumstances. Most times this will fail during the warranty period and will be replaced at no charge. After the warranty period however, the cost of the fan from Bombardier is somewhere around $150 each! An exact replacement can be found for around $70 at www.offroadwarehouse.com. This can save DS650 owners a lot of time & money.

Several owners have also removed the cooling fan completely and not replaced it at all. This appears to work well for them.

Still others have added a second fan, in front of the radiator to ‘push’ the air through the cooling fins.

Additionally, supplementing the cooling system with radiator shrouds, high performance coolants as well as small inline cooling devices that are added to certain locations in the coolant hose have been the method of choice for many people.

Twitchy Steering:

Many people including test riders have complained about the DS650’s somewhat ‘quick’ or ‘twitchy’ steering at high speed. While there are many fixes for this, we’ll start with the most basic which is also the most successful.

1) Adjust your suspension to specifications!

A) Adjust your ride height to specifications.
B) Adjust your toe settings to specifications.
C) Adjust the alignment of your front wheels.

By merely adjusting the suspension to fit YOU properly, most if not all of the problems will be resolved. (Most ATVs when brought home from the dealer are way out of specifications, causing the machine to act strange.)

2) Steering damper. Several owners have added a steering damper to their DS650s in order to slow down the speed at which the front wheels move left and right. Some owners have had excellent results; others haven’t seen as much improvement. The steering damper isn’t made to fix this problem specifically, so if you decide to buy one you should only expect it to do the job it was made for. (The steering damper will help keep the bars from being torn out of your hands if one wheel hits a large bump that the other does not, as well as reducing fatigue on longer rides from the same type of jolts along the trail.)

3) Aftermarket A-Arms. This is a very popular solution and the majority of owners who have gone this route have boasted of near perfection after installation and correct adjustment. Most of the aftermarket A-Arm kits (whether it is both upper and lower, or just upper) are adjustable in many ways the stock units are not, and these adjustments are critical to the machine working right. This is not a bolt on and go type of modification.

4) Larger front tires. Larger front tires help relieve the problem that the aftermarket A-Arms fix and also provide you with additional ground clearance. Most owners use a 23" Front tire in combination with a 22" rear tire to gain ground clearance. Additionally some owners feel the larger tires look better on the DS650, but that is up to you.

Battery:

Some owners have had problems with the stock battery going dead rather often if it is not left on a battery tender. The resolution has been to replace it with an aftermarket unit. If your battery does this while in the warranty period, you should ask your dealer to replace it. Many other DS650 owners have never had any problem with their battery.

Oil Breather:

No information currently.
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