[raveer2000]

I put in the EPI clutch kit today. It seemed overwhelming at first because I don't like taking apart plastics on my bike. After I got everything out of the way, it seemed to go fast. Thank you truegrit for your clutch kit post. I printed it out and brought it with me when I installed the kit. The washers all came tumbling out just like you said. If it wasn't for truegrits write up I would have been lost. The EPI instructions didn't say anything about a triangle bearing and holding it on with grease. I had to make my own spring tool. And my brother was there to push the spring in while I strected them out. It went together without a hitch. No leaks ran perfect the first time. Made a huge performace differance on my bike. It will pull the 28's with no problem without any help. I feel it is the best mod that I have done so far. So again I have to thank truegrit for the writup because he saved me lots of time from going to the dealer to find out where the bearing and the 2 washers went. I never did see the directional bearing that you talked about, but I guess I got it back right everything works.

 

[snowman]

did you do the kit on the Foreman??
could you send me those instructions please ?
lookin at doing this on my Foreman.
thanks !

 

[raveer2000]

Look in the how to section of this site. There is a long write up by trugrit about the clutch kit install. And yes it was on the foreman.

 

[snowman]

kewl - thanks !
so it made a big diff ??
we have some real gumbo mud out here and the kit would be nice to get em spinnin.

 

[raveer2000]

i feel it did. I will try it real good when I go riding this weekend.

 

[snowman]

sounds good !
I'll be waiting for a review

 

[Truegrit]

You probably wer't as dumb as I was to let the one-way bearing fall out. It is on the centrigal clutch housing (the thing you puleed off to modify).

I am glad it worked for you. After doing it it seemed easy, but going in blind I was a bit hesitant too. I am glad al that typing helped out!

Later

 

[snowman]

so???
how did it work ???
i'm dyin for a complete review!

 

[raveer2000]

Sorry I forgot. the clutch kit works great. the bike never bogged in the mud, and I have 28 mudzillas. in 2nd it will bog in thick mud but not in 1st. I took some getting used to because it acts like a stall convertor and doesn't move the bike till the RPMS come up. It used to be instant movement but now the engine revs and the bike moves. You can easily shock the drivetrain with it now. The bike if sitting in a mud hole will instantly throw a roost up when throttled hard. I have to say I love it.

Here is the downside of it. On my bike with the loud muffler I could just shift while cruising o the trail and the nnoise level would drop. Now with the clutch kit installed the bike is always at a higher RPM so it is louder on my bike. Others won't have that problem. Now the other thing is when trying to climb out of a steep hole the bike tends to spin the tires a little to easy. An example is we were trying to climb out of a extremly rutted muddy hill mud hole. I made numerous attempts but my bike kept lifting the front and almost rolling. I tried a couple of different lines but to no avail the bike just kept spinnig and slidding back. It is harder to control touchy situations with the clutch kit. Meanwhile my brother with my 27 mudlights that he borrowed drove his SMOKING RANCHER right up the **** hill. Talk about PO'ed. So if you need real technical and perfect throttle to wheel control look elsewhere. But in the deep mud and dong water wheelies the clutch kit is great. In the deep water I could balance the bike and just sit there with the front in the air. It is great.

 

[Truegrit]

QUOTE ("raveer2000":393dp6m1)

S I took some getting used to because it acts like a stall convertor and doesn't move the bike till the RPMS come up. It used to be instant movement but now the engine revs and the bike moves. You can easily shock the drivetrain with it now. The bike if sitting in a mud hole will instantly throw a roost up when throttled hard. I have to say I love it.

I agree. So your happy w/ it over all? Worth the effort? How long did it take you? Just curious, I wasn't racing when I did mine anyway.

 

[raveer2000]

Yes I love it. Overall other than tires it is my best mod. definetly worth the effort to install it. It was actually pretty easy and doing this alowed me to get to know this bike. Seeing everything with the plastic off help to find out where everything is. The total time to do the job was about
2-1/2 hours. I took my time doing it. And thank goodness for trugrits writup. This would have been tough without a service manual or truegrit. It was not a difficult job, you just needed to know where the washers go back when reinstalling the cover. plastics went on alot easier than they came off. Definetly would recommend doing this to all of the water and mud riders.

OH and like truegrit said eat your wheaties before attempting to install the new springs, they are tough, It took two of us to get them on.

 

[JF450ES]

I did a big write up awhile ago telling everyone that the clutch kit is the best investment for a Foreman running heavy 27 or 28 tires,especially Mudzilla'.I had mine done by myself and it used to bog sometimes,afterwards you need more throttle gas due to engagement of the clutches but I could spin the heck out of them after.Congradulations on the fix guys,you made a great choice!!!

 

[Robb]

Do these new clutch springs work on S models as well? The ES and S all use the same clutches right? Only difference is what is actually making it shift?

 

[snowman]

well now im undecided.....
my 14 yr old daughter puts LOTS of miles on my foreman.
im wondering if it will jump too much when it engages makin it risky for her.
dont get me wrong she can drive the heck outta that thing, but i dont want to do a mod that will increase the risk for her.

can you still take off gently in most cases? your statement about it jumping and wanting to roll you when you were climbing outta the hole is whats worrying me.
can you tell me if thats an extreme situation only, or if it wants to jump like that a fair bit?
also can you tell me about how many RPM it raises the engage point?

Thanks guys.

 

[raveer2000]

It is very controllable.. That was my first ride with it... I will get used to it... no big deal.. the RPM's are raised by about 500... Once you get the feel of it it will act very normal.Also this kit should work for either ES or S

 

[JF450ES]

The HL kit I have 4 sale is for a 450 S or ES,the springs are stiffer than the OEM ones.It makes the engine engage the cluthes at a higher rpm,this makes the engine ready and faster to spin the large mud tires.The diff is so small(100-125) rpm more,it basically gets rid of the small amount of throttle needed to move the atv when it has stock clutches and 27 or 28's.It's nowhere like a belt driven bike with a clutch kit,those are snappy and not good.Honda's clutch driven atv's are designed to be in gear and not move forward at idle,you need to give a good amount to activate the clutches to roll,this kit makes it ready to go with less throttle and at a higher rpm to be ready to go in mud.THAT'S THE BEST I CAN EXPLAIN,WELL INVESTMENT WITH 27 OR 28'S!!!

 

[snowman]

well I bit the bullet
ordered the clutch kit yesterday.
so I'll have to review the posted install instructions when i get time to install it next week.
looking forward to it! im hoping i'll be able to walk it from a 2nd gear start.
i can do it now with a good pull on the bars, so i should be able to after the kit just nice.
thanks for your help guys !

 

[Robb]

How do you do wheelies in 2nd gear? I can do a 2 inch wheelie in 1st. LOL

 

[JF450ES]

Rev up the engine and slam it into first gear,just kidding Rob.Alo of people stand on the reare racks and pull up.That's the only disadvavtage with my ES,but my feet are alway's dry in deep crossings.Later Guy's and Gal's..

 

[raveer2000]

robb with the clutch kit on pavement the bike will pull the front tires up and wheelie without any help.

jf450es you said 100 to 125 RPM increase....My 05 is more like 500RPM increase easily



snoman make sure you look in the how-to section. Truegrit did a wonderful write up w/pics..That will let you know what is going to be involved.