PIONEER HEAVY BRAKE FADE

PIONEER HEAVY BRAKE FADE

Dear Sarge,

We have a 2017 Honda Pioneer 700-4, and it is used on steep trails and steep paved hills. We are experiencing brake fade—maybe from driving too fast, maybe from too much braking. Just wondering if there is an easy fix for this brake fade?

Carl Meriwether

Monson, Massachusetts

Private Fair-weather, burning up those four legal miles on paved roads in Massachusetts are we, Boot? 1. Change your tires to something hard, like the Carlisle All Trail tires for better control (https://www.carlislebrandtires.com/our-products/product-detail/all-trail/). 2. Swap out your brake fluid for DOT 5.1 glycol ether/borate ester with better high-temperature resistance. DOT 3’s wet boiling point is only 284 degrees, assuming you have some water in your brake system (and you most likely do). DOT 4’s is 311 degrees, and DOT 5.1’s is 356 degrees. When your brakes get spongy with heat, it is most likely caused by the water boiling and causing steam. Steam can be compressed, thus the sponginess in the brake pedal. 3. Upgrade your brake pads to EBC SV (Severe Duty) sintered brake  pads—FA714SV, FA712SV—the best high-temperature brake pads EBC has. That lead foot of yours deserves that 32-kilometer hump with a ruck of 70 pounds in eight hours! Start humping, marine! Dismissed!

See UTV Action’s full test on the 2023 Pioneer 700 here: FIRST DRIVE: 2023 HONDA PIONEER 700-4 – UTV Action Magazine

 

I AM BEING STEERED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

Dear Sarge,

I have an old 2009 Polaris XP 800S. The universal joint on the steering shaft has gone bad to the point where it catches and then releases. This is creating a dangerous situation, so I tried to order a replacement U-joint. Polaris says only the complete steering shaft is available, but that part is backordered. There must be somewhere I can purchase just the U-joint and then have it installed. Sarge, can you tell me where to go to purchase just the U-joint?

Peter Horath

Perry, Florida

Private Ho-Ho, even if the steering shaft was available, requisitioning one is $280! I suggest you requisition an AS-1540 universal joint from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/fe
best-as-1540-febest-universal-joint/dp/b00haqiudq/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pl_foot_top?ie=utf8. Just $19, it’s a better deal, Boot! If you are interested (and why not, Boot?), the size of the U-joint is 15x40mm. The swap can be accomplished with the right-size sockets and a bench vise. If you are not handy with tools, you can screw up the install. So, Boot, I am going to tell you where to go! Go to a drive-shaft service shop, because they should be able to do the swap easily for you. Laugh, Boot, then give me 50! Dismissed!

ATV OR UTV?

Dear Sarge,

I don’t know which to buy. The backstory: We live on a small lake, and we have a 1200-pound boat that I need to get launched multiple times a summer due to poor docking conditions. The path to the lake is narrow, and there is little room at the ramp. I was thinking of an ATV to use as the tow vehicle and to drag the trailer out of the water. My neighbor seems to think the boat and the trailer will be too much for an ATV to pull out of the water. He recommends a UTV like his, which is a Yamaha Viking. What is your recommendation?

Mike Morrow

Crystal Lake, Redwood, New York

Private Rowboat, any decent-sized ATV will be able to tow and launch your boat. The problem will arise when you have to tow the boat and the trailer back out of the lake. Most ATVs will have the horsepower to pull that combo out of the water, but what an ATV does not have is weight, which gives it traction on a wet, slippery boat ramp with all that tongue weight on the rear end. Your neighbor’s Zooter is one of the largest and heaviest two-seater Zooters made at over 1400 pounds. While only 700cc, which is smaller than the largest ATVs, it has a fully locked differential 4WD. That, Boot, is the secret to your neighbor’s Zooter. All four wheels are getting equal power. Equal power to all four wheels coupled with the Zooter’s weight and a decent set of tires will pull most any boat and trailer up a ramp and out of the water. So, in this case, Boot, listen to your neighbor! Dismissed!   

SPIN THOSE WHEEL STUDS!

Dear Sarge,

Way back in 2017, your magazine did a story on the then-new RZR S 570. Loved the story, and after purchasing the first one at our local dealer, we love it, too. Recently, my son hit a rock just right and bent the left front brake disc. Normally, this is a simple repair: remove the wheel and gain access to the brake disc. Replace the brake disc. Well, one of our wheel studs is spinning in the hub, making it impossible to get the wheel off the machine. So, there it sits on blocks awaiting a solution. My son said you would make him do push-ups after delivering the solution to our problem. That’s fine with me!

Dennis and Shaun McNamara

Lewiston, Idaho

If you are fine with push-ups, so am I! Laugh, Boot! First method: Turn the steering wheel hard left to gain access and use a radial grinder to grind off the head of the stud. Then, either replace the hub or weld a nut on the back of a new stud by filling the center in with a stick welder. Use an offset box wrench to hold the stud when tightening the lug nut. Second method: Weld a nut on the existing stud and use an offset box wrench to hold the stud while backing off the lug nut. I will let you decide just how many push-ups are required to make your Zooter whole again. Dismissed!