TIRE BALANCING TROUBLE

TIRE BALANCING TROUBLE

Dear Sarge,

I have a brand-new Can-Am X3 X rc Turbo RR. I really like it except for the Maxxis Liberty tires. Either they are out of round or something is bent in the front end of this new machine. It has a wheel hop that seems to be on the right front. I checked the beadlock ring against the tire’s bead and it appears true. The white mark on the tire aligns with the rim’s valve stem. Could I have a balance problem, Sarge? How do you balance a UTV tire anyway?

Terry Frank

Salt Lake City, Utah

Private Hot Dog, you balance a Zooter tire the same way you balance an automotive tire. FYI: There is a BRP service bulletin stating that an out-of-round tire/wheel combo with a beadlock wheel is a normal condition. I don’t consider a thumping tire on a Zooter as “normal”! The first thing I would have checked was the beadlock not being concentric with the tire’s bead. Since you checked the beadlock to be concentric, I would take the right front-wheel assembly to a shop that balances tires and have the wheel mounted and spun. Look for an out-of-round condition. If there is, then either BRP or Maxxis owes you a warranty tire. If, on the other hand, the tire runs true, then have the wheel assembly balanced and then remount on your Zooter and retest. Boot, I need at least 25 push-ups for this valuable information! Dismissed!

See UTV Action’s full test on the Can-Am Maverick Sport X rc here: CAN-AM MAVERICK SPORT X RC – UTV Action Magazine

WARN SUPERWINCH NOT SO SUPER

Dear Sarge,

I recently tried to install a new Warn winch on my 2019 Honda Talon X. No matter how hard I tried, I could not mount the winch plate to the Talon because of mounting bolt interference. So, I turned to Rough Country for their winch mounting plate. I ordered it through Amazon. When it arrived, I found that I received two driver-side mount brackets instead of one driver side and one passenger bracket. So, currently, I can only mount up the driver side, so the winch is basically useless until I receive a passenger mounting bracket. I contacted Amazon, and they pointed me to Rough Country, who promptly told me there was nothing they could do for me because I purchased their product through Amazon and not them! Sarge, how can I obtain a passenger-side mounting bracket if the manufacturer won’t help me?

Logan Olson

Rainy Junction, Minnesota

Private Oldsmobile, I wonder where Amazon acquires Rough Country products? Let me guess, maybe directly from Rough Country?! So, Boot, since Rough Country doesn’t believe that their products sold by Amazon (who they distributed to, to increase their sales) should be supported, I suggest you re-contact Amazon and have them put pressure on Rough Country to provide you with the passenger-side mounting bracket that they didn’t put in the kit you purchased. Stand your ground, Marine, and demand what you purchased! And FYI, this isn’t the only time Rough Country has done this to customers. Apparently, they have a hard time differentiating between left and right mounting brackets in these winch mounting kits. And 50 push-ups for you for retreating in the face of opposition! Dismissed!

WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO AN OLD RZR S 800?

Dear Sarge,

We have an old 2009 Polaris RZR S 800. In its day it was ridden a lot, but with the newer 900s and 1000s it spent less time out of the barn on the trail than the newer, flashier models. Well, fast-forward to this year, we traded in the RZR 1000 for a new 2023 model early because of the fantastic trade in price, only the dealer has no idea when our model will ever come in. My son Robby was wondering if it would be worth it to do some upgrades on the old RZR S 800 while we wait and wait for the new 2023.

Jan and Robby Beach

Caliente, Nevada

Private Beach Ball, I concur with your son, Boot, no sense letting a perfectly good Zooter languish in a barn when it can be used. I would start with tires and beadlock wheels. Given your riding conditions, I would suggest looking at the Roctane XD 27×9-14 in the front and 27×11-14 in the rear mounted on your choice of beadlock wheels. The extra 1-inch tire size gives a smoother ride and slightly more ground clearance. A clutch mod for the 27-inch tires should be added. Note that the clutch mod would help even if you stayed with the stock 26-inch tires. Then, a Dynojet Power Commander V tuner would work nicely with aftermarket silencers and a good aftermarket air filter like a Uni two-stage foam filter, which will definitely wake up the power of your Zooter’s 760cc. For safety, solid doors would be nice, as well as a rear extension to the OEM roll cage. Tusk makes a nice unit and add in a roof, too! Swap out the stock three-point seat belts for four- or five-point harnesses. A better aftermarket front bumper is also nice, especially if you intend to test the integrity of the front end! Laugh, Boot! Better lights if you ride at night. An aftermarket parking brake kit saves wear on the transmission. Finally, the OEM Fox shocks could be rebuilt and have the damping tuned, or you could replace them for new aftermarket shocks. After all this, you basically have a modern Zooter if down on power from the 100-plus-horsepower Zooters. Back in 2016 this fine rag updated a 2015 model, using basically what I have described above. See here:
https://utvactionmag.com/rzr-rescue-making-the-old-into-the-new/. Follow this proven upgrade path, Boot, for the best results. Dismissed!