A Few Maintenance Questions!

[skizmo]

I have decided to take all the plastics off my 2011 550 and give it a good cleaning..But I have ran into a few things where I could really use the advise of the vets on here..

1. I had to remove the gas cap from the 4"piece of rubber hose (attached with an O clamp) to get the front plastic piece off...but for the life of me I cannot get the piece that mounts to the plastic that has the thread on it (for the gas cap) off so that I can reinstall it on the rubber hose to close my gas tank up properly while I clean and service my bike...any tips would be great?

2. Upon removing all the plastics I have noticed the throttle cable where it comes down near the gas tank has rubbed on something and left about 1' X 1/8" exposed metal....Can I put electrical tape on this? or should I go get a new cable?

3. What if any, are there easy ways of cleaning all the small parts and getting in all the nooks and cranny's and any good products for restoring the luster to the metal parts?

4. Are there any places or parts I should be looking at that you guy's have noticed need special attention on these XP models?

5. Have you found a place to get the plastic rivets the hold the plastics together for an affordable price?

6. I have the bike jacked up the plastics off, the tires off and the battery removed to a tender..I have noticed that the brake pads slightly rub on the rotors...why and how do I fix this...Is it related to the battery being removed??? The bike was checked over in late September. and given its 50 hr service. The bike got a clean bill of health. But I have a feeling this issue could be related to premature break pad wear as I have replaced all 3 sets of brake pads in just under 1000 km...

Thanks for your help guys!

[mr600twin]

some brake drag is normal check the caliper slides (make sure that the caliper moves back and forth)

[skizmo]

Originally Posted by mr600twin

some brake drag is normal check the caliper slides (make sure that the caliper moves back and forth)

Good to know..It is just a very slight drag, but I can hear a soft metal grinding noise.

I guess the premature brake pad wear really was my fault...LoL

[factionfx]

If the plastic clips on the plastic are the same as on the 2012 500 HO sportsman, you can get 20 or 30 on ebay shipped for about $5. search for "sportsman clip" Here is one such link ATV Fender Clips Polaris Sportsman Rangers Rzr Trail (C569) | eBay

[factionfx]

Actually, here is a better link... 6.25 for 25 of them. Searched for "polaris clips"

25 ATV FENDER CLIPS HONDA SUZUKI KAWASAKI POLARIS | eBay

Good luck!

[skizmo]

thanks factionfx, I never was much of an e-bayer..but with that price, I am going to order them for sure!

[skizmo]

2 out of 6 answered!...That's not bad...only 4 more to go.

[factionfx]

Originally Posted by skizmo

thanks factionfx, I never was much of an e-bayer..but with that price, I am going to order them for sure!

No problem. I ordered some myself...now I don't have to worry about breaking them!

[skizmo]

my issue was that I took of all the plastics off to clean and maintenance the bike, the clips that have mud stuck in them are a bitch to get out,so needles to say some are not useable anymore.

[xp74]

Originally Posted by skizmo

my issue was that I took of all the plastics off to clean and maintenance the bike, the clips that have mud stuck in them are a bitch to get out,so needles to say some are not useable anymore.

I mangled a few also when first taking the plastics off. when I removed the gas cap I used the cap of a spray paint can to cover the fill tube, it fit pretty good.