I shared this on another site and wanted to add it here as well as I got a lot of valuable information from ATV Frontier.

I am brand new here. And am brand new to ATV'ing except for running around the backyard on my kid's 50cc atv, or running around the lake ice fishing.

Somehow I convinced the misses that I needed an ATV. The sales pitch was that I need to be mobile and able to move gear easily in order to take my kids ice fishing. Well, after the whining and the begging, she finally signed off.

Actually, sort of a funny story about how I set my budget. I started out looking at used units, as well as the Manco Talon 260cc 4x4 unit at the TSC stores. I also eyeballed the CT units, but not for very long.
She was going to surprise me for Christmas, went to TSC, and put a down-payment on the Manco - $5k + tax.
When I found out, I put a stop to it right away. I had seen that unit on sale for $4k, and was not prepared to pay anymore than that. But she set the precedent at $5k, so I worked my budget from there.

From there I did a ton of homework. The Manco, which is a linhai based machine, was a pretty simple unit. I added a couple of bucks more to the budget, and that is when I found JJ's Rec and the Motobishi Chase 500. All the bells and whisltes of a 660 grizzly, with the powerplant from a Vinson 500. It had every "upgrade" I could want included in the base price. A few email exchanges with the Jon, and the deal was done.

There were no black left, so my next choice was the camo. And I quite like it.
This transaction was probably a little different for JJ's than most, as I am located just outside of Ottawa, nearly 3.5 hours away from his shop in North Bay. So rather than head to his shop, I opted to have it shipped to me in a crate and do the assembly and PDI myself.

When it arrived at the depot, the box was already partially opened. Seemed the shipping guys were curious what was in the really BIG box. No parts missing, and a good healthy discussion about what I bought, why I bought it, and where I bought it. Jon, hopefully another sale coming your way.

They gently dropped the 700lb box onto the trailer with a thud and away I went.



Got it home and had to drag it across the backyard with the Chevy Tahoe. My neighbour came by to see all the fuss and helped me get it into my little 10x12 shed.

The cardboard removed - here is the steel crate.


The steel cage removed.


Finally assembly was quite simple. Just needed to add the front wheels (although finding a place to jack the ATV was a chore)


And I had adjust the handle bars and put the front cover on the front of the gauge cluster.


To be continued ...

Bill

Finished the final assembly.
Changed the oil in the engine and the diffs and took her for a little spin. Awesome!!! Torquey, great traction, and super comfortable. Dragged the kids around the back yard all weekend and didn't get to snap any pictures until last night.

Here she is with the windshield installed (came with the ATV)


Here is a shot for the front end. The lights seem nice and bright and it included the winch.


A shot of the rear you can see where you can mount a tow ball. Also, the IRS suspension is great and I expect it to soften up even more as she breaks in. Over 11" of ground clearance.


What I also like is the push button 4x4, and hidden is the push button diff lock.
What is also kind of cool is because these things are also sold over seas (CF Moto is manufacturer, models named according to the dealer), where in some cases ATVs are street legal, the Chase comes equipped with turn signals, hi/low beams, hazard lights, mirrors, and a 12v accessory plug. Controls are like a motorcycle.


So for now I am putting around the backyard and taking her easy as I break it in. As I say, I'm new to this, but not far from Larose Forest which looks like my closest trail and club.

I hope to keep this thread updated to keep you guys up to speed on how this "off brand" compares to a name brand of higher price. And I also look forward to meeting you guys, whether on line or on a trail. And lasty, thanks to JJs, the transaction was quick and easy and I look forward to doing more shopping with them.

Look, my new baby is smiling.


Bill

I saw one of those at the Atv show in Moncton NB last week and I must say, they are a nice looking ride. Apparantly Quebec has a ton of them on the trails there and they are doing very well. I can imagine that there will be more import brands in the next few years. At that show I also saw many motorcycle brands that I never heard of before.

The moose atv also comes in a two up.

Quite agree - a great bit of kit - I'm in England, and mine is Road Legal



Not the fastest of machines - but as far as "bangs per buck", great value for money.

Have recently found out that a simple mod to the carb will increase the top speed to 60mph'ish - just waiting for the weather to warm up a bit here so I can tackle the job, as I have to work on it outside.

I will take some photos as I do the job - and if it's successful, maybe do a write-up about it, in case anyone else wanted to do the mod.

Mike

I haven't had a chance to hit full throttle yet since I'm still breaking her in. But I'm anxious to hear about your upgrade Mike and improvements, if any.

Are you by chance swapping in a Keihin CVK36 like on a Vinson 500?

Bill

Hi Bill

No, not swapping carbs. The mod involves removing the rhs plastic engine cover - this gives access to the carb.

Apparently, there is a plate? with 3 screws holding it, on the side of the carb.
When removed, there is a spigot thingy on this plate that prevents the carb slide opening fully. This needs grinding off - together with a corresponding block in the carb itself. Sounds like a job for a small Dremel tool.

Once this is done, you remove about 1/8th" from the back of the thumb throttle - these mods together will apparently give full throttle movement, instead of about 3/4 as it is when new.

As I said, I haven't looked at this yet - it's as described to me over the phone - but I was assured I should see 60 on the clock, together with more acceleration.

Wonder if any of the Dealers know anything about this - or would care to comment?

Mike

Hey Mike
Im in Iceland just bought a Odes 400 4x4, fore the Europen market they tune our bikes down if we want them on the streets, yea strange.
My dealer removed some screws on the carb.
I dont think they have this problem in the states
Boy these atvs are fun riding

Siggi

Hi Siggi

So, yep - that could be the answer! Mine is "homolgated" - a posh name for a Europe wide road legal spec, as far as I can tell.

Wonder why they had to reduce the power even further?

Over here, we are officially limited to 15PS power - and there is a screw on the thumb throttle which is wound in when new to achieve this figure.

Obviously, the first thing you do is back off this screw till 12mm of thread is showing!! This still only gives a max of about 45 - 50mph.

Although mine is the single seat version, both my wife and I go out on the road on it - and I can still cruise about 40mph, with a little left in reserve.

So, maybe the Yank versions don't have these restricters on the carb.
Need some photos, really, from mine, and compare to a US one.

I'll take some when I have a go at this mod - maybe we will be able to get to the bottom of this mystery. Also, I wonder if the spark arrester in the silencer is another source of restriction?

Mike

Yamaha1,

I'm a CFMoto dealer in Iceland. Removing the spark arraster does not give much extra power, it does a little, but not very noticable addition. It creates more noise.

thanks,

Magnus

Magnus - thanks for that info - won't be going that route, then - I think they are plenty noisy enough stock!!

Mike

I have just recieved my CF500-A, Its apparently a longer version, and i am really pleased with it so far. Here in Greece, its a YMC Highlander.
The only thing that worried me in the beggining was the gearbox. Reverse gear seemed impossible to shift into at times, but does seem to be getting smoother. Just wondering if you are having the same probs.

I think you will find it was ease with use - maybe worth changing to a synthetic oil - I did with mine, and it transformed the tickover when cold.

Is yours Road Legal over there? If so, may be worth checking my post about carb modification to increase power!!

Mike

Nice looking quad...thanks for sharing the pics.

yep, road legal here, just waiting for the plates.
Not sure if i should increase the power, i will be using the 2 CF500's for rental purposes here on the island, even though my heart says no

SamosQuadFan,

Welcome to ATVFrontier...we're glad to have you here.