I'm 59 and have a 2015 570 I bought new for one main reason -- to plow my driveway. After 3 years of use we moved to a warmer part of Idaho and decided to keep the machine for the infrequent fun camping trips that we intended to take. New job for the wife gave us more free time and a slide-in camper was the perfect companion to trail riding. We never did much before, the 570 was more of a winter slave, hauling wood and pushing snow. I think we took two trips on trails during that entire time. The quad had no more than 250 hours on her at the beginning of this spring. Fast forward to this summer.
What fun! We have been out on trails in the Sawtooth Recreation Area several times so far. The last ride we took really taxed our (my) abilities, as it included a run up a rocky slide that ascended non-stop for at least a mile and gained 1000 ft. My wife's screams could be heard for miles as I just gave it the throttle and it climbed like a mountain goat! That all-wheel drive is really great! When we got to the top we were both relieved to find an easy jeep trail down the other side. A group of locals had just arrived on rather flimsy-looking wheelers that looked half the size of ours. They wanted to know if we had come up the slide. I told them the truth. I just punched the throttle and kept it moving up until it was over. I'm no hot dog racer, just an old guy that likes adventure. Apparently I gained some ATV cred because they were totally impressed that we had made up such a challenging trail.
Thing is, we were both amazed at how comfy the entire ride was; going through mud holes, over large rocks, clambering up slopes, even the last one that was so evil-looking. I know not to try something too steep, but it was the loose scree that had me worried. One of the other riders was really giving the 570 a good inspection and was asking lots of questions about reliability and maintenance and handling. I wished I had more experience so that I could speak intelligently about the thing but I don't.
I have the stock 570 EPS Touring with original Carlisle tires, a rubber spacer in the front suspension for plowing (Polaris), a new Moto-something AGM battery (20 below winters killed the Yuasa), and have religiously changed fluids and kept up with grease. This thing is amazing and runs like the wind. We got really good helmets (HJC) last week because we were worried that running the access roads at 30 mph could make for bad head injuries and our ski helmets were not going to cut it.
Listen, I read this forum a lot and lurk, but I gotta say I had no idea this thing could be so much fun. I made a video trailer of our last trip and the family and friends think we have lost our minds. At some point I will post on youtube when I get the process worked out. And now for a couple of questions for the folks with no life that have gotten this far:
How much do we need to worry about going through streams? How deep is too deep? Are there things I need to do to the machine before tackling them?
I have the recall heat shielding done. Did I miss any other important recalls?
Should I worry about being out there with just one machine as long as there are other folks riding the same trails? We tend to stay within 5-10 miles of the jumping off point. There are a few griz out there but I carry some protection (spray, .45 bullets). When we go to the desert I don't want to be riding solo, but I think the high country has less chance of being caught in a bad situation unless there's a fire.
What are the basics you all carry for emergencies? I got a winch, rescue pulley, straps, first aid kit, tire puncture tools (plugs and Slime), tire inflator, extra oil. I need to figure out how to carry extra fuel -- are those rotopax things what would work well?
Seems like all the talk here is from seasoned veterans and not newbies like me, so I hope you all aren't bummed I'm late to the party.
What fun! We have been out on trails in the Sawtooth Recreation Area several times so far. The last ride we took really taxed our (my) abilities, as it included a run up a rocky slide that ascended non-stop for at least a mile and gained 1000 ft. My wife's screams could be heard for miles as I just gave it the throttle and it climbed like a mountain goat! That all-wheel drive is really great! When we got to the top we were both relieved to find an easy jeep trail down the other side. A group of locals had just arrived on rather flimsy-looking wheelers that looked half the size of ours. They wanted to know if we had come up the slide. I told them the truth. I just punched the throttle and kept it moving up until it was over. I'm no hot dog racer, just an old guy that likes adventure. Apparently I gained some ATV cred because they were totally impressed that we had made up such a challenging trail.
Thing is, we were both amazed at how comfy the entire ride was; going through mud holes, over large rocks, clambering up slopes, even the last one that was so evil-looking. I know not to try something too steep, but it was the loose scree that had me worried. One of the other riders was really giving the 570 a good inspection and was asking lots of questions about reliability and maintenance and handling. I wished I had more experience so that I could speak intelligently about the thing but I don't.
I have the stock 570 EPS Touring with original Carlisle tires, a rubber spacer in the front suspension for plowing (Polaris), a new Moto-something AGM battery (20 below winters killed the Yuasa), and have religiously changed fluids and kept up with grease. This thing is amazing and runs like the wind. We got really good helmets (HJC) last week because we were worried that running the access roads at 30 mph could make for bad head injuries and our ski helmets were not going to cut it.
Listen, I read this forum a lot and lurk, but I gotta say I had no idea this thing could be so much fun. I made a video trailer of our last trip and the family and friends think we have lost our minds. At some point I will post on youtube when I get the process worked out. And now for a couple of questions for the folks with no life that have gotten this far:
How much do we need to worry about going through streams? How deep is too deep? Are there things I need to do to the machine before tackling them?
I have the recall heat shielding done. Did I miss any other important recalls?
Should I worry about being out there with just one machine as long as there are other folks riding the same trails? We tend to stay within 5-10 miles of the jumping off point. There are a few griz out there but I carry some protection (spray, .45 bullets). When we go to the desert I don't want to be riding solo, but I think the high country has less chance of being caught in a bad situation unless there's a fire.
What are the basics you all carry for emergencies? I got a winch, rescue pulley, straps, first aid kit, tire puncture tools (plugs and Slime), tire inflator, extra oil. I need to figure out how to carry extra fuel -- are those rotopax things what would work well?
Seems like all the talk here is from seasoned veterans and not newbies like me, so I hope you all aren't bummed I'm late to the party.
