Anyone ever do any clutch mods on a Scrambler 250?

[Blown 331]

If I don't get to it tomorrow I will soon but I've got a different clutch spring and belt I'm going to put in one of my Scramblers. I know how to do it and I think I know what to expect but I'd like to hear anyones thoughts on this and results if anyone has done it. Basically just outlining what I'm doing and maybe give someone else some ideas. I've had a few guys suggest I do this but never looked into it much. I'm going to do this to my first Scrambler. On this one if I really punch it from a dead stop it seems like I can feel the belt slip. On my second one it will pull the front end up. So that leads me to believe I need a belt anyway, I bet its original.
About a 5-6 weeks ago I bought a 2000 Scrambler 500 4x4 project for $300 and started researching some minor mods for that. I called Ritter Cycle Racing which is really known for their work on Scramblers (mainly 400s) and they set me up with a carb kit, Polaris brand RZR belt and a Dalton black/white clutch spring. They are also only about 30 miles away from me. Belt was $50, spring was $30. This 500 did not pan out at all. The front driveshaft would intermitently stop turning in reverse, one front hub coil was bad and somehow I snapped off both front axle shafts! Wow. I put it on craigslist and sold it in less than 24 hours for $780 which was a $150 profit. I also pulled that RZR belt and clutch spring first. Then I ended up picking up a really nice 1 owner 2005 Scrambler 500 4x4 that has a full clutch kit so I don't need the spring and belt on that one.
Through some more research I found a Scrambler 250 and a Scrambler 500 both have the same clutch spring which is a Polaris blue / green. The Scrambler 400 (2-stroke) has a Polaris white spring stock which is like one step up. The Dalton black / white I got it like one step above that. They are stiffer down low to give a little more stall and little more RPM down low but then at full compression its comparable to stock so it doesn't bring the top end down. If you throw too stiff of a spring in, then the clutch wont ever be able to fully compress it resulting in lower top speed. There are also different clutch weights and different secondary springs and different preload you can set on those but I didn't get into that. The RZR belt is supposed to be tougher, grippier and is cogged on the back side to move around a lot more air to keep things cool. With these parts installed on the 500 it would have sat up on the grab bar on hard road with less than half throttle if I didn't let off, and keep in mind this is a 4x4. It made one hell of a difference. It would stand up from a slow roll as well. And I didn't notice any negative affects down low either. Its not like it would rev a bunch before it moved or be winding out in low speeds or anything like that. It was nothing I would ever notice if I wasn't looking for it. Basically I see nothing but improvements with zero draw backs.
So I will soon be installing this RZR belt and Dalton black / white spring in my Scrambler 250. I can't wait so see how it does! Anyone else try it or now maybe plan to?

[Blown 331]

Well I swapped the parts in and took it for a test ride. The clutch cover and rear fenders are still off and I'm kind of on the fence here. I probably need to ride it a bit more before I make my decision. The belt I took off had a really old style Polaris emblem on it, I kind of wish I would have tried just the RZR belt first. From a dead stop the front end comes up super easy and super fast, somewhat uncontrollable. At a slow roll the front end can be kept down for the most part and low speed acceleration is improved so I'd hate to loose that. I probably just need a little more seat time and get used to not ing it from a dead stop but then I'd kinda be afraid to let other people ride it!

[fabiodriven]

Uncontrollable wheelies? That's a success in my book.

[Blown 331]

Haha. Good point! Its really hard to describe. It comes up kind of like dumping the clutch from a dead stop on the road with a 250R but the engagement is as smooth as stock so theres really no warning.

[Blown 331]

Well I put it back together with the stock spring but left the RZR belt in. This thing is my main utility bike and my wife rides it sometimes. Someone with less experience would have ended up wrecking this thing. I think the aftermarket spring was a little too much for the light front end of a 3 wheeler, it was great with a 4x4.
But that RZR belt was a huge gain. It used to be hard to do a wheelie at all and it seemed like I could feel belt slip. Now if I it from a dead stop it will wheelie every time, maybe about 10-12 inches high and about 4-5 feet long. Obviously if it does this under its own power the slighest pull up on the bars and it rides wheelies very easily. I was debating ordering the Polaris white spring which is stock in the Scrambler 400 and in between the stock blue / green spring and the Dalton black / white I had tried, but I think its about perfect the way it is.
And on a side note I saw a 1987 Polaris Cyclone for sale on Craigslist and that got me wondering about the spring in one of those. I looked it up and found it to be a Polaris brown spring which is quite a bit more agressive than this Dalton black / white spring I was trying. Anyone ever ride one of those? I'd like to ride one to see what thats like now.

[Tecate250]

What else can you do to a scrambler?
There the one bike no one likes. I think they look cool.