honda400ex2003

we treat them as small trucks in a lot of places in wi. can tow as much as a ford ranger, much more capable suspension, as much power to weight if not more. why not use a sxs... the only thing we cant do is legalize them for all roads, which is unfortunate. cabs and heaters are nice or when it is cold outside. even for just around the yard, it is still nice to have them for working outside in the winter. certainly takes the edge off when you are moving snow, ice fishing, wheeling on winter trails, or just going for a joy ride. steve

i average about 1000 miles a year on my machines, glad yours works well for what you need! steve

where are you looking to have it placed? marqcad engineering has some box pocket items that would probably work for what you need. steve

i hear when my stock machine is in 4x4, always have on every machine ive owned with 4x4. doesnt seem like it would be an issue unless it is grinding, just the nature of having another differential engaged. steve

depending on the offsets on the backs, you wont be able to swap them to the fronts. At least the regular defenders are that way, fronts are deeper than back offsets. either way, probably cross cross if you wanted to in back and side to side in the front if you really want to rotate. steve

no changes here after break in, you are fine. drive it how you want to, probably good to do a few high rpm runs and let it build compression in the cylinder. steve

i dont get overly crazy with mine but with the sway bar in the back it helps keep it stable. you may want to look into front and rears if it doesnt have them. some seem to have and some dont. the s3 springs are going to raise your CG up a bit. if you can swing another inch on each side for the rims, its worth getting them out a bit further. these machines are quite capable, even if they feel tippy. steve

i use rotopax as well, mounted on the bottom of the add on rack for the box. This is also a nice option- https://www.shophornetoutdoors.com/Can-Am-Defender-Fuel-Can-Fits-all-Can-Am-Defenders_p_124.html steve

i know i would never depend solely on ride command. it is very unreliable in wi and often gets people in trouble because it is wrong. steve

i havent had any trouble, it is the same part number for both the x3 and the defender (hd10 at least) make it easy for me to inventory belts per the schematics from BRP. I have a couple new spares and a couple old for each. i carry 1 extra on each machine and can swap as needed. I run OEM belts and keep a WBB on the x3 as it was a decent one for the price as a spare. steve

imo a tablet is probably the most versatile setup. can find the best maps for your region and load them with onx, vvmapping, lifetime trail maps, ride command, avenza (for any forest service maps), etc. plus you can run music and such as well with it. garmin is my other choice, anything from a nuvi to a tread will work depending on your needs and maps. the tread seems like a great setup with some ram mounts. steve

welcome to the forum! steve

i spent the hour and a half messing with the springs and such this weekend. initial drive was very nice, cant wait to get it on a trail again but will have to wait until spring most likely. almost all of the local-ish trails are closed for the year now in WI. i think they will definitely be worth the purchase. now time to find something for some better seats... steve

Did you get an extended warranty or just the standard 6 month? By the time you are ready for your first or second oil change, you'll be out of warranty if the 6 month one is all you have, then it won't mak any difference.l if you buy it or not for them. Steve

marqcad is good quality and Ryan makes some awesome stuff for defenders and other machines. He isnt some over seas knock off and is worth supporting if you want to buy something. he is in WI and sponsors racers, etc. not just collect money and run. its too bad that people are so quick to jump ship on something that is well thought out, works well, and is a little more expensive to find some chinese or indian knock off to copy it after someone puts in the hard work to design something nice... you buy a 30k machine and complain about $350 for something that is to help make life easier... Guys that have the kit love them- if it is something that you feel you need, it will definitely make an oil change on a limited a lot faster and less messy. anything except the limited isnt really a big deal anyway. the limited has extra stuff on the block that are in the way, i think it is a compressor or something for the AC unit. the rest of the blocks are wide open in the back and very easy to change without additional items. flip the box up and change it in 10 minutes. steve

well, i put them on last week... ended up having the springs wrong on them from zbros so i ended up with the rear shock body on the front with the front spring, same for the rear. front body with the rear spring on the back. i ended up putting a couple hundred miles on them this past weekend because i didnt have the tools to swap evertyhing around while on vacation. only confirmed they were messed up Thursday night after installing them on Wednesday night before we left (received them Wednesday finally). needless to say, they were nice enough and should definitely get better when in the right spot with the right springs. i think they will be worth the money spent on them. Steve

id take the one that is made for your machine, BRP is probably still the best. theres Worlds best belt and some others out there as well for around the same money. the hd10 is the same as the x3 turbo belt so its a win win for me. I have new spares and such around for each machine plus when i swap them, have extra used one for backups. steve

I am looking forward to getting the X0 zbros shocks soon. The S3 springs just didnt do it for what i needed, which was a smooth trail ride with my wife. after another really rocky trail for about 40 miles this weekend, she wasnt pleased anymore. s3 springs are great for stiffening the suspension and when the max is loaded up heavily, is perfect with them. I only have the 2 of us and the dog in there most of the time so they are a little rough when the trail gets rocky. cant wait to give them a test in a couple weeks! steve

Some people seem to have rubbing, some don't. If anything it will only be at full lock most likely. If needed you could always stiffen up your shocks a bit to gain a little extra. Steve

i have the nets in my 22 xt, they blow anyways haha... not worth the money imo, if you can come up with something to work, that would be better. steve

definitely clean and inspect the clutches, every ride really... clutching is 100% necessary imo- as andy alluded to, you have some serious issues with your clutches to blow that many belts in a short time. even if it isnt clutching related, it needs to be better. if you have never taken them apart after a blown belt, then there is any number of things that can be wrong with it to cause the limp mode. take them fully apart, make sure all components that are supposed to move, move freely. steve

could be almost anything, not sure if you can read the codes from that gauge but check on youtube or your manual and see what the code is then search that. could be anything from an improperly gapped spark plug to an engine rebuild honestly. most of the time, it is fuel related or spark related and the ecu has pulled timing or something to help save the engine from damage. if you cant read the codes, probably best to take it into a dealer to have them read it for you at the very least. steve

a while back, i saw some comments on fb about this topic as well. a lot of guys have had trouble, switch to 87 and it runs fine. i did the same as andy, tuned for 91 and run that. i am not going to have special tanks of fuel for my defender when every other off road machine i own gets 91 non ethanol gas in them. I would definitely take a look at and install fresh spark plugs that are properly gapped as well. steve

yes, you can use the maverick rims and tires on the defender. you may need spacers and keep an eye on which is which. most likely the fronts and backs will work fine as long as they are used in the same locations. i used my x3 wheels on my defender while i was swapping tires on my stock defender rims. trail/sport rims would work as well, same for the offset, just keep an eye on it. cant help on the lift unfortunately. mine is high enough on 28s and s3 springs. it barely fits under my garage door opening now. steve

no problem. the curtis valve is slick, just doesnt have many off road applications yet. steve