Hey guys,
I finally got my first ride in the ZForce 1000 last weekend. The weather was spectacular and so was the scenery. I must say, I was very impressed with the comfort of the interior and the ride quality was superb. I was expecting a much harsher ride, but the machine just floated over the whoops and trail obstacles. I especially like the half-windshield as it directs the airflow away from hitting you straight in the face. It simply directs the air and bugs up and over the roof. I was truly amazed how well it works. My wife did most of the driving as it was her first experience on an ATV and I wanted her to get some experience for future rides together. I love the look of the machine and anyone we meet while out riding compliment us on our purchase.
There are a couple of negative points. Firstly, it is an incredibly dirty ride. We rode on a dirt/gravel road to get up to the Seguin Trail, and then the trail comprised of a little bit of everything. Rock, sand, water ways, mud, etc. No matter what the surface, you get covered in it. Dirt roads are a filthy mess. The dirt/dust coming off the front tires is directed right into the cabin area and within minutes, the interior of our machine was covered. I am wondering if the full doors would help prevent the majority of this dirt from entering the cabin. Perhaps some of you that have full doors can comment on their effectiveness. I also thought about making some mudflats out of heavy rubber to hang down from the wheel flares. My next groan is the airbox. What a pain in the arse. It is a little awkward removing the protection shield and then the airbox cover to access the air filter. This airbox scares the hell out of me as it would be soooooo easy to put it back together with one of the spring fingers lodged between the lid. If you rode in any water of any depth, the water would get sucked right into the airbox and then into the engine. It would destroy and engine in seconds. Poor design in my opinion. I guess I am spoiled with my Canam that does not require any tools to remove/clean the filter, also, it is in an area that is highly unlikely to ingest water. The engine seems a little weak for a 1000cc engine, but it does a good job, although a little loud. The fuel mileage is reasonable as we got about 180km and burned 23 litres of fuel which I supposed would give us a range of roughly 200km per tankful with what was left. One last thing is the insane amount of heat that enters the driver footwell through the hole in the firewall where the steering shaft goes through. This heat would be welcome on a cold night, but not so much on a 30C day. I think I will make a removable shield that goes in front of the firewall to block the air coming off the radiator.
Overall I am pretty happy so far and look forward to putting a bunch of miles on it this summer. Here are a few photos of our first outing.
Carmen
