Idaho! Great state for ATVing, that's my Trail 800 on a trail above Wallace in my avatar.
Depending on your riding area, better skidplates are a darned good investment. I went with Ricochet full set plastic lined. Costly but great. You'll see that there are two 'baskets' that stick down lower than the underbelly and the right side one has the plastic gas tank depending down into it. The frame metal boxes protecting these baskets is thin and has holes, which enabled me to see the gas tank right there and my ditch and rock crossings had not only torn a chunk off the stock feeble skidplate but dented the metal basket so that a front corner touched the gas tank plastic! Not relishing the idea of a very tough to repair trailside hole in the bottom of my gas supply I bent it back out of the way, and on installing the new Ricochet saw that this plate fully covers and protects this area.
I've had great success with Iron Baltic skidplates before but as of last fall they still don't make one for the Trail model. The EX main plate would fit fine but they have no compatible A arm guards.
It was I who bought the Elkas, Stage 1. Great improvement in ride and comfort.
Niceities: There's a guy on eBay selling multiple compartment roof liner storage bags. They fit perfectly between the rops bars and are great for carrying things you like to access easily. The girlfriend loves to use it for a handy blanket, her heated vest, I keep a zip up folder in the front one with maps, insurance docs, gloves.
Some boxes like the trailer tongue box I bought, are a good fit in the Z's generous bed. I carry all kinds of stuff in mine, such as the flat kit I dug out last ride I was on, when I got a puncture in a back tire. I keep all my tire stuff in a squared plastic dog biscuit box I've cut down to about 10 inches high. Vulcanizing cement, tools, plugs, spray bottle of soapy water, 12 v electric pump. I had the puncture repaired in about 10 minutes and back on the road again.
(Carrying theme stuff in those plastic squared boxes is handy because it's not only all together but if anything leaks it won't contaminate anything except what's in that particular box.
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The driver side mirror I busted off on the other hand, didn't take the repair. Even Q bond didn't stick to the plastic of the mirror case.
Tips, ah yes.
The CFM Trail has remarkable stability in off camber situations. I was amazed, actually. But avoid sudden hard turns or trying to crop a 'nut on gravel. More people flopped their ride doing that than enough.
I read on another forum about where someone had a minutes old machine and the wife got in, turned the wheel hard, gave it a lot of throttle, and it fell over on its side. He concluded that the machine was unstable.
I have had mine at some rear clenching angles while following a buddy on a disused water eroded road that he thought led somewhere (turns out it didn't) and it stood for it very well. I believe it is a lot more stable against tipping over than an equivalent ATV. The center of gravity, including occupants, is lower after all. Had the lady tried the full lock hard throttle turn on an ATV it would have had the same result, except that without a ROPS she might have gotten hurt.
Expect to have a ton of fun on that machine.
