ATV Muding with 1989 Kawasaki 220 Bayou

by anton
(puyallup wa)

Do I have to plug any holes or tubes on my engine, such as the pull start and the vent tube that comes off the motor, when the engine is rotating?

Answer: Thanks for the question Anton. We're not real familiar with the older Bayou 220, but we can give you some rule-of-thumb advice that will apply to almost any ATV.

1. Pull Start - The first thing to realize about ATV mudding is that some extra maintenance is going to be necessary. It's not possible to keep the pull starter completely free of water and mud.

There are a couple of things you can do to help keep as much of the muck out as you can though.

Drilling a small hole in the bottom of the pull start cover will let water that does get in drain out.

If you don't use the pull start, another trick is to put some marine grade silicone sealer around the rope where it comes through the pulley cover. It's pretty easy to peel off after your mud ride if you need to use the pull starter.

But the bottom line is that no matter what you do, some water will probably get in. That's why you'll need to take the pull starter off and clean it out on a routine basis.

2. Vent tubes - You don't ever want to plug a vent tube. The best plan is to put a longer tube on and route it up to a higher area where it will be above the water you plan to be riding in.

3. Other tips - Switch to marine waterproof grease for all your suspension bushings, and wheel bearings if you don't have sealed bearings.

Coat the inside of electrical switches and connectors with dielectric grease (Radio Shack carries it). You can also silicone the outside of wiring connectors and where wires run into switches.

Make absolutely sure that your air filter has a good seal to the air box. We like to use marine grease where the air filter contacts the air box. Also make sure there are no leaks or cracks in the tube from the air box to the carb.

Hope this helps and have fun with your ATV mudding!