When the CF Moto 500 first arrived on the ATV scene in Canada, it was received with mixed reaction among owners for the first few years of its existence.
A good bit of negative feedback on early machines led to CFMoto making some much needed changes to this model, also known as the CForce 500, a few years later.
Essentially redesigning all of their ATVs from the bottom up worked wonders in improving the overall quality and satisfaction among owners. But while this model is much improved, it does still suffer from some common CF Moto 500 problems.
CF Moto 500 Problems
Here are the six most common CF Moto 500 problems:
- Front Tires Rubbing
- Faulty Fuel Gauge
- Poor Gas Mileage
- Clutch Issues
- Stalling Due To Vapor Lock
- Hard Starting
This guide will detail each of these issues, what causes them, and proven ways to overcome them if encountered as an owner.
Front Tires Rubbing
Another common issue with the CForce 500 models is the stock tires in front tend to rub the inner plastic of the fenders when turning sharply to the right or left.
While this is a minor issue, over time it can begin to wear down the tires and/or inner sides of the fenders when happening repeatedly.
Fortunately, this is a pretty simple fix as many owners have installed 1.5 or 2 inch wheel spacers and eliminated this rubbing.
While this happens with the stock tires, owners who add bigger tires should also keep this in mind as the bigger the tires in front, the more rubbing will occur. Be sure to install these wheel spacers to prevent this if adding bigger tires.
Faulty Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge in many CF Moto 500 models seems to be very inaccurate and will fluctuate dramatically during rides, leaving owners at risk of running out of fuel unless opening the gas cap to inspect the fuel level in the tank themselves.
This tends to happen as there is a very small area within the fuel tank for the float sensor to properly move up and down with the fuel level, and they sometimes touch and stick to the side of the tank if not installed correctly.
The only real way to fix this is to make an adjustment to the float and float arm within the fuel tank. While this isn’t a big job, it does involve removing some plastic from the machine to access the tank.
Owners will need to remove the fuel tank from the machine, and then remove the float/sensor from the tank.
Once removed, bending the float arm out and downward so that it can sit in the middle of the fuel tank should help alleviate this issue. When reinstalling it in the tank, owners should ensure that it is not able to touch the walls of the tank, which leads to the issues with inaccuracy.
Poor Gas Mileage
Staying on the subject of fuel, the CF Moto 500 tends to be a real gas guzzler. This is especially true for newer models.
Many owners report only getting around 60 miles on a full tank. With a fuel tank size of 3.7 gallons, this makes for frequent refilling of the CF Moto 500 and can make longer rides challenging.
To account for this, many owners have resorted to strapping additional gas cans to the rear utility racks in order to refill on the trail. Others have purchased a rear cargo box that comes optional with two five-liter fuel tanks on each side and attaches to the rear of the quad.
Clutch Issues
Like many other CFMoto ATV and UTV models, including the CForce 600 and the UForce 1000, the CF Moto 500 suffers from issues with the stock clutch system.
The clutches are known to cause jerky acceleration and poor throttle response, and this rings true for some CF Moto 500 models as well.
Many owners complain that when hitting full throttle, the RPMs will shoot up without much immediate response from the engine. Others complain that during initial acceleration, up to around 10 to 12 mph, the ATV tends to jerk forward with even the slightest pull of the throttle.
After working on a number of units that suffered from these clutch issues, the folks over at Main Street Cycle put together a clutch kit that alleviates these shortcomings with the stock CFMoto clutch. This clutch kit contains an upgraded spring and weights for the primary clutch, along with an upgraded spring for the secondary clutch.
Owners can also re-clock the secondary clutch in the stock clutch system to try and overcome these issues as well. This can be done via the adjustable spring in the secondary clutch.
This spring has three letter settings and four number settings, with the stock setting being B-1. For better overall performance and limited jerkiness, owners should move to either the A-1 or C-1 setting.
MORE: CF Moto 500 Top Speed
Stalling Due To Vapor Lock
A common occurrence with the CF Moto 500 is for fuel to slosh into the fuel tank’s vent line and cut off its air supply, choking the engine and leading to stalling. This is referred to as vapor lock, and it happens in the CForce 400 as well.
This vapor lock generally happens as a result of the setup of the EVAP system. While it can be temporarily corrected by removing the gas cap to relieve the pressure, it will happen repeatedly until both the EVAP system and fuel tank vent line are modified.
Modifying EVAP System
The EVAP system is installed by CFMoto in order to comply with the EPA emissions regulations for the state of California and prevent fuel vapors from releasing into the atmosphere.
While in place with good intentions, it leads to these vapor lock issues and will need to be bypassed in order to prevent them from occurring.
To bypass the EVAP system, owners should locate the EVAP canister that is usually located in the rear of the machine in the cubby behind the tail light. A vacuum hose runs from this canister to the throttle body located in the engine compartment on the left side of the quad below the seat.
Owners will need to disconnect the vacuum hose from the connector on the throttle body, which disconnects the EVAP canister. The hose and canister can then be left in place disconnected or removed altogether.
Modifying Fuel Tank Vent Line
After making the EVAP adjustment, owners should then unplug the vent line for the fuel tank. Once unplugged, there should be a check valve located on the end of this vent line.
Remove this valve and redirect the unplugged vent line towards the ground so that any fuel that finds its way in can overflow under the quad. This will enable the vent line to breathe properly.
Adjusting this vent line along with disabling the EVAP system should prevent vapor lock moving forward.
MORE: CFMoto CForce 400 Problems
Hard Starting
Hard starting is another issue experienced by owners of the CF Moto 500. While this happens more frequently in cold weather, it can happen in warm weather as well.
Many owners report that if they push the starter button immediately after the fuel pump stops, their machine takes quite a while to actually fire – to the point of the battery almost dying.
If experiencing this issue with your quad, it is recommended to turn on the ignition and wait around thirty seconds before actually hitting the starter button. This usually leads to the machine starting up immediately without a struggle.
Conclusion
The quality of the CF Moto 500 has come a long way since the first model hit the trails. Yet still, owners may experience some common issues with this quad.
The six most common CF Moto 500 problems are the front tires rubbing, a faulty fuel gauge, poor gas mileage, clutch issues, stalling due to vapor lock, and hard starting.
The good news is these issues are minor and can be overcome by way of some slight modifications and troubleshooting.
