how do i remove the piston from the rod on a 1997 polaris sportsman 400? i dn't see a clip!?

It has circlips like any other engine - look harder.

http://www.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/oem-parts-na...

Do not take the piston off the connecting rod, to install it into the cylinder.

Compress the rings and slide the cylinder onto the piston.

Purchase a shop manual before you do any damage.

http://www.motocom.com/motorcycles/

It has to be connected to the rod. Think about how you will get the wrist pin back in if the piston is in the cylinder? Get a ring compressor. It will allow you to get the piston back in the cylinder. And when you do make sure the cuts in the rings are equally spaced from each other. Sorry...compressors come in two forms...a tube thats machined to be narrow at the cylinder end and wide at the outer end. Or a band type which you put around the piston, tighten and insert the piston.

I don't know about your particular bike, but sometimes the wrist pin is pressed in (slightly oversized). If so, you can get it out with this method:

Get 2 sockets. One with an OD (Outside Diameter) slightly smaller than the OD of the wrist pin. The other socket (or tubing/piece of pipe) with an ID (Inside Diameter) slightly BIGGER than the OD of the wrist pin, long enough for the wrist pin to go inside.

Get a bolt long enough to pass through everything (both sockets and wrist pin [get an all-thread bolt, one threaded the entire length]).

One socket on each side of the wrist pin, a nut, washers under the bolt head and nut. Tighten with wrench/socket to press pin out.

When reinstalling, use same setup, but freeze the pin to shrink it.

A better idea is a ring compressor. Or have a friend hold and lower cylinder over piston as you manually squeeze/compress each ring to allow it the feed into cylinder.

You're going to need a ring compresser no matter how you manage to fix it.

look more closely you should see a round wire ring in the groove.

I really don't think they are pressed on, like a car?