I got it for a great deal. My brother who is far more knowledgeable on this stuff than I am says it only needs some minor repairs done to it.
However this is my first quad.

Yesterday we got it to pull start using his bike, but it would not stay on.

otherwise it won't start.

I know for a fact the battery is good.

The guy I bought it from said he started it with ether just the other day. That it was just the solenoid not working.

I am trying to do research on which parts to order, before doing anything else and figured.. Why not try a forum dedicated to this stuff.

anyways, what he said it needs is:

- A carburetor repair kit (said I should just get a new carburetor but have no idea good brands, or should i try to find a good rebuilt one)

- A starter solenoid

- A tune up kit (the whole deal, spark plugs, oil filter, air filter, etc)

- New chain and sprockets

- Possibly need to re wire the headlights.
His dad told him to hook this little black wire to the positive lead on the battery. That turned out to be wrong, started smoking real bad and now the headlights don't work. Thinking he fried the wires or something.

- Brake pads

- And front tires.


Any advice, or links, anything would be greatly appreciated.

 

Do not take much notice of what the seller tells you. I mend Quads, and have wasted a lot of time by listening to what the owner thinks is wrong instead of coming at the machine with an open mind. I never use carb kits, I must have cleaned out well over a hundred Quad carbs and have found serious wear in less than five of them, they mostly just need a clean out. The solenoid may be faulty but well over half of starter problems are due to worn starter brushes. I always check with a test lamp between the starter terminal and earth. If you press the starter button and the lamp lights, it is a faulty starter. Yes, fit a new plug etc, it can't hurt. Local dealers should be able to supply the parts, on-line sellers are often cheaper, but quality varies.

 

+1 on testing the starter. I had to replace mine as well. Oil and filter change is a must on any used aquisitions. You could also try shorting the solenoid, if the starter swings over then, your starter is still good. Clean the carb good, or at the very least, drain the gas from the bike, through the drain in the carb and replace with fresh. Let it sit for a spell. New gas will sometimes breakdown funky deposits.

These quads are dead simple to work on and easy to maintain. Be a good idea to do a comression test while you're changing the spark plug. That will give you a good indicator as to the condition of the motor. You'll need to get a service manual or check online somewhere for what the service limit is on compression. A service manual is a great idea though regardless.

Good luck!

 

If the electric starter gets complicated and expensive you can bolt on a pull starter there are lots of them on ebay for the 348 motor.
I pulled started my 350 Big Bear (Same 348cc Motor) for years before getting around to fixing the electric start.

 

the electric starter motor is around 50 bucks. i changed mine when i had my 99 big bear. seems that the starter is the same thing on the timberwolf model too. looks very similar.

 

I would imagine Yamaha uses the same starter on many different models and years.