I was just sitting around thinking and remembered having my Bayou 300 4x4. It was a 91 model I believe, and was my first quad. It was also the only quad I had that I done any mods too. It was a real going machine, and I do miss it. I was wondering if anyone ever had any problems with the front driveshaft on it too. I wound up losing the one on mine a couple of times, but I always found it. The clip the held a sleeve over the U-joint and shaft splines would come off, then the sleeve would vibrate back, and there it was gone. Still a good quad though, wouldn't mind having another one.

Anyone else have any stories to tell about their beloved Bayou 300's, or the Praries?

Later,
Eli Caudill

 

Hey, dual-range transmission, semi-independent rear suspension, what? Me worry?

What you always wanted to know about Bayou 300 4X4's But Were Afraid To Ask

Tree Farmer

 

whats their tpo speed and how are they in mud etc?
or anything else you know about the early 90'models.

 

Blazer316,

I have a '91 Bayou 300 4x4 that I bought used a little over two years ago. I bought it for my then 13-year old daughter to ride at the AHPA Poker Run in Cochranton, PA.

Performance in mud with the stock Dunlop KT962A 24-inch tires is fairly good. I upgraded to a set of 25-inch Goodyear Mudrunners for the poker run. Performance in mud with the Mudrunners is markedly better than with the stock Dunlops.

The ride quality of the '90s vintage 300s is not up to that of Tree Farmer's 2000 model with the recalibrated suspension, but it is acceptable.

For much more detail on the Bayou 300 4x4, please see my post in the "Buying An ATV" section under the "Honda or Kawasaki" thread posted by "Neophile".

Army Man

 

My quad had 25" Buckshot Mudder Tires on it and I never had a real problem on the mud. I can't say that it was a really fast 4-wheeler, but I can say it was as fast as a Utility Quad needed to be. I loved having the dual range transmission, the low range really helped get the torque out when needed for work, and the high range was geared for the trails. Its been so long ago and the people I rode with then just well ummm sucked as riding partners so I don't know the full capabilities of it, bunch of scared people that would bitch and wine and keep you from having fun. The one thing I've noticed about my Honda 300 is that its a lot easier to have one of the tires come off of the ground, the semi-indenpendent suspension on the Kawasaki did help out more than I ever thought.

 

I have a 99 bayou 300 4x4, and i love it, it can do anything..... just today i went moose hunting for the first day of the season, and me and dad got a 600+pound bull, we cut it up in the middle of a HUGE bogg, i walked up to the road, dove the kawie down through the woods onto the Bogg, loaded the 4 quarters of the moose of the racks (2 front 2 back) 100lbs each and started on my way. there was about 650pounds on that little 300, and i crossed the bogg with minimal prob but when i got to the bushed it was hard, but man the kawie never gave up, i was going over fallen trees, stumps, mud, that took like 15 mins to get it over that, in some cases u had to give it more than half throttle to make the bayou move/spin its tires even in low range, and 5 feet from the road, the rear tire fell in a hole and it tipped on its side. I was walking along side of it so i wasnt hurt. we had to cut the moose off the racks, tip it back up and wait for 15 mins before it started. we loaded the moose back on, and we started again, the road is preaty easy going except for a few trenches that were dug and had trail around them. They were full of big rocks, water , and steep hills, but the bayou pulled it off..... The bayou really surprised me, i never knew it could do that, it is one hell of a machine!!!!!