I just recently became the proud owner of a 07 Yamaha Grizzly 450 [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] and I was wondering what most people would advise on doing to it. I'm new to the 4x4 crowd so I'm trying to learn as much as possible. I just got back from my 3rd rally at beaver's paradise in Texas and I can say I'm hooked. In the near future I will probably be purchasing a new set of tires and maybe rims. Because I know a guy that can get me a good deal I am looking at 27" Swamp Lites.

I was hoping ya'll could give me some pointers on what to buy as far as tires, rims, and cheap/simple performance mods ya know of.

Its too bad I didn't get into this earlier in my life cause I plan on enlisting next year so I don't wanna spend too much on it.

I appreciate ya'll reading this.

 

I would just ride it stock, for a while and get a feel for it, then do the modes you will see the improvement more.

be safe and respect the terrain and have some fun.

 

Have you checked your skid plates? Yamaha likes to put plastic down there. If you hit too much ruff stuff you could be waving good by to the soft protection on the Grizzly's belly. (Please pick up the ATV's body parts if this happens to avoid polluting the trail.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]) On a 4X4 you have got to have adequate protection down there if you're really using it like a 4X4. Drive it until the stock plastic is shredded and then buy a thick aluminum skid plate (.190 thickness) to replace it. The tiers will fallow. OEM tiers are OK for amateur ridding, but if you get into the bad lands those could get shredded to or simply won't bit enough to get you out of trouble. To make em last as long as possible carry a tire plug kit. It's not that hard to use and has saved my butt on many occasion. Add a can or two of fix a flat and a small electric pump. If you can't fit it than there are small hand pumps that can use a CO2 cartridge to inject you're tire with a good burst of air. Filling your tiers with slime will also help for smaller holes. If you do use slime and end up with a puncture, make sure the slime is wiped away from the inside of the puncture with a thin rag (I carry a peace of T-shirt) and then shove a lot of glue in it and liberally cover the plug before it goes in. The plug will hold, even in the side walls but the slime must be cleaned away or the glue won't hold properly. I used a tire for hundreds of miles with three plugs shoved into one hole in the side wall of an ATV tire. When you need a new set of tiers look at Maxxis Big Horns, Kenda Bare Claws, Duro Power Grips or something like that. There are lots of good tiers out there...you need to buy a tire suited for the terrain you ride. If you get a radial the ride will be noticeably smoother. I would be concerned with going to a 27-inch tire on a 450...that is a lot of weight for a small motor to push. It will change your gearing and mess up your speedometer, odometer and trip meter. Also with independent suspension you will find the taller you are, the easier it is to tip over.

A small tool kit never hurts along with an extra spark plug. Find a good rack pack or trunk. If you go with a rack pack don't go cheep. The tie down straps will tare off within a few miles if you carry any substantial weight in it and try to find one that uses magnetic seals with buckles instead of zippers. Zippers will eventually fail because of the dirt and hard use. Look at the tie downs on the bottom of the rack pack to make sure they are thick and substantially sown into the bag with a big foot print.

Lastly, as you get into more and more remote areas, get a GPS that can carry a topographical map. I had a buddy that got lost in the woods for two days (fallowed a trail rite out of his back yard) and made it home with about a drop of gas left in his tank. He left his GPS at home and was new to the area. Good luck and stay on the trail.


Not everyone gets to live on the top of a mountain.

 

First off welcome to the Board!

I have a '07 Grizz 450 [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img] Great machine! I agree with Discovery - ride it and then figure out what you need to add.... I also agree with most of what Mile High says except for the stock tires...

For 2007 Yamaha went to different / newer tires on the Grizzly (previously and in Canada the Kodiak). They went with Maxxis. My tires have taken my quad and I through some rough stuff (7psi) Rocks, mild mud, etc and have over 800 trouble free miles! They are not that good in the mud... but big mud holes isn't my thing... and worse case I fire up the winch [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] I personally am going with 25" Bighorns (actually measure 26") when my tires get worn down a bit more... will probably save up for them over the winter. I wouldn't go with anything bigger on the 450 than a 26"

Skid Plates again good advice Mile High Yami Aluminum skids are 0.125! Kinda cheesy... I have some custom skids on my machine... 0.250 5052 Front bash 0.190 5052 for the footwells and everything else for now is Yamaha @ 0.125. I am having some Rear A-Arm skids made up from 0.190 and making the patterns for the Belly and Rear diff skid which will 0.250 5052.


Well congrats on your purchase -- Click my "CAMERA" under my name over there to the left of the message to see my pics..

-CraZy

 

CraZySteve...wasn't sure what kind of tires Yamaha puts on their stock ATV's. They are better than the stock junk Polaris claims to be Extreme. Every time I turn around they have a puncture. I agree with buying Big Horns. The stockers on my Kawi have stayed puncture free however they lack the traction needed for that 700 under the seat. The backs just spin when getting on the gas. Just went with Big Horns for a replacement.

One last thing, not sure what kind of air filter the Grizz has but if its paper, when it comes time to change go K&N with pre-filter.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Mile High
One last thing, not sure what kind of air filter the Grizz has but if its paper, when it comes time to change go K&N with pre-filter.</end quote></div>


Grizz has a foam filter stock that you oil [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] and personally prefer them over K&N all day long

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: CraZySteve

Grizz has a foam filter stock that you oil [IMG][/IMG] and personally prefer them over K&N all day long</end quote></div>


X2[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

The K&N for a 450 Grizz/Kodiak will give little benefits. Stick with the factory one and buy a spare foam (about $12), and a bottle of Yamaha filter oil. Keep the spare one oiled and ready to go in a zip lock bag with you. Yamaha recommends that you not let the filter get too dirty because it affects performance and increases the engine temperature by leaning it out. Don't ask me why less air from a restricted air filter would lean an engine out, but that's what they said.

P.S. Congrats on being a owner of a new ATV. Have fun and ride safe!

 

Ricochet skid plates work great for the 450. Oh, and that wrinkle paint on the racks isn't as durable as it looks. Take one ride with a soft bag and it gets rubbed off. Having a winch is also a good idea. They are real easy to install, put the solenoid thing under the hood. Don't run any winch smaller than 2500 lbs. My tires only had 300 miles on them, still in great shape, but they had to go. I put Mudlite XTR's on stock rims in their place.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Rancher247

Ricochet skid plates work great for the 450. Oh, and that wrinkle paint on the racks isn't as durable as it looks. Take one ride with a soft bag and it gets rubbed off. Having a winch is also a good idea. They are real easy to install, put the solenoid thing under the hood. Don't run any winch smaller than 2500 lbs. My tires only had 300 miles on them, still in great shape, but they had to go. I put Mudlite XTR's on stock rims in their place.</end quote></div>

Rancher,


Yea - I noticed the Ricochet skids too.. but I got a deal when I initially bought my quad.. they gave me 20% off all Yamaha accesories and that stuff was eligilible for the 0% finance for 6 months.. so I went with that stuff.. the discount made the prices reasonable.. Even then... the Yami skids are nicely designed - just wish the belly skids were at least 0.190 thick... hence the reason I am making my own [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img]

What size XTR's you get? How are they holding up?

 

I got 25" XTR's, put about 600 miles, and am running between 6 and 7 PSI. Their holding up great, handle great on hardpacked trails, go pretty good through mud, offer a real stable ride because of the radial design. Little wobbly (because of tread design) on pavement, but I don't ride on much pavement, so thats nothing that concerns me. They get my recommendation.