I am new to the forum and I am looking to buy a quad. I have been looking at a '01 big bear 4x4 and don't have much knowledge of the yamaha's. Do all yamaha's have auto. trannys or do some have standard shift? Are the 4x's fulltime 4wd or can you put them in 4x2? Are they liquid or air cooled? Are there any inherent problems with the big bears? I have also been looking at ranchers, foremans, and suzuki king quads. I want standard foot shift and carbed. No FI for me. Also needs to be friendly for the wife. It will be used for hunting and trail riding.

 

It is full time 4x4,has an automatic clutch with a manual shifter,air cooled. The one thing most people have a problem with is its speed. They are pretty slow, other than that its a nice quad. You may want to look into a kodiak. They are liquid cooled and you can switch from 2x4 to 4x4. The 400 big bear is 386cc, the 400 kodiak is 401cc, so it has some more power. Also, you can get a 450 kodiak. I am a big fan of the kodiak, mines a 1998 and it always starts right up with no problems.

 

The Big Bear you specify is carbed as well. I have that exact model, and from the looks of it the thing's been through hell and back. They're supposed to be very reliable, although mine's finally succumbed to all its abuse and is currently suffering a phantom electrical problem. I loved the thing before it stopped running.

 

the 450 Kodiak is an awesome quad if you can find one. They have almost all the features of the larger Grizzly without the extra weight and size. If I could afford it I'd have one of these...

 

The 450 Kodiak name was changed to a 450 Grizzly, the other Kodiak before it was the 400 (401cc) liguid cooled. It had better gearing for recreational riding and a low range for working and also was a straight axle.

The Big bear is a tough ATV but I found its gearing was over all to low, at 40 mph the ATV would scream and felt like it needed a 6th gear badly. No problem though when trail riding, just annoying on the gravel road sections.

Here are there specs. http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth...le2=1777&go=Go