trying to narrow down a winner, i have a 2001 big bear and are looking at 3 tires, the 589 are the cheapest i found with aggressive lugs, second is the mud runners , and third is the bi claws that are the most expensive but seem the best. any input on any of these tires is helpful. will 27 inch tires fit under the bb?

 

What exactly do you want them for, what type of riding conditions? I've got the 27" Bi/Tri Claw combo on my 'Cat and absolutely love them, awesome tire that does about everything, with ease. If you plan to ride any rocks, I'd probably shy away from them though, as too much rocky terrain will probably lead to premature wear, due to smaller chunks being torn from the tire from the sharpness of the rocks. I do a lot of riding in all types of conditions, making my own trails along the way as well. The combination of the huge lugs, and the added ground clearance now allow me to go easily through places I couldn't even dream about before.

They do awesome in the mud and snow as well. Just got back from our property, with a little over 2' of snow. That was a blast, and even though I was dragging skid plate the whole way, pushing through with my bumper and occassionally the headlights, the 'Claws kept me moving all the way through. Going back down the trails I had made was tons of fun. Could get going even faster, and throw roosters of snow from all four tires, that was cool.

That's one thing to think about, the 'Claws do through a lot of mud/snow because of the lugs, cleanout is great. The other two tires you mentioned are supposed to be great tires as well, and depending on your trail conditions, what you plan to ride in, will probably work just as good. As for the ride, the 'Claws are very smooth, surprising in fact.

I don't know about the clearance of the Big Bear, so the 27"ers may require a lift and or spacers. I got lucky with the 'Cat, there is tons of room there, and the 27"s fit stock easily.

Best of luck,

Mike

 

thanks for the reply,the type of riding i do is pretty even,as we travel the trails we run into just about everything,trees,rocks,mud,you name it,but the mud and rocks are the area we run into the problems ,out come the winches.i also do a lot of snow plowing in the town,do you think the titan 589 are really good or a far second from the biclaws.hows that artic cat ? we were looking at them but decided on yamaha because we did not know any one that had one,they look sharp.

 

I have Mud Bugs on my Big Bear and I love them. BUT, I do a lot of mud riding. I do not recommend them if you do a lot of trail riding because like all aggressive mud tires, they just don't ride the hardpack that well. Don't ride much on the rocks, so I can't really help you there. A caution about the bi/tris--they are heavy. In low gear it's not a problem, but in the higher gears, you'll definately notice a zap in power.

 

Sorry about the response delay, been pretty busy lately, and got side tracked there for a bit. The Bi/Tri combo does excellent on my 'Cat. On a smaller machine, I think the Bi Claws would perform just as well. As for the weight issue, my 27"x9.75x12" weigh 29 lbs. if I remember right. The stock titan 489's weigh in at around 27 lbs, again, if I remember right-it's been a while since I looked at the numbers. Naturally, a smaller tire will weigh less, and won't be as difficult to turn. In fact, even with the 27x12" wide rear Tri-Claws, I only notice a slight power drain while going up inclines in high gear. Low gear, can't tell any difference. I'm still able to tow everything I used to as well with the large tires, though I do have another 100 cc's more than your 400.

As for the 'Cat, I love it-them, my dad and I each bought one, so we have a pair. His is completely stock, while mine has a bunch of add-ons, including the 27" meats. Absolutely love it, and wouldn't trade it for anything. Very tough machines, fun to ride, unstoppable and reliable as hell to boot. You can click on the link below to see a few pics I've got of my 'Cat in a few working conditions. In the snow pics, I'm actually towing the suburban up the hill in about 2' of snow. This happened four times with the trailer attached, and once by itself. I also had to winch the entire rig back up on the road after dad put it over the edge.

Between the 589's and Bi's, it might be a toss up. I think they're both a great tire and would be tough to beat. I don't know about the ride of the 589's, but the 'Claws are actually quite smooth at anything over 5 mph or so. It seems like just crawling around in the driveway at 1-2 mph, you notice a little "bump" to them, but anything over that, they smooth out really nicely.

Hope that helps, and best of luck!

Mike