I am about 90% sure i will buy this 2003 predator that a guy wants to sell me. He said it runs great and is in pretty good condition. I'm going to pick it up saturday to test drive it and i just want to know what the defects of these are and what too look for - cracked frame, bad bearings. etc...! Not sure what to expect from an 03'; I heard the 03's were the fastest of the model year preds.

 

I think they had some tranny problems,I know a couple of guys with Predators(ones a 03 and the other is 05)and the 05 is faster.I do know the 03 has been in the shop several times,while the 05 hasn't had any problems.Thats just been my observation.

 

The 03s had allot of problems the some people never once had an issue. I have seen ball joint, Trans, frame, rear axle bearings and other small problems. Any first production year vehicle it’s common to have flaws. If I were you I would check it over like it was a crime seen and get a feel for the riders attitude did he shift without using the clutch?(03 trannys wont take that very long) did he maintain it regularly? If the price is unbeatable take it there is many aftermarket parts out there to fix it or look for a 04 in your price range.
Good luck.

TR

 

It's had 2 owners, but the guy said it hasn't missed a beat since hes had it. The chain needs to be tightened and thats it. And yes, i have 2 good friends who can get me parts super cheap if needed and the one already has a shop full of them laying around if i ever needed something. So thats my reasoning for going ahead and buying it.

 

a few things to check are the the frame for cracks. Check very close. the transmision. Your going to have to test drive it to know. go up and down the gears a few times to make sure its not missing gears. Check the oil. If its dirty he doesnt take care of it and you will have problems with the trans. The pred requires oil changes every 10 hours and if its not done you will get your trans damage and engine damage. Expensinve repairs. check for a bent stering stem (wobbly handle bars). Make sure shocks compress and rebound smoothly. They should be smooth and quite. Also what type of aftermarkets are on it? this will also tell you how it was rode. Good luck. If you do your homework on it you will be fine and you will get a good reliable quad. Alot of 03's have had no problems.

 

Thanks for your advice. The only modification to it was nerf bars and thats it. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if its worth it.

 

from what i heard about guys predator over here is the 03 was the faster,just need to fix or tricks some
mods on them,no reverse gears,think about it,,,rev limiter was too low,carb wasn't jetted right from the factory,