What were the changes made to this model during these years? Was it all cosmetic or did they make changes to the motor, transmission, differentials, etc?

 

I'm somewhat of a newb to Wolverines having owned mine for less than two weeks. I do know the 95's had a bigger carb than later years. This resulted in a bit of hesitation off the line. The backup recoil start wasn't offered all years. I'm sure those with a bit more knowledge will chime in with other differences.

 

The driveshafts were different on model year 2000 and up. This resulted in a long wait for those of us with 1999 and prior models for a warn 424 kit to become available. I believe it is available now, but I no longer have my 99 Wolverine so I'm not sure.

Other than that, the only info I can think of is that I wish I never sold mine [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

I was thinking there had to be some kind of change in the diff or shafts since some of aftermarket parts listed 2000 and newer seperate from the 05-99.

Anyone know what years the pull starts were missing? Can one easily upgrade to have the pull start?

Glenn J,
how much did you pay for your 03?

 

I paid $2600. It came with a Warn 424, and FMF Megamax and the stock exhaust. However, it needs tires, a few fasteners, and a seal around the middle drive unit.

All in all, good deal. Just needs a little work to be up to snuff.

I'm not sure about the pull starter. I don't know if that would require a new outter case or not. It could get a bit pricey if you have to swap outter cases and buy the pull start unit.

 

That's a great deal. I have been looking and everyone is asking premium prices. an 03 in the same condition as your's is going for 3200-3500.


I'll check into the pull starter a little more.

 

I was pretty pleased with the price. He was originally asking $3k even. Yes, it needs a few things, but overall, I'm happy with it. I can't wait to get it out on the trails.

 

Any known problems I need to pay attention to when looking at these used machines? I have heard that seals go bad on the Yamaha's. Is this true for the wolverine?

 

On mine, the rear middle shaft seal (the seal on the backside of the engine that leads to the rear driveshaft) was bad. The only real way to tell is to inspect the rear diff fluid and/or loosen the boot the holds the boot that covers the rear engine/swingarm area and look for drips. From what I gather it's a rare issue...but it did happen to me.

Other than that, just give the machine a really good looking over. Ask about records, what type of service they had done or did themselves. Check the bearings for slop, see how clean the machine is and check the airbox. You can tell alot t the machine from the airbox and how clean or dirty is is. The machine I bought was a bit dirty, but the airbox was clean. That told me the guy I bought it from didn't do a heck of a lot of mudding or deep water crossings.

 

For a pretty lengthy topic on Wolv pullstarts...do a Search on "wolverine" and "pullstart". Just search Yamaha and only the Title.

Just for the record, my 2001 had one on it stock.

From looking at some drawings on the Yamaha parts site, the LT side crankcase covers do look to be different. Look at say...1996 and 2001 parts drawings (Crankcase Cover1, Crankshaft Piston, & Starter) to get a good idea of what you would need to convert to a pull start. The cranks are the same, so it's just a matter of accumulating what you need off EBay. I don't think you would have over $100 in it.