I am considering an 02 Grizz. When i get a chance to look at it, is there any known problems that I should look for that arrose on the earlier 660's? This one appears to only have a winch added, has 1400 miles and original stock tires.

Any thoughts?

 

The '02 was released in July of '01 so that quad hasn't been ridden much (less than 300 miles a year average). My '07 Grizzly has more miles than that on it already.

First thing I'd do is take out the dip stick and check the oil. Is it at the proper level and does it look clean? This may give you an idea of how it's been maintained. At 1400 miles of average trail riding the front end should still be tight and the wheel bearings should be OK (the wheels should not wiggle if you try to wobble them). If the stock tires have been on there all this time then they would probably be at least 1/2 worn out under normal use. Most trail riders do not leave those stock 2 ply tires on.

The '03 model year had the weak CV joint problem so you shouldn't have a problem there. Then you may want to take off the seat and the air cleaner cover and have a look inside there. Does it look like it's had mud in it?

The '02 (and '03) models had a service bulletin / recall (not sure which) where you could get a "heat fighter" kit retrofitted at no charge. This was a set of side panels from the '04 model (which was vented better) plus some heat shielding was added to the bottom of the gas tank.

It is possible the front disk pads may be nearly worn out (check to be sure they aren't gone otherwise more than just the pads may need replacing). The rear disk pad should still be fine (it is still OK on my '02 and I have around 4000 miles on it).

When you sit on the machine wiggle the handlebars. You may have a little bit of slop (free play) before you actually start steering the machine but this should be minimal. Start up the machine watch for smoke (burning oil). At 1400 miles of normal riding it shouldn't be burning oil yet. After allowing it to warm up for at least 3 minutes it should be running smoothly without the choke on. If it is not running smoothly perhaps the gasoline in the machine is old or there are carburetor issues from lack of use.

Shift it up into low range and ride it around. Hopefully you have some room where you are test riding it so you can get it up to around 40 which is about max for low range. Next try high range and see how it does.

The machine is capable of exceeding 60 mph (with ample room) under ideal conditions. By getting the speed up this will determine the status of the CVT. If it doesn't want to get up to normal speed then the tranny has likely sucked in some water / mud and would need a thorough cleaning at the very least.

If the factory interlocks are still in place you will have to press the rear brake pedal (or squeeze the left handbrake hard) in order to shift into reverse or park. If when shifting into park the indicator light doesn't come on, it is not unusual to have to rock the machine a little bit (easy to do while sitting on it) to get it to pop in.

When you press the red 4WD button you should hear an electronic whirr and the 4WD indicator should display on the control panel. It only takes about a second for it to engage, which can be done while stopped or moving. With it already in 4WD (and stopped) try sliding the cover to expose the 4WD lock button then press the button. You may have to wiggle the handlebars back and forth a few times to have it hook up while you are stopped (you will get an indicator light on the control panel when it locks up). There is a built-in speed limiter (28 mph I believe) when you have the front diff-lock engaged.

This should give you a general idea of the state of the machine and if all of the controls are working...

 

Thanks for the good info, that will help anybody looking at a used machine. I have ridden an 05 before and know they have not changed much. I will check the speeds like you said and look for the heat fighter kit.

Any idea on a good price if everything is ok? NADA has them at $3400 for high retail.

Thanks again for the info and will let you guys know how it turns out.

 

BTW the heat fighter kit was not critical, but I got it on mine just because it was available and free. It can be more of a necessity if one does a lot of slow trail riding with it. If you end up out on the trail with some mud in your radiator and no way of cleaning it out and your over-temp light comes on, you can stop for 10 to 15 minutes to let it cool down then take off those side panels and bungee them to the back rack and that will help you run a little cooler.

Hummm, I'm not sure about a price. If NADA says $3400 you might try offering no more than $3000 if everything is fine. From there it depends on how much you want the machine!...