i am interested in moving up to a warrior in the spring although im only 15 so i do not have much money so i was thinking of getting a 87-89 warrior. are these any good or are there any problems associated with this quad?
like i said i do not have much money so i dont want to spend much on repairs (thats why a 2 stroke is out of the question, plus i like the electric start and reverse.

so would the warrior be a good choice for moving up from a 200sx? ive rode a mint condition 87 and fell in love so should i go for it?

thanx in advance
mike

 

I love warriors and am sort of a self proclaimed expert on them. The 93 and up is the better bike. The reason being is they changed the carburateor and did away with the goofy double slide system. Also the early warriors had the motor one inch forward. The quad was to frt end heavy so yamaha fixed it in i believe 89. The early bikes had different steering stems no bearing in the bottom housing where it seats in the frame. The frt headlights were changed in 93 to the better round design. I myself would not condem any early warrior though the main flaw being the 1" forward motor. My bike no longer uses a stock carb or lights, something you may want to also consider. I would suggest getting at least a 1990 model. There are many more differences to many to list here. I may have missed some important ones so anyone else who has something feel free to add. I myself can think of about 5 more small differences not really worth mentioning, though important enough for yamaha to change.

 

I'm not trying to start a fight Mr Hillbilly, but I had an 93 warrior and a buddy of mine had a 88. He always said the motor was forward also until we measured them and found them to be in the same place. Later, I was racing another friend and tagged a tree at wide open in 5th gear, and totalled the frame beyond repair. I bought a new frame from a good dealer, but when I did, I noticed the part numbers for all warrior frames were the same. Maybe some were forward, but all that I've ever seen were the same. Can you indeed verify that some are 1" forward? And how did they move it so that all the parts will fit each. (like pipes and such) I've often heard about this but have yet to actually see it.

 

My friend has a Warrior which I have had a lot of seat time on. Not a bad bike at all. It's not exactly GREAT at any one thing, but it is GOOD all around.

The only problem with buying any old quad (2-stroke or 4-stroke) is that you don't know what it's life was like before. You could buy a 2-stroke that could run for 2 years with not problems, or you could buy a 4-stroke and have it crap out after the first ride (or the other way around).

Since you don't have much cash have you considered a Blaster? They are a very cheap quad and you can pick up a fairly new one for under $2000. It is a 2-stroke, but the motor has been proven to be strong, and even if it does let go they are so cheap to rebuild you wouldn't believe it. If you were to buy a Warrior and have the motor go it would be much more expensive (my uncle has an old 200x 4-stroke and has almost $800 into the engine, just to get it running).

It's risky any way you look at it so I'm not telling you what you should or shouldn't do. Like I said, you could buy that Warrior and have it run for another 5 years, or it could crap out on you on your first ride. That's the price you gotta pay for getting something cheap. Ironic isn't it?

-Josh

 

hey asfastasu, i cannot verify. Iam not offended one bit though i appreciate your comment. The next time i see a 87 i will measure it, not that i doubt you. I just want to see for myself. Iam also going to check my manuals on this one seems like i read some stuff somewhere. Ill let you know if i find something to contradict you. Not a war its just that for a hillbilly i like to be as intelligent as possible [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] (which isnt very intelligent).

 

it would make sense that the 87-88 warriors did have the engine mounted 1 inch further forward because when ever i look through aftermarket books for even more goodies for my 89 warrior i have always noticed that any parts that bolt on to the motor and run the length of the chassis (for example some full exhaust systems) are always labelled by the following years, 87-88 and 89-02, this is a good intication that the egine was in a different location in earlier years,also i think the 87 and 88 warriors used a shorter chain (96 links versus 98)from stock i think. also how are you measuring the distance, from where to where?

 

I love my 87 warrior. The biggest problem with the older warrior are worn out parts. If the previous owner did not do a thing to it, dont buy it. That how i got mine. spent +2,000 in parts. After i got it running here are the prblems i have had.

Bent upper a-arm (due to weakness, can get more steel welded on)
rear replay aclbe fell out of rubber holders (use zip ties)
Leaking carb (new gaskets/boots)
Cruddy front headlight assy. The lights work awsome, though (got the new hood, but still need the new lights and custom fabrication)

 

The older Warriors (87-88) are good bikes. I used to own an '88. The engine is 1" forward as compared to a '94 (my buddy has a '94). As other people have stated, the problem with this old of a bike is determining what abuse it went through. I'd suggest before you buy one of these Warriors, have your local quad mechanic take a took at it, and ask him if he thinks there is anything wrong with it. That should cut down your chance of getting a lemon.

 

fourtraxmike i own an 87warrior for 6yrs i bought used in great shap and still runs strong chosed an old one to save money and to have recoil backup if you buy right the warrior will not let you down.plus i also have an 89blaster and they also are a great quad.take care of your toys and they will take care of you.

 

k thanks for all the help

i will start looking for a good condition old warrior in the spring

cant wait


if only i was rich.....