my dad had one. no power at all. he traded for a big bear 400. night and day in power.

 

<< ....2 wd utilities are about the most worthless quads made anyway, they have lousy ground clearance, as bad as a sport, and with weak power and being overweight and under suspended they won't even climb a slightly loose hill.
>>



Okay, I take it back. There ARE some pretty good 2wd Utilities. Like a 2wd Kodiak and the Big Bear. And some, like the Polaris TrailBoss, have a very good fun quotient. But there are plenty of stinkers too, like the Beartracker.
.....I think the point I was trying to make was that the 2wd sports can do as much or more out on the trail than the 2wd utilities can. Even though the 2wd utilities look tougher than the sport quads, only lower gearing and reverse give the 2wd utility any real advantage out on the trail. The sports have so much better stability, handling and performance that the trade off is one sided, in my opinion.
...... If you really have to tackle the rough stuff, get a 4x4. If you just want to have fun, GET ANYTHING! ......But if you want to reach the maximum fun quotient, even for just trail riding, get a Sport quad instead of the 2wd utility.

 

And Oh yeah, if you get a 4x4, make sure it is switchable, 'cause full time 4x4's don't handle as well, or go as fast as a 4x4 in 2wd.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

I have a 2000 BearTracker that I bought last August and I have been riding it almost every weekend since. I haven't had any mechanical problems with it, even though it has been flipped twice (driver stupidity). It always starts right up and I can keep up with everyone on the trails which is what I ride most. The top speed is about 43mph. Maintenance on the bike is very easy. The air filter is under the seat and the oil can easily be changed. A few things you should be aware of before you buy one: the 2WD most likely won't make it through long, deep mud holes; riding in fresh untracked snow can be slow (again the 2WD); the reverse lever can be a bit awkward at times but its nothing to be overly concerned with; and first gear is your only gear for climbing. Once you become familiar with the bike, you will be aware of its limitations. I have ridden it at the Cochranton, and Madera Poker runs recently. On both occasions there was a great deal of mud and the BearTracker never got stuck - you need to be aggressive in more difficult situations. In my opinion, the BearTracker is an excellent inexpensive, entry level bike. It was, and continues to be, a great bike for me and my wife to gain riding experience. In the future, I would like to upgrade to a Wolverine or Kodiak but I fully intend to keep the BearTracker.


Wrote the above about seven months ago in another post. To this date, I still haven't had a single problem with it and feel the same way. It's a great entry level bike. The ergonomics/riding of the bike are very comfortable to me - I don't feel that it is too small. By the way, I am 190 pounds and 6 foot 2. I would have to disagree with Fourlix on the &quot;squirrly handling&quot; comment (although I have never ridden in sand so I don't know how it handles in that terrain). I primarily ride trails in the woods, which at times can be tight, and the BearTracker handling has not been a concern at all. In fact, I would say that is one of its strengths. I am able to keep up with every bike I have ridden with in the woods (Honda Rancher, 250EX, 400EX, Yamaha Wolverine, and Big Bears). Granted, I have to ride it hard to keep up (especially with the 400EX) but the BearTracker does well. Yes it is underpowered, yes it occasionally gets stuck, and yes I would not recommend serious hillclimbing, but it is only an entry level 250. I have a friend who has a 1999 BearTracker. He has not had a single mechanical problem with his either.

 

Only one thing to say, my buddy had a 99 blew the motor and before that happened it had caught on fire, what a piece of trash. That's only my personal experience with the beartracker.

 

I had my beartracker since it first came out. You name it i have done it on it. I know its the best 250 out right now. It goes as fast or faster than a honda 300. If you have anything you want to know about it just ask me. i will tell you the good and the weak points about it, but theres not many of them.

 

Boy sure looks like you got to love this one or hate it eh? Doesn't seem to be any middle ground at all.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]