Hello all,

I'm new to the ATV hobby. Having ridden once on a borrowed ATV and deciding that I liked it, I started looking into buying an ATV for trail running with more fortunate friends of mine who live outside the city.

Being new and all, I figured I'd look into used ATVs...

I've settled on a '98 Yamaha Big Bear 350 4x4... The owner bought it for his grandson (who showed no interest), and it's sat in storage for some time with twenty hours on it.

It's described as "Like New", and comes with a 6 x 8 trailer for $3700.

Several questions:

A> Am I getting a good deal on this?

B> The only other ATV I've ever ridden was a kawasaki Lakota Sport... How does the Big Bear compare?

C> Any troublesome things to watch out for with this ATV?

TIA!

 

I have a 98 BB and love it. The price sounds ok. In my area the trailer alone would run you about 450.00. I bought my bear in 99 for 4200.00. Very reliable machine, mine has about 4000 miles on it (yes,4000) and other than replacing brakes,tires ect. I have had zero problems. I have read complaints about weak starter parts on this bike, but I have had no problems at all. As far as comparison to the Lakota, the bear will be slightly different. Although reliable the bear is not nortorious for quickness. I weigh in at 324lbs. loaded with myself and gear, my bear will keep up with just about anyone on winding trails and climbs, but flat out speed will not be impressive. About 43 mph max. I converted mine to enable it to be switched between 2wd and 4wd and this helps. If you are into rough trails and slow winding muddy 4wd situations, the bear will get you there. But if sheer speed is what you need, don't expect too much. We do a lot of long distance riding, about 100 miles a day, and I have towed out almost every brand of bike, including Yamahas, but to date I have never been let down by my bear.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]