I found a 93 Yamaha Warrior for a very good price. It will be my first ATV that will be mine (My family had one when I was little, so except for riding it I don't know a lot about ATVs).
What should I look for when inspecting the quad?
I was told that the Warrior sometime have cracks in the chassis, how can I check it?

Any other tips or known problems in Warriors will be greatly appriciated.

 

Hey,

i just bought a '97 Warrior myself. here are a few things i would check.

check the brakes. look to see how much of the brake pad is left (front and rear). also, make sure the rear brake rotor is straight and not warped. brake work can get expensive.

also, when the bike is just sitting there, even with the fuel switch "on", it shouldn't leak gas down the swing arm. if it does, the carb will need a bit of work. (i'm speaking from experience here)

check the rear axle bearings. from the back, grab both tires and shake the quad back and forth. there should be very little play in bearings.

test to make sure the lights work, etc. little things aren't the end of the world, but they can be annoying and nickle and dime you to death, lol

ride the quad, go through the gears, and reverse. let it warm up. make sure it runs good, idles, etc. ask the owner about maintance and repair history, and if there are any problems you should know about.

i'm sure there are more things you could check too. HTH

later,
bigmac

 

Thanks for the reply [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
Anything on cracks in the chassis?

 

Put it in nuetral and pick the rear end up, then have somone spin the tires so you can see if the axle and wheels are straight. Next check for play in the steering. Next listen to see how bad the valve adjustment is. A little clicking is alright, just dont want insane clicking. next check the oil too see if he loaded it up on some heavy weight motor oil to get rid of a knock or something. Next open the air box, remove the filter, and run your finger around the inside of the air inlet behind the filter to see how much dust and durt is there. A little fine fine dust is alright but any big particles will mean a dirty carb or worse, scored cylinders. Next, wiggle the rear swing arm side to side to see if the bearing in it are any good (not too expensive but if they are gone it wont want to come out). Next, ask to see the plug so you can tell if he has been running it lean and damagin the piston (if its white or ashy, ask when was the last time he jetted it. Dont act suspicous and give away what the answer was suposed to be. If it has been that way a long time there could be damage). There is alot more, but that should cover the major bases.

 

How can I know if it's a heavy weight oil or a light one?

 

Hey,

a light weight oil, like 10w30, will be fairly runny. a really have oil, like gear oil, is super thick, and is very slow moving.

also, when you test drive it, make sure it tracks fairly straight. overwise, it could indicate something being bent or "out-of-whack".

i can't help much on the frame cracks. my only suggestion is too just eyeball the frame and examine the welds to see if anything looks cracked.

later,
bigmac

 

For frame cracks i would check where the front of the engine mounts up to the frame, and before you go look at this one maybe go to your dealer and see how a go new perf. cond. warrior frame looks. Then look at the one you may be buyin and see if there is any abnormal platings, really sloppy welds, or bends that look different from the new bike at the dealer.

 

Forgot to say the top engine mounts on the head like to shear off. Check em.

 

I had a new 98 and had a bad cylinder base gasket go real quick. Not sure if it applies to your year but might be something to check. Just look for wet spots near the bottom of the cylinder.



Brad

 

Good idea, but I live in Israel and we don't have quads imported from japan since 95 (If someone will be intrested I will tell you guys why).

Thanks for the replys. I will be going to check the quad in few days.