JacobSlabach

I see now- it jumped time and he was measuring valve clearance without the cam at TDC. how bad was it off? if it stretched the timing chain, you probably want to order another one, and if it jumped a tooth, I would check the tensioner- be a pain if that happened again!

thanks @James Copeland, you answered a question I had about my 04 sportsman 500. I will say on my bike, no wires run from sensor to ecm, but straight to the pod (speedo). Dont know if its the same with all sportsmans or not... I know its not the speedo on mine cause I just replaced it ($400)

yep. If it had been all together and not had parts missing and all torn apart like it was, I probably would have bought it, but I was smelling something fishy about how the guy was doing his work on it- it was under a tarp and torn down. He didnt have all the parts, and just from looking at it, I could tell there was a lot more under the surface than what he was telling me.. but yea if I came across another kodiak, that bike would be helpful for parts.

Definitely a scam the real test is whether they will actually meet you face to face. yup- what I try to do- as soon as you act interested, they know they have you where you wont walk away.. Thats another thing- its hard to walk away from a deal-even if it isn't a deal. Have done it though. there was a 90s kodiak 400 4x4 that the guy wanted $500 from it and I went out and looked at it- just too much that he didnt know (didnt know what was wrong with it, he had parts off of it and 'didnt know where they were')...just a mess. I walked away

nice @Ponetay! lol yea if its not supposed to do it, prolly not the best idea.....

heh good luck with that- those are like 300. Is the display still working? (like the digital readout with the mileage and all)

I fond this to be helpful. I printed out this thread and will take along with me when/if I go to pick up a bike. but at the end of this article, theres a very helpful checklist geared toward buying a running used bike: I would combine Frank's post to this checklist- between the two, its gonna be hard for them to pull a fast one. https://www.atv.com/products/how-to-choose-the-right-atv-622.html

if you want it to be able to go over and through anything, take the polaris. If you dont mind a finicky tranny and bad handling, go honda.

I'll try that- but he sounded pretty firm. I'm hoping I can talk him down If I can come up with other problems with the bike... looks like the front end might be out of alignment- maybe from a wreck. dont know till you get there heh thanks!

thanks. I had already replaced it and got the bike back to the guy- he says it runs perfectly now. just wondering tho: How much would you charge for a tune up and what do you include with your tune up? I charged this guy $120 and changed the oil, sp, carb, checked timing and valve clearance, cleaned up the guts of his bike good, and realigned his front end. Is that fair or too much or too little? What would you charge and what would you include in a tune up?

paint thinner? that would put me off thinking it would eat the plastics- but I guess thats kinda the goal here. you could probably use brake fluid too- that stuff eats the finish off everything haha

haha yea I heard about that here to... thanks!

oooh thanks Frank! Didnt know that- glad I didnt burn up anything all those times i did that- I was taught that you always turn the car on before jumping off of it... but yea its the same on atvs- when off, the battery has +/- 12v... when running, its like 13-15v...

and btw so far I havnt wrecked a quad (or turned one over) and I've been riding over three years (i know not near as long as a lot of you guys but...haha) I learned on a 500cc sportsman so I dont think it matters what kind of bike you start on- just matters what kind of mindset you have riding it.. I follow my gut- If i start felling queasy, I tone it down a little...

heh forgot to conclude this thread too. The carb was beat up so I couldn't do much with it- the bowl was warped or something and had all kinds of crap that the carb cleaner wouldnt touch inside.. ordered a new one for $30- adjusted (remember aftermarket carbs usually like leaner settings than eom. runs great now.

I havnt had a bike with bad looking plastics so far, but I'm interested in how you did that too.. Improves the look soo much- went from a bike I wouldnt want to a bike I'd pay some $$$ for.

so what is the right battery? Are all atvs compatible with each other? Cars to atvs? I have jumped many atvs and lawnmowers off my family's car... always wondered if I was going to fry something.. And size- does the size of the battery mean anything or that just capacity (like a bigger battery is just more 12vs than a small battery..

does the oil go bad from sitting? (I mean, I would change it too if I were him) but I thought time didnt affect oil- just usage..

I would check the idle first- had a friend that has a recon es and his wouldnt shift out of reverse unless you turned it off- simply because the idle was too high and the clutch wasnt disengaging. Turned the idle down, been working like a champ since Also, when did it first start this? Any event that might have caused it like taking it through water (maybe go into the shifter motor or something...)

looking at this polaris 335 again.. https://roanoke.craigslist.org/snw/d/buchanan-1999-polaris-335-4x4/6814841462.html The guy said he would give it for 950 with a plow attachment. I'm going to be up his way this weekend and was thinking of at least going to look at it. Nada says its worth 600-1900 depending on condition.. right now it needs a starter and battery... (1900 would be like new cond which this thing is not, but it's looking great for its age..) kbb says its worth 1400 trade in or 2200 retail, but you almost never get as much as kbb says they'er worth I'm still interested in the 570 in NC, but the price is just out of my range and I doubt I can get there fast enough (this weekend is the soonest I could look at anything)

ATF?

oh thanks- was going to do this when I got around to working on it again... It might very well be valves out of clearance or something... another thing is the battery charges fine- but loses charge fast (like in a couple days if not charged) I would probably just let that slide since it hold charge overnight but I will definitely tell whoever buys it once I get it running that the battery could use changed.. anyone know what the valves clearance are on this bike?? And since the head is positioned almost below the crank, wont all the oil drain as soon as I remove the valve caps?

we should start a thread to the atvs asking if they wear they're rings when riding.... its just not fair that they can I we cant... (or maybe I should say best not to)

so sorry I never concluded this thread! Someone had left the lights on (probably one of the kids that runs it around the farm..) but thanks to all who contributed! I learned a thing or two from you.

I would buy used off CL. If you want new though, I have amazon prime so I would do Amazon- otherwise I dont know of any difference between them. you can usually get them running used for $400-600