MarkinAR

I've read the kFX450 wears out at 50% and you need to put stronger springs in it so it doesn't do it again. That's where I'm getting the idea that maybe the kodiak is the same. The 220 bayou though would grab fine with just enough fiber remaining to cast a shadow. Crazy how they are about all the same but have little behavior quirks.

Given that the clutch packs are maybe 1/8th of an inch thick and those have lasted 26 years, i would think 1/16th of an inch might buy a couple of years. Just thinking outside of the box. It just doesn't make sense that it would be slipping with 50% of clutch material left; but it doesn't seem to be all that unusual. Just seems like odd planning on Yamaha's part.

No opinions here? I'm surprised.

Passing thought here and thought I'd pitch it to the group for debate. I'm working through a Kodiak which is basically a Big Bear in a heavier bike and the same as about anything Japanese made for 30 years as far as clutch function and design goes. This Kodiak is odd though in that the centrifugal clutch slipped a bit with good clutch material remaining and the main clutch pack seems to slip a bit as well at high RPM but also still has good clutch material left. Much like the Kawa race bikes from what I've read. Do you think it's an option to add a thin washer to the pressure bolts to put a bit more pressure on the main clutch and force it to use a bit more of the clutch material before having to replace? There's seriously like 50% of fiber left on the main clutch pack and it seems silly to replace it all before it's truly worn down.

I recut the grooves in the centrifugal clutch though, and there was quite a bit of clutch material left. Way more than the bayou I recut a few months back. Weird. Guess I'll just have to break it open and start over.

Same here. Guess it could also be the front or rear diff since it's full time 4wd. Any of those locking up would lock up the whole thing. The front diff was ran dry by previous owner so we're working through that.

Just a guess on throwing 2 gears bc I had a 700r4 do that in a 90s truck. Of course, that was automatic. Could be the shift mechanism out of wack also.

About done with the Kodiak finally. Oldest took it out today and ran the piss out of it, buried it to the belly, and I think its finally about ready to trust. However, there is a clutch slipping that needs to be addressed. It pulls fine from a dead stop to about half throttle. If you go ahead and open it up, the clutch basically lets go at higher RPM. My question then is; centrifugal clutch or main clutch pack bad? I assume since it pulls at low RPM then it's the main clutch pack slipping at WOT. School me though: where does the centrifugal clutch end and main clutch pack begin? Also added to this issue, he was crusing down a gravel road and all 4 wheels locked up and it died. I assume it tried to throw 2 gears at the same time and locked up. It unlocked though and shifted ok after coming to a stop.

Ha ha. Dummy me. It's the shift mechanism.

On a 93 Kodiak, and I am sure BigBear behind and below the clutch pack sits a claw of a piece. It has a stack of washer bearing washer, claw, 3 bearing plate, then stabilizer fork that sits on a shaft. What does that bad boy do?

We welded one of the back ones against better judgement. Unfortunately both the axle and hub were wasted so nothing really to lose by welding it. If it doesn't hold, i'll try cutting in a keyway and if that doesn't work axle is the only other option. But that's a big maybe. May just fix the front and leave the one stripped and send it on it's merry way to a new home.

Ha, funny you should mention a wheel nut backing off. My oldest is working through a Kodiak he bought at a bargain and as soon as he starts riding we find all 4 axle nuts are loose, there are no cotter pins, and at least 2 of the hubs are completely stripped. If i could only get my hands on the numb nuts that left the axle nuts loose....

Ah, a worthy adversary! All good points, thank you for that.

50 psi compression is enough to run, but may have to push start it with another ATV... Had a Bayou once that would pull the front wheels up with 60 psi and it should really have 150. We see a lot of dead Polaris around here bc the gumbo is murder on belt drive and everyone lifts them and snaps axles. But you're right that in modern big displacement ATVs honda has fallen behind. They've stuck with a more traditional style. Post 2000 or so the market has changed a ton.

Hmm...I completely disregarded the arctic cat, my apologies for that. There are very few of those in the wild down here.

Couple of quick points: 1. the Odyssey, or FL350R. This was 30 years ahead of it's time. Fast as greased owl crap, reliable, stupid fun. Never took off. Fast forward to the RAZR which was just replicating the FL350R. What would Honda have done with it if it took off in '85? 2. Everything about the ATC. Reliable, good power for small displacement, easy to work on, simple front to back, still running 30 years later. My son's 185s is 36 years old and outran a 400 Big Bear the other day until it ran out of gearing and the Big Bear caught it around 50 mph. I can dig a 110 out of the weeds and as long as it has a little compression, I'll make it run in 2 days for about $20. Can't do that with a Yamaha 225. 3, 1981 250R. What happens if you stick a CR250 2 stroke in a trike? Yeah, a death machine. Then by '85 the 250R had a 6 speed and would do 70 from the factory. Death Machine +2. The 250R gave birth to the trike racing circuit. 4. The ATC 70. Small, quiet and reliable. Just never took off. Gave birth to the entire small displacement chinese quad market. 5. 82 200ES - first Big Red. The BR single handedly created the UTV market as we see it today in the Ranger, Mule, etc. 6. The ENTIRE chinese quad market in front of us today came from expired Honda patents from the 80's. 7. 300 fourtrax. By far the most coveted 4x4 in the market right now, absolutely indestructible. Pick one up a couple of years old, stick massive wheels and tires on it, and you have a mud machine. Kinda like the Polaris or Can Am...but reliable. And cheap. To be fair, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawa, all picked their game up along the way and make good ATV's. I'll leave the Polaris/CanAm discussion for another day. While Polaris gave birth to the automatic, the reliability issues of both still exist today. While great ATV's, I don't consider them any more than specialty machines. FIGHT ME. or debate...whichever is easier.

Have you checked valve lash? I had one once that was adjusted at TDC 180 off so I had to roll it to true TDC and readjust...it then ran fine. If you're having to advance it that far I'm wondering if it's trying to fire off cycle. Or can you adjust the CDI? Old Honda's you could loosen and advance or retard the CDI ring to change timing.

T is TDC, F is when it fires. You want to time the cam sprocket to the line right beside the letter T. If it times correct and doesn't run, then it's not a timing issue. Look for spark, fuel, etc would be the next basic steps.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but TDC is not at the T but at the line next to the T? Usually there's a line and a T and then a line and an F depending on the bike.

Anywhere between 1k-1500 in central US in not as clean condition as yours. This one is a bit high but its close in value I would think.

That was my original thought but the guy did tell me when he was still riding it he had issues getting it to reverse and then neutral. Sounds like things are just a bit out of adjustment. Should have parts in by the weekend to hear it run and then go from there.

Is the float height in spec? It's most certainly a lean condition whether it's a jet still stopped up or float isnt allowing enough fuel in the bowl to keep jets wet.

So this 98 Big Bear is my new project. While I'm waiting on a few parts to show up, I'm working on a few small things. I can shift 1-5 just fine, no problem at all (keep in mind, this is not running yet so just manual shifting sitting still). However, I can't shift from 1-neutral. I can hold down on the foot shifter, rock it a bit, and it will disengage the clutch so i can push it around in neutral as long as I keep pushing down on the shifter. However, it will not downshift to neutral and stay there. I know BB's have had some shifting difficulties in the past, but before I dive into this, have any of you fine folks encountered the same issue? I'm tempted to just adjust the linkage a bit since these have an external linkage, but thought I'd toss the question to the group and see if there are any common issues to look for. Thanks guys...

Ha. I did that on a big bear. 2nd pilot is a 74 and main is a 115 or something. Doesn't run quite right with them backwards. Identical jets though...

If it doesn't idle, you probably just need to rebuild the carb. Likely dirty pilot jet. The video doesn't really sound that bad, motor sounds good to me. Of course, video never really tells the whole story either....