Gwbarm

Correct it will start in gear when the brake lever is pulled, that how i was able to use it today, and then it got stuck in reverse. So it appeaars its not quite finished yet, but maybe one of this age and abuse level is never finished.

Thanks! I missed that, rathar annoying to get to especially since i just changed the oil ,again, i am going to check the wiring good because i did get it to come on once yesterday, its been troublesome since i have been working on it, i would get it in neutral and then it would come on 15 seconds later.

Took the Big Bear out for a ride today did very well but did have a major issue. Engine ran well carburetor did exceptionally well after i turned the choke off. I rode it probably 30 minutes it continuously wants to get stuck in reverse i can usually get it out but this last time it wasnt having it, i had to get off and play with it for a while, rougher than i like to to get it back to first, anyone else ever have this problem, this is my first Big Bear so nothing to compare it to. Im still trying to locate the neutral switch light still not working i went through the manual and never could find the location im sure its there somewhere i just missed it. Most of these i have worked on just has a little nub sticking out of the engine housing with a wire on it, this one doesnt have that, it must be inside the case.

You have been busy, glad you got it running without spending any money, cylinder looked like it would cleanup well. Its good you got the rings free without breaking one, thats what generally happens to me.

According to the laws in my state no ATV can be made street legal, no turn signals, no approved tires and no seat belt. Desert should be OK.

Yeah! That doesnt sound right i would try a jumper as mech suggested if still the same, i would pull the starter and hook it directly to 12 v and see if it spins freely, im suspecting you have something binding in the engine causing added resistance.

I did do another oil change and put in yamalube 10w40 hasnt really used it much since. So its been sitting a few months covered. Went to start the Big Bear today and the neutral light would not come on havent reaally used it since i started working on the eiger, it was a little iffy before, come on then not come on or slow coming on, a little tricky somewhere between 1 st and reverse, finally got it to come on and it started ran good good throttle response, idle was a little slow, i tuned it when it wasnt quite as hot as it was today, i will start tracing that down. May have to pull the switch and clean it.

As far as did you get a good deal! There are a lot of things to consider. The number 1 is you got exactly what you wanted and it was in running condition and in good shape. Plus, to find one in this good a shape, the previous owner cared about his machine and kept it running and looking good, and that takes money to replace worn and deteriorated parts especially tires. Sure you might could have found one cheaper but 9 times out of 10 it has been abused neglected probably needs engine, carb and suspension work. So if that was the case you would have to buy the parts and put them on yourself and time is money.

Good plan, hope it works.

Never been to a military auction, always wanted to and just never been at the right place at the right time.

Welcome! Hope you enjoy the site, if you like reading about 4 wheeler problems this is the place to be.

Your charger should tell you if it completely charges or not. Even the analogue ones with a needle, when you put the charger on it if its drawing 6 amp its pretty dead and the longer you leave it on the needle will move toward 0 mine usually stops around 2. If it goes to 2 and the next time you look its back up to 4 the battery is going bad. Of course the electronic ones senses it right away and tells you bad.

I completely agree for all the reasons you mentioned, thats the very reason i switched, and as you stated a maintainer helps with longevity.

The last few batterys i have bought have been AGM batterys, more expensive and they dont seem to last as long as liquid filled, and yes battery maintainers are a big help.

Good the clutch adjustment worked, sounds like it had never been adjusted.

Agreed! If the battery is that new it should be good, although they only give a 6 month warranty on these small batterys, they dont have a terribly long life, but you should get about three years out of it, once in use or with a battery tender on them. Im wondering if you electric shift motor may be running it down, cant remember if you replaced that. When you left the key on and it ran the battery down, did it charge back up with no issues. The reason i ask is my electronic battery charger tells me when the battery is dead and stops charging, but i dont always trust that function, if the battery is really drained i have to charge it for a while with an analogue charger to get the voltage up a tad to charge correctly with the electronic one.

Kodiak are fun bikes you will enjoy restoring it although it looks to be in good shape

Good I usually never have room for one

Thanks

Petroleum jelly does kind of melt and go away with heat. Silicone grease is definately better, longer lasting.

Lean would definately do it, i run into that a lot with aftermarket carbs, and cant adjust it out, glad you were able to.

I have not really experienced that , but good point. Thanks for the input.

Its been stuck there for a while, i dont see any deep gouges it should clean up well. If you are planning on trying to hone it out to the first oversize piston thats a job. I did it once and it didnt really come out that great, it worked but took forever, you know i will try anything once, but wouldnt do it again. I would get my piston and rings and take it to a machine shop, or around here we have motorcycle shops that do boring, 100.00 a hole. Thats 100 well spent if they do it right. The problem i had honing to the next size the hone stones didnt really stay where they were supposed to as they were spinning and they were ripples in the bore. You may have a better hone and it might work perfectly, but it didnt for me, plus it needs to be very exact piston to wall clearance.

The head looks good if the cylinder does not have deep gouges in it it should clean up good. I would mik the cylinder for wear just to see. Dont know your budget but since you have it all torn down it would be a good time to freshen all that up, if you plan on keeping it, a hard call. I am positive arctic cat used the suzuki 400 engine, not 100% positive of the 300 but i would guess that it is. I think i read somewhere that the engines were the same.

Glad you got it going, you have worked hard on it.