Getch

Thanks guys! I've been checking it every moning before I go to work...tire has not lost any more air so I think once I "tap" it back into shape, I should be OK.!

New to ATV's so have some general questions on best proctices and repairs. This weekend a buddy came over with his 4 wheeler. He is much more experieinced and in my haste to try to keep up, I seem to have dented a front rim a bit. That tire is noticably lost some air but it does not appear to be bad enough to go full flat. First, I think I can knock the dent back with a ball peen or a BFH and a cold chisel. Is there any other tips and fixing this sort of dent in the rim? Last question is on air pressure. I was very surprised at how low the pressure is recommended. The tires on the bike are Bear Claws. Rather aggressive tread. Is there any rule on pressure vs terrain? Does one always stay with the recommended or do you go over a bit in rockier stuff? I am not sure if the dent came from a rock or a tree stump. btw...pretty much thrashed the bike Saturday! It was a blast and it performed like a champ! Got stuck only once in some really deep muck on my property. Definately need to add a winch to it sooner than later!

you are correct sir....bottom is overflow.

bOY, i WOULD NOT SPEND $600 FOR A NEW CARB...Ebay has several I believe for far less than that. I am no expert by any means but if it were me, I think I would pull the carb and go through the rebuild steps just to make sure I did not mess up somewhere and that everything is where it should be and clean. PIA I know but it will give you peace of mind that you did it correctly or you'll find an issue. I am kind of on the fence when it comes to a replacement or not of the jets and hard parts in a carb when rebuilding. Floats, seals, needle valve sure. You could put that original jet back in a see what you get.

Maybe fuel petcock needs a good cleaning. Have you tested that? Pull fuel line off carb and place in a plastic water bottle then turn petcock on to make sure you have a nice flow of fuel. If its not steady flow...might need cleaning or replacing.

Two thumbs up! Very excited this morning. Temp was 26 degrees this morning so I decided to try a cold start on the Big Bear before heading to work. She fired right up! Awsome!

Yeah mine would not start/run with the air filter one either...turns out the foam filter was so laden with dirt and oil no air could get through. I'm no expert on carbs but read that if will only run on choke, then either carb is dirty. Perhaps bad gas or carb out of adjustment. Did you do a full carb kit rebuild or clean and reassemble?

Thanks All! This is a great site! Do plan to use the ethanol additive. I use stabil on all my stuff at presently. Great stuff for sure. Held up the fuel in my "race car" for about a 5 year storage. Was really amazed.

Not saying you are as green as I am on bikes...but the same issue happened to me when I put my carb back on. My problem had to do with my own stupidity...I was assuming gas was getting into the carb bowl. It was not. I had petcock on, but level was low enough to require reserve setting....I'm new to "ON" vs "RES"! Switched over to reserve and she fired right up. Boy did I feel silly. Also +2 on the plug check. I was actually able to remove mine without a tool. It was just finger tight....but that is another story!

FYI...My owners manual does not specifically state this but the Service manual does. Remove the shifter peg and access to that lower allen head is easy. I am new to bikes and thought simply loosening the bolt on the shifter was enough to remove...not the case on the 1990 I have. Remove the bolt completely and the shifter slips right off.

I noticed this as well on my 1990 Big Bear after full fluid change and filter cleaning. Before the oil change, zero smoke at start-up/idle. Afterwards, smokes a bit on initial start but clears up after warmed up. Kind attributing to the fact that maybe poor oil circulation due to very clogged oil filter in my case and age of the bike systems. Planning on valve adjust but not sure that will make any difference in start up smoking. I'll be watching for additional tips too.

FYI....trick I learned recently with stuck brake bleeder screws. Heat real good, then immediately quench with cold water, then apply the wrench. They loosened right up with very little effort. Worked great on 2 very stuck bleeders on my car. Unsure if this can/should be used in the oil filter bolts or not for you machine. Mine has a couple wires right there so caution on those with the heat.

FYI...Worked on the brakes this past weekend. found that either dad-in-law (unlikely) or the shop that serviced the bike had the cam holder mounted out of spec. The raised indicator line was pointing straight down vs directly to the rear. I am not sure that really matters or no because once I put it back to "normal" and reinstalled everything am am back to nearly no additional adjustment as the pads wear. The pads looked nearly new. Still tons of "meat" on them. I did adjust and the pedal feel better now. Also found the reverse lockout cable is unconnected and appears frozen....but thats another story.

More observations and questions on this new to me bike. The rear brakes work OK but its obvious that they are in need of attention. It appears to me that the brake lever has been slightly bent at somepoint in its life. Another observation is the pedal travel is huge so I use the hand brake instead. Both cable adjusters are cinched all the way down as far as they can go. I have yet to pull the wheel and inspect the pads yet. I suppose my real question is does what I've described suggest need for new pads and cables or should new pads only get my adjusters, etc back into a more "normal" state like whats is shown in the service manual pictures? Also, I think I might be able to bend the lever back but seriously wondering if it really needs to be corrected. It is definately "off" a bit but not very much. Thoughts?

thanks again! not really working it since it has been unused for so long I've been mainly giving the kids rides around the yard so far. This weekend I'll get the proper ATV oil and run thru another change.