A few more ATV Questions

[greatwhite]

No can't afford to go new. To many other spending priorities as well. I don't mind used they can be made reliable if you put some effort into it.

GW . Is it really worth your time and cash to buy used bud ?. Buy new. I'll sell you a 2008 BB that has always been highly maintained because it could save my life some day . Funny thing is even with almost 5 k on it I would not sell it to you for what I would want . WHY ? Because I SAID SO DUMMY . buy NEW just not a POPO . Want my 400 BB " ? I'll just buy a newer one with what I take for me to part with it so don't be a dummy , bud .

TD

[greatwhite]

What did it cost you to replace the rings or did you do it yourself?

Mileage isn't a safe guide on an atv. You never know at what RPM those miles were logged. That being said my 400 big bear had 18000 km on it when I sold it. I always keep on top of oil changes and I think it was around 12000 that I changed the rings.

The older Suzuki bikes were great. The king quad although small and squat by todays standards was the king of the woods for many years. I know little to nothing about the newer suzies as they never struck my fancy.

[greatwhite]

I realize mileage isn't the everything. But even with great care engines do wear out. I was just wondering what the limits seem to be. The Quad 400 I see for sale the fella told me it has 15000 km's and that did seem a tad high he was asking 1400. Most the older machines I have seen have an average of 5000 or less (assuming the mileage is accurate).

[oaknut]

What did it cost you to replace the rings or did you do it yourself?

I did the rings myself. I think it cost me $80 all in. I was even able to leave the engine in the bike to do the work.

Dad had his 660 grizz rebuilt when it hit 9600 km or so and it cost him $2600 but these are a far more complex beast.

[rf2]

I bought my ATV with something like 1000 km on it, so if you are patient, you will be able to find the right deal.

If you do buy something with high mileage and you want to do some work on the engine, there is a great course offered by Algonquin College (Woodroffe Campus) http://www.algonquincollege.com/ccol...small-engines/. I took the course a few years ago. It is offered at night, I think once or twice a week, and it runs for a few months. During the course, you bring in a small engine and work on it under the supervision of the instructor and some technicians, using their shop tools. You do simple things like rebuild the carburettor, but you also do more complex tasks like change the head gasket, change the rings (if you want), check bearings, polish the cylinder etc. Depending on how fast you are, there may also be time at the end to work on other parts of the ATV. The advantages of taking the course is that you are forced to set aside some time every week to work on the machine, and you have the instructor's expertise available for all the repairs you want to do.

[TurkeyRookie]

My brother's has over 25,000 miles on it. All trail riding through Quebec. As mentioned, the number of miles is irrelevant, compared to were they hard miles, or easy miles.

[rockandbrush]

i have a 04 arctic cat 400 that has just over 7000 miles and is still working good

[greatwhite]

This is a good idea, although I am pretty good at repairing stuff it might be nice to learn it the easy way rather.

Thanks everyone your input is much welcomed as always.

I bought my ATV with something like 1000 km on it, so if you are patient, you will be able to find the right deal.

If you do buy something with high mileage and you want to do some work on the engine, there is a great course offered by Algonquin College (Woodroffe Campus) http://www.algonquincollege.com/ccol...small-engines/. I took the course a few years ago. It is offered at night, I think once or twice a week, and it runs for a few months. During the course, you bring in a small engine and work on it under the supervision of the instructor and some technicians, using their shop tools. You do simple things like rebuild the carburettor, but you also do more complex tasks like change the head gasket, change the rings (if you want), check bearings, polish the cylinder etc. Depending on how fast you are, there may also be time at the end to work on other parts of the ATV. The advantages of taking the course is that you are forced to set aside some time every week to work on the machine, and you have the instructor's expertise available for all the repairs you want to do.

[35wailin]

I've got an '05 honda 500 foreman ES right now with over 10 000km on it. Bought it last year from my father in law. A few cosmetic issues and I had to change the tie rod ends so far that's it. My buddy has a slightly newer king quad 450-500? No complaints about it. I also have an '06 Chinese quad with about 3500km, that is finished. Parts bike only.

[Fisherman]

i have a 04 arctic cat 400 that has just over 7000 miles and is still working good

How many miles of that is on the trailer behind the truck...