Any ATV enthusiast out there? We had a friend moving that had to sell off some of his toys and we bought 1999 Yamaha 350 Bear Tracker 4x4 (I think) from him. The wife and I thought it would be nice to have one at our mountain home to run a round on and this fellow is a commercial airline mechanic that is a maintenance fanatic so we thought this would be a good one to buy. To be honest I don't know much about ATV's and bought this because of who was selling it.
Our property is very steep and I wanted to know if there are any tricks, like on tractors, to improve side slope stability. I have seen on the web that spacers are available to widen the wheel track. This would seem to be a good way to gain stability but I am concerned about increasing the turning radius. That is the only other thing that I wish were better on the machine. Any hints any of you have would be appreciated?
Mark -- I've been riding for years and could offer all sorts of advice, but the best I could give would be for you to contact your local dealer and sign up for the ATV riding safety course. It's free, and they actually put you through some situations (high speed turns, traversing slopes, etc) while teaching you the safe way to do it.
And learn the local laws regarding use of ATVs on other's property. I have had a problem with a few bozo's who dig big ruts in the mud and leave their beer cans all over. I finally blocked my property with large rocks. Now it's not open to anyone on an ATV. I will reopen it for the snowmobilers though. They have local clubs that cultivate good relations with land owners and do self policing. They even throw a dinner for the local land owners to thank them for the use of their property.
We have horses and I dread to think what one of these ATV bozo's will do if we meet on the trail. The law is on my side, but you have to catch them. It's just sad that a few inconsiderate bozo's can ruin it for everyone. [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img]
Congrats on the new ATV. I have a couple of "toys" myself. Check them out on my yahoo photos page. http://photos.yahoo.com/vamangano My newest one is a 02 yamaha raptor 660r. Fun fun [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Definitely do the safety course. You'll learn a lot. You probably learn this anyway, but leaning is good to remember. Not only on hills, but also making quick tight turns. Not just leaning your upper body, mind you, but getting your keister off the seat!
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