Alabama - Out of the woods comes
Yamaha’s latest ATV. The Big Bear series has
taken yet another turn from its original facet and
now pinpoints the enthusiast who wants to play in
the deepest muck and mire. Yes the team over at Yamaha
had quite a time trying to narrow down an ATV that
was rider specific. The new Big Bear targets riders
from the southern state of Texas all the way over
to Georgia and those in between.
This region’s most popular ATV of choice
is the Air-cooled 5 speed 4x4 market. It seems that
the consumer likes to take a dependable four-wheel
drive ATV and put it in the most adverse conditions.
And this is where Yamaha’s Travis Hollins
began preparing for the development of the new Big
Bear 400. So off we go to Middle Eastern Alabama
for some serious off road fun at the Dirty Dog Off
Road Park. This place is known for its deep mud
drags and serious swamp like conditions that will
surely serve up some messy conditions. With a brand
new machine and plenty of varying conditions we
began looking at what would get us through the day.
The New Big Bear has a fully independent front
and rear suspension setup. There is 10.5 inches
of maximized ground clearance included free of charge
with this Bear. The rear independent suspension
puts the “snag” center up just a bit
higher allowing the Big Bear to cross more obstacles
without getting stuck on them. This will also allow
the tires to dig for better traction. As with a
solid axle the ride tends to be just a bit rough,
but adding the IRS to the rear of the Big Bear it
seems to soften it out and it makes the ride easier
for those long days out on the trail. We found that
the truth was evident on all these especially for
the tires.
| |
|
| The
Big Bear has always been at home in the mud,
but with its new independent rear suspension
boosting an impressive 10.5" of ground
clearance along with the addition of fully-locking
differential. The Big Bear can explore even
deeper mud pits right off the showroom floor
especially since it now also comes equipped
with the popular ITP Mud Lite tires with an
appetite for mud.
|
The tire of choice for the new Big Bear didn’t
take very long as the only tire with a muddy rep
in its background had to be the ITP Mudlite. It
has become the best selling aftermarket mud tire
in the industry and that’s another number
one for Yamaha. Yamaha surprised the industry by
taking an aftermarket product, which performs the
best in its class, and placing it onto their new
machine. The Big Bear comes straight from the dealer
floor with the shoes it needs to get into some serious
mud. Not only does the ITP Mudlite give up complete
mud traction in the deep stuff but also it is lightweight
in design and this will make your steering a lot
easier. But this isn’t the only extremely
attractive selling point that has been made in the
Big Bear 400.
| |
|
For long lasting and non-fading
rear braking action, the Big Bear is now equipped
with a sealed wet brake, which isn’t
affected by harsh mud riding conditions. |
The guys over in the Newnan Georgia plant wanted
to make a statement about reliability and we think
they have hit a home run. Developing an ATV for
the mud is one thing but making it last is another.
The rear brakes on the Big Bear 400 have been enclosed
in the same casing that houses the rear gears. This
not only seals them from outside elements it makes
them last a lot longer. Yamaha claims to have the
longest lasting rear brakes in its class because
with 5 discs and in a reverse clutch style operation
the rear brakes should last the life of the ATV
in normal riding conditions. As we rode through
the many miles of trails and hitting each muddy
pond on our way I noticed the rear brakes were always
dependable. I still felt the front slipping due
to the amounts of water and mud they were placed
in but I relaxed knowing I could count on the rear
brakes at any time.
And then there was the newly redesigned 386cc four-stroke
single cylinder power plant. The first thing I noticed
about the Big Bears engine was its air-cooled design.
The air-cooled engine is such a rider friendly feature
and it helps eliminate problems with a clogged radiator
and over heating not to mention the added weight
reduction by removing the radiator and other components.
This was good but how do you keep an air cooled
engines oil stable while digging deep into mud which
acts as a big coat for the motor and holding heat
in? Well the designers didn’t let us down
on that one either as they added 30% more cooling
space to the oil cooler and moved it up and under
the front fenders to help keep out the debris that
might clog it up. Yamaha is serious about this mud
monster.
| |
|
| The
proven 386cc SOHC air cooled engine remains
at the heart of the Big Bear, but the oil
cooler is 33% larger and moved higher in the
chassis for improved engine cooling
|
The carburetion on this Big Bear is a standard
Mikuni 33mm and leaves the general mechanic in control
of maintenance by keeping it simple. Working on
the Big Bear is a breeze and that’s what Yamahas
intentions were. The team over at Yamaha wanted
a user and mechanic friendly ATV. They also kept
the ignition simple by using the standard DC-CDI
type ignition.
Engine breaking has long been a subject in the
4x4 ATV arena and the Big Bear is no stranger to
this. There is enough engine breaking to be helpful
yet not overbearing, and I guess if it comes included
in the low price point of the Big Bear it has to
be just another great feature, which is yet another
place where Yamaha has hit the bull’s-eye.
The transmission in the Big Bear is a 5-speed auto
clutch design that includes a reverse gear. The
Yamaha Big Bear has a limited slip and fully lockable
shaft driven drive train, which is all-selectable,
by the pressing of a button on the right side of
the handlebars. This is where I seemed to have my
only regrets with the Big Bear. First gear has become
the pulling gear as it is low, low and there is
really no other use for this, the primary gear for
the Big Bear. Second gear is more like a real first
gear and it seems that it would work better in that
first position. The gearing is spread far apart
from second to third but then remains consistent
from there to 5th. Perhaps just a slight change
in the transmission to equal out the variety of
ratios would be better suited for the Big Bear.
Depending on what gear we were in really gave us
varying opinions of the engines performance. Overall
the transmission changed through the gears easily
and gave little trouble.
The plastics on the New Big Bear gave us maximum
protection, and with the addition of the full floorboards,
I felt even more confident that I wouldn’t
need the extra goggles and socks I had brought along.
The seating was even more plush this year as Yamaha
added more cushion to the padded areas for improved
comfort. The color choices vary from a Yamahas Steel
blue to Red, Hunter Green and Hardwoods HD Camo.
There are Dual Krypton 30 watt multireflector headlights
and a super bright Tail Light.
| |
|
| Nothing
fancy about the dash, but it provides the
basics with a Speedometer/odometer & fuel
gauge along with the key and reverse engagement
knob |
Just
like the Grizzly, the Bear Big features the
three-way On-Command system featuring push-button
2WD/4WD and 4WD with differential lock |
The speed-o is so simple and it only has an Odometer
included with it. The fuel gauge is mounted into
the tank and is nothing short of simplistic. This
is a Mud riders machine and it should be easy enough
for even the slightly mechanically inclined to care
for. And should the battery get low in the winter
months a tug on the pull start will get you on your
way.
Our overall impression of the Big Bear for 2007
is this machine is right on task. Southern gentlemen
everywhere will become mudbugs for life with just
a few hours on this machine.
www.yamaha-motor.com
