# bruin / grizzly 350 4x4



## tyler'sgrizz

i need to find out why my grizzly is smoking so badly first of all. so that i can sell it, and my honda recon to buy a used 04 bruin 350 4x4 with 10hrs on it and 28in swamp lites with ss12 wheels from a used atv dealer. 

any body have a bruin? what is the difference between it and the grizzly 350? reliable? 

and why is my grizzly puffing out a huge cloud of smoke when i drive it? it has to be something with the valves? the smoke smells like oil and the inside of the exhaust is coated with oil as well. 

it knocks bad. is it an oil control ring? i dont want to open it up. valve adjustment? it cant be that simple. please help me as soon as possible and give me some pros and cons of the bruin. thanks everyone


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## phreebsd

Looking like top end work is in need. Rings for certain, more by the sounds id it


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## gpinjason

The Grizzly probly needs a rebuild, the rings are gone, and possibly more than that... you will have to open it up to see what's all damaged

The Bruin is the same as the Grizzly, except I believe the Bruin is MANUAL shift, and Grizzly is Automatic... As far as reliability, I'm sure it is very reliable, depending on how you maintain it.. I have a 400 Kodiak, and it's a very reliable bike... just keep up with maintenance, and it will last forever!


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## tyler'sgrizz

thanks guys. now i need some advice. i sold my recon last night for $1200. i can sell the grizzly the way it is for $2300 and use the money from both to buy the bruin. or i can use the money from the recon and get a top and bottom end rebuild for the grizzly. i'm leaning towards the bruin because its almost brand new. i really dont need a 600. a 350 would be perfect for my small self. whadya think? thanks


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## byrd

thats all in ur preference but i love having more bike than what i need cuz sometimes u need a lil more umf... to get the job done and a 350 doesnt have much extra umf...


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## Roboquad

Tyler, you planning on getting any bigger? just putting it out there. big guys on little bikes are like fat girls in compact cars.. _*It just don't fit*_...


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## tyler'sgrizz

i'm 14 and a half and only like 125lbs. a bruin is the perfect size for me. the mud around here doesn't require huge engines to get through ut


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## brute21

I had a bruin a few years back. It is a good reliable bike and for your age it will outlast you but I bet when you turn 16 you are going to want to go and buy a bigger bike. That being said I would take the money you have and fix the grizzly you have because nobody will buy that bike smoking for the price your asking.


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## plow0

hey man, im 17 and when i was 14 i bought a bruin 350 thinking that it was the perfect size for me and all..then after a few months i was like woww this is getting borring! if i was you i'd get an older 660 grizzly like an 02 or 03 for reall cheap. you will never out grow a 660.

If money isn't an option i'd go with the 650i brute


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## tyler'sgrizz

UPDATE: I called a local mechanic that can do a side job and fix up the grizzly for half the price he claims. hes coming by today to tell me whats wrong with it and give me a quote. i'm guessing its going to involve valve work, piston and rings, cylinder bore, and possibly a crank as i suspect it has play in it. its got to. $1200 should be enough to cover all of this shiz right? i also had an offer for the grizzly for $2000 yesterday so i'm still thinking i could get $2300 if i threw in a winch. so at this point in time i'm leaning towards getting the 600 fixed depending on the quote. if i get the smoking and knocking fixed the bike is mint.


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## tyler'sgrizz

what a friggin slap in the face. he says its the timing chain, crank, piston, recoat the cylinder, rings, and cam. and if i get all of that done theres no guarantee its going to run after its put back together. or at the least its just piston and rings. he says the only way to tell is to open it up and see. he will charge $400 just to open it up and inspect. it will either run knock and smoke for ever or it will blow up on me at somepoint in time. so i'm going to sell it and take the best offer. let it be someone elses headache. ****


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## gpinjason

That guy sounds like an idiot.. If u can't do it urself, get rid of it... U will just get ripped off if someone else does the work...


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## byrd

gpinjason said:


> That guy sounds like an idiot.. If u can't do it urself, get rid of it... U will just get ripped off if someone else does the work...


:agreed:


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## tyler'sgrizz

i'm selling it. i can at least get $2000 but i think i could get more


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## gpinjason

I don't think you will get more than 2000 with the engine smoking and knocking....


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## tyler'sgrizz

now i had another dude come out and tell me its just piston and rings. WTF?


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## gpinjason

you aren't going to be able to tell what exactly it is without tearing the engine apart...


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## tyler'sgrizz

worth the chance? should i tell him to do it. hes cheap


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## gpinjason

It's your money.. Find out how much he will charge JUST to tear it apart and assess the damage.. then if that seems like a reasonable price, then get him to tear it down, and once it's down, you go look at all the parts, and he gives you a quote on how much it will cost to replace all that needs replacing... just remember, if he does all that work, and you don't wanna pay him, then he will keep your engine... I know I would... If this is an actual repair shop, then I would probably trust him to work on it, but if it's just some guy that says "Hey I'll fix it for ya" then you might end up getting ripped off.. If it's someone you know really good, then I say go for it.. 

If it was me, I would get a repair manual, and start tearing it down myself... it's not that hard if you can follow directions... but like I said, it's all up to you!


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## tyler'sgrizz

he owns a small engine shop. so i trust him. i'm gonna give it a go.


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## duramaxlover

man im just here to same im 5'8 200lb and idk what yall mean a bruin doesnt have power mine will set my fat but all the way to the back of the seat and its just got a 2inch tip and mudlites but it will be different soon hopfully but it is a really good bike never had problems with it


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## IBBruin

duramaxlover said:


> idk what yall mean a bruin doesn't have power


Not in comparison to the mighty V-Twin :bigok:


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## tacoma_2002

First off, if its knocking thats automatically a rod/crank replacement. Your jug will have to be bored and a new oversized piston installed. Timing chain is really cheap insurance, so don't build it without replacing yours. The valve guide seals should also be replaced while its torn down. IMO the guys pretty close on the price of rebuilding the bike. After parts and machine work you'll probably have at least 500 in it if you do it yourself and shop around for parts.

Buy a $20 repair manual and DIY!!!!


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## tyler'sgrizz

thx. i decided that i'm going to sell it. and pay for my new sportsman. thx. and also, how much longer will it go with a bad crank? thats what the mechanic said it needed. he says it could last for ever with the bad crank or die next time you ride it. what are your thoughts? thanks


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## tacoma_2002

I rebuilt my 300 (new piston, bore, rings timing chain, the whole 9yrds) and it had a bad crank...I only got about 10hrs of use out of it before the rings went completely out. When all the rings go out it won't have enough compression to run. Or if the rod turns loose you'll have a good sized hole in the cases.


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## tyler'sgrizz

i think its smoking because it has no rings. i bought some bardahl oil no smoke additive that seals sticking valves and will seal up the piston rings. thats what was reccomended to me by a mechanic


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## tyler'sgrizz

*Why could my ATV be smoking?*

first off i'm selling my grizzly. it will need a top end rebuild in the future. i'm trying to sell it but with this horrible smoking it wont sell. 

here is what i think i should do. 

clean carb
adjust valves
change rings. 

the smoke is blue.

it turned out that the retarded owner sold it to me when the oil drain plug was loose. some of the oil drained out but not all of it. it smoked a little but then but when i filled up the atv oil to the proper level the smoke just started to blow out of the exhaust like crazy. it smells like its burning oil and the exhaust is coated with oily stuff inside. 

burning oil? why? what do i do to stop it? the piston shouldn't have anything to do with the smoking problem. besides the rings. i need help fast i'm going to start tearing into it tomorrow. thanks


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## IBBruin

Oil ring broken or collapsed on the piston is your most likely candidate. I dont' know the guy you bought it from but it sounds like he may have let some of the oil out of it so it wouldn't smoke when you bought it, left the drain plug use as an excuse for it being low of oil and told it was working fine when he had it.


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## 08GreenBrute

rings and maybe valves


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## tyler'sgrizz

IBBruin said:


> Oil ring broken or collapsed on the piston is your most likely candidate. I dont' know the guy you bought it from but it sounds like he may have let some of the oil out of it so it wouldn't smoke when you bought it, left the drain plug use as an excuse for it being low of oil and told it was working fine when he had it.


 
the guy was an a**. 
i'm going to buy an oil ring and get to know my manual. it should stop smoking after i install the oil ring and the piston ring sets right?


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## tacoma_2002

Not without a bore and hone. The rings wear the jug down enough to make them not seal properly. With bore you'll also have to have a new oversize piston (probably a .010 over). 

As I stated in your previous thread; You might as well replace your timing chain/tensioners/slides and valve guide seals while your into it that far. A master gasket kit will have all the seals and gaskets you need.


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## tyler'sgrizz

heres what i'm going to do. i'm going to make this a project for the winter. work on it a little here and there. replace the rings, rod bearing, bore the cylinder, new piston and sell it. i have a friend who is a car mechanic and he says he will help me.


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## IBBruin

If it's not making any knocking noise, I'd hone it, put a set of rings in it and put it back together since you're going to sell it anyway. Just be up front with whoever you sell it to.

"It was smoking when I got it and I put a set of rings in it"


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## gpinjason

IMO, the guy who sold it to you isn't the retard... when you buy a used bike you should inspect everything on it before you take delivery... so it's your own fault that your bike is smoking... that being said, you are right that it's gonna be hard to sell a smoking bike, and the only way to figure out what exactly needs to be replaced is to tear it apart and inspect everything inside... get a manual and check tolerances on everything... then buy the parts needed, change them out, and it should be good to go... 

and just like Bruin said, when you do get it fixed, before you sell it, you should be honest with the buyer and tell them that you rebuilt it because it was smoking... that way they don't call you a retard if something messes up on it after they buy it...


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## tyler'sgrizz

i am VERY HONEST and am always up front with any problem. i'm looking to sell it to a mechanic or someone who knows what they're doing. i will bore it, put in new rings fix the smoking and say it needs a crank. which is the 100% truth. this was my first bike ive ever bought used. ni wasn't very smart back then


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## BigBearOnOutlaws

get rid of it i got rid of my smoking 03 big bear and a 99 400ex that ran perfect, and traded even for a 2008 red brute force 650 sra with vision wheels and 28s!


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