1995 bayou 300 4x4 question

[cincyems]

I have a 95 300 4x4 that I recently bought. Runs like a top!. While going through and cleaning it up, I noticed that the front wheels seem to have a slight lateral play in them. Lug nuts are tight. This is first 4 wheeler and just want to know if this is normal. Does not seem to effect performance. Just curious.

[99prairie400]

Shake your tires again but this time look back behind the wheel and see if the whole hub is rocking back and forth or if the CV shaft is twisting up inside of the hub. There certainly isn't supposed to wobble. If the whole hub turns a lttle then it's bad tie rod ends. If the CV shaft is moving inside of the hub it needs new front wheel bearings. Either way AllBalls Racing has a solution for you. They sell wheel bearings and tie rod ends for MUCH less than factory.

[86klf300guy]

hello i take it has side to side play in front end not up or down ....it is normal for slight movement side to side while the front end is offf the ground due to a little slop in the steering shaft but to check to see if the tie rod ends are bad have a friend hold the other wheel still while front tires off the ground and you lightly shake the tire side to side and see if ther is any movement or play in the tie rod ends then take and grab the tire at the top and bottom at 12:00 and 6:00 postion and push the tire at the top and bottom to check ball joint then put the quad back on the ground and wiggle the handle bars back and forth like you were turning quickly and see if the inner tie rod ends move still have your friend there to help out hope this may help out on checkin the front end steering and suspension -corey-

[cincyems]

To clarify a little more. If I place my hands on the 12 o'clock position of the tire and rock the quad back and forth, it feels like there is a slight/small wobble. Have ridden this quad a bunch, just trying to find out if I need to make some repairs.

[RCW]

The design used by Kawasaki relies on a sealed dual bearing assembly for the front wheel bearings. If properly installed there should be zero freeplay from side to side.

These also use ball joints top and bottom of the steering knuckle, and you will need to inspect both of those to make sure the slack is not there instead of in the wheel bearing assembly.

If you zip over to Kawasaki.com and follow the owner information links to the parts diagrams, and take a look at the front suspension assembly, you can get a very good visualization of how the front bearings and ball joints are constructed. That will help you with the inspection process.

Also take a look at the front axle assembly and the front hub unit. If the main shaft nut is loose, or not properly torqued, the hub will slide back and forth on the shaft splines. That is probably the most common cause of what you describe, and is easily fixed by removing the cotter pin and properly torquing the front axle nut.

Because the Bayou 300 is a serious and very long lived ATV that will easily last well over 25 years with proper care, I strongly recommend you pick up the repair manual. It will contain torque specifications, removal and inspection instructions, and walks you through each step. I believe the site sponsor has those manuals at a decent price, and I think they still offer a discount to forum members. Not quite as useful, but still OK for most use, repair manuals are also available from Clymer, Haynes, and Chilton.

[86klf300guy]

thats true on the life of a bayou mine is almost 23 yrs old and still have all the oe electicals (not the battery) the only thing is when i bought it for a 100$ i had to rebuild the top end and sum mods to the head etc but all is oe i change the the oil every 8 to 10 hrs and rear diff same unless i get into water then all gets changed everything also gets greased and rechecked everytime before i ride out...so with a little love and time itll last forever well ....25plus anyways so like rcw said get a manual and retorqe all bolts to spec because some bolts do vibrate loose etc what i did on my bolts and things that vibrated loose was drilled a hole in the bolt close to the nut and used safety wire and loctight to make sure i dont lose any fastners while ridein keep use posted on what you find out -corey-

[cincyems]

Hello all, well took a better look today and found that the front hubs were missing the washer that goes behind the main shaft nut. Replaced and now all is tight and well. Thanks RCW and all for the input. It's nice to know you can get answers from fellow owners that know.

[RCW]

I am happy to hear you found the culprit. I see quite a few machines that get drug to my farm shop in the winter when I have time to fool with them, and 99% of the troubles are simple and inexpensive issues. The 1% that are serious, and require big bucks, are usually owner initiated problems related to service.

Do pick up the repair manual, you will not regret that decision. It will pay for itself in the first year of ownership.

[86klf300guy]

good deal a cheap easy fix we likes them -corey