Big Bear Gets Some New Bear Claws

In this video the Big Bear 400 gets some new bear claws! Kenda bear claw tires that is. We also talk a little about your feelings on tire slime and aftermarket front calipers.
-Enjoy!

[@TheRealEricO]

*Full set of Kenda Bear Claw (6ply) 25x8-12 and 25x10-12* - amzn.to/3yivUlq

[@jtjones4727]

299 doesn't seem like too bad a price for a 4 pack of Kenda's. Of course I'm getting too old for ATV's, the last time we owned an ATV it was one of the old Red Yamaha 3 wheelers, back in my childhood. Must have been an 81 or 82 model year. Talk about a death trap by the way, the old 3 wheelers, what a way to break your neck.

[@remogaggi82]

You never fail to make me smile. Never in my life did I think I would hear a hawk tuah reference on your channel but here we are. 😂

[@andygirke846]

lol

[@MrHunt1701]

damn near Pee Peed myself and spit dinner all over the screen yes it was worth it LMAO

[@markymark5281]

I have. Yamaha Wolverine with aftermarket calipers...had the same problem as yours, so I gambled on a rebuild kit from RockyMountain ATV and now the brakes work fine. I think it was around $25 per kit made by All Balls Racing

[@ryancasey4807]

Used to agree on the tire slime with you but since we moved to "Multi Seal FlatOut w/kevlar" we've never gone back. I've seen that stuff "heal" tires on tractors so dry rotted you could see though them. I had a 1 inch branch go through my quad tire and my tires were pre-loaded with it and when we pulled the branch I didn't even hear a pssst noise. Never rusted any lf the rims its been in, doesnt break down, washes off with water and for me most importantly being in the rust belt it doesnt freeze hard in the coldest of winter, just gets goopy. Plus it tested really well on project farms video. Never let us down in the almost decade we've had it in service. Slime is still good stuff, fix a flat shoule be banned, ms butterworth works better than fix a flat.

[@brianwatson9789]

I always love Eric O videos. This one even more because he just explained why I have spongy front brakes on my quad.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

I have had great success using Oem caliper rebuild Kits in the aftermarket calipers Eric O they work Great after rebuild nice Stiff Brake Feel it does correct the Bleed off and spongy feel on these Big bear Atvs 21:10 @Eric O - After Hours

[@MadWilly66]

I LOVE old, classic machines. My first car was a '77 Ford LTD. I could sit on the dog house while working on the motor. I could stand on the suspension, if needed. The only electronics it had was a 'brain box' - precursor to full on car computers.

[@SmittySmithsonite]

That right there is why I sold every vehicle I own built after 1995. Now my newest is a 1994 model, and my oldest is a 1966. My motorcycle is a 1974 two stroke. I couldn’t be happier!😎

[@kevinfergusson8239]

Well said Eric. The modern stuff is stupidly overly complicated. Easier to fix when required. Gotta keep the wife happy, leads to a happy life.😊

[@andybonneau9209]

I'm good with tire slime, as long as it's a low speed tire. Nice to have a tire machine, especially with smaller tires.

[@gr7485]

I'm in my 70s, still ride a XC mountain bike. We have cacti out along the trial so it's fairly easy to get a flat. For a few years now I've been using Specialized Airlock tubes. They come with the sealant already in the tube so no mess to deal with. So far they've done the job they're supposed to do.

[@andrewb8548]

Ratchet strap helps seat the beads on ATV tires at the 25-30 lbs recommended "max" pressure.

[@schifoso]

On my MTBs, slime worked pretty good for small punctures and with initial sidewall leakage. It also had decent longevity and was cheaper than the Stans system (which I found needed sealant replacement more frequently). Before these solutions were available, I'd cut a tube down the middle, stretch it over the rim, mount the tire, cut off the excess tube and finally use liquid latex from a crafts store. This worked OK but you couldn't run the lower PSIs you can with the new tubeless systems. If you like to MTB you should come and check out the North Shore. Lots of great riding around here.

[@richbutinski1367]

It's a good call putting that slime in... back in the days having the shop, we used to get this pink stuff that actually had fiberglass shreds in it ( similar to the stuff that's put in concrete), come in 5 gallon pails...had a cheap tire mounted and actually had the customer drill a 3/16 hole in it to show what it was capable of filling a puncture....was a great selling point...nice tires, looks like I'll be putting on a set...

[@petermccoll469]

Fun watching work on those machines. I've never thought of the slime in the mower tires, I'll have to give it a try vs. patching tires several times a year.

[@ronallen6578]

Several things----That Slime dispenser sure could use a redesign. What a damn mess 😮😮😮 Didn't see you balance those new tires, but I'm sure you did 😂😂 How about a little cleanup on those tires and some tire shine afterwards. Got an image to maintain😅😅

[@kevinkoepke8311]

Slime in my 2 wheel dolly is great. I don't use it that often, but when I do, it's ready. Thanks, Eric!

[@COBRO98]

Lmaooo Eric woke up choosing VIOLENCE with this video Mrs O gave him some caffeine

[@PCDoctorUSA]

I've used Slime in a fat tire e-bike, and it got me home on a couple of occasions. I'm a fan.

[@mrb1864]

Simple machines, amen, that same church I go to, Most of my vehicles and equipment is 20 years and older, works great, cheap and easy fix and generally don't need much fixing once catch up with service items and minor issues . Plenty time & money left enjoy better things in life 🙂

[@jimandnena4]

I agree on older is better. Nena has a 97 Explorer. Bought it in 2002. 2 water pumps, 2 radiators, plugs, wires, oil/filter changes, wiper blades. Passes inspection every year. Oh, and 2 batteries.

[@timothypaetsch8690]

The audio on this video was good...but I couldn't see anything....those LEGS were blinding...lol.😊

[@111macdruid111]

Indeed. Reminded me of that old joke. "Hey buddy! Are those your legs or are you riding an ostrich?" I shouldn't throw stones. Fish belly white myself! Quite common here in Wisco...

[@jondoef]

I feel your pain Eric, it seems like I need more and more "me time" as I get older.

[@fredflintstone8048]

Bill Cosby told the truth. As we get older we want peace and quiet.

[@Michael-yi4mc]

My grandpa as a kid in the Great Depression stuffed grass in his bike’s flat tire.

[@CARyan08]

😆😆😆😆

[@SPIN1963_]

That still works in an MTB race.

[@vincentbyron7086]

Same here in Ireland. Hay was also used

[@shadow7796]

The tire slime is a good idea if you go out and ride it a while immediately after putting it in. If you let it set up by not riding it immediately, it will all set on one side. If you run it immediately, it will distribute itself evenly around the inside of the tire. Check with DB Electrical for a fan. They supply All Balls and a few other large brands with their electric atv fans at half the cost you'd pay those brands. $65 for the fan on my 500 Rubicon, compared to about $125 for the same fan from All Balls.

[@knighthawk86855]

Old mower guy trick.... Standard ATF in the tire, it keeps the rubber plyable so it seals any hole that comes along, even seals most dry rot cracks till you can get new tires.

[@ricksavage582]

Slime worlks reat in low speed applications, like you said. I use it in turf equipment and it works great. Ive tried to use it in my car and it would shake your teeth out trying to go highway speeds. It would be okay if you used it in a pinch to get you to a place to have a flat fixed properly.

[@theimaginator16]

I highly enjoy your tire videos. They're restive for me. It takes me back to watching my Mom's mechanic do our tires when I was a wee young lad. 🥰

[@johnphillips770]

I'm with you on this older equipment, my newest machine is a 2000 polaris,and purchased off Craigslist of course

[@dannytoner1738]

We use Amerseal tire sealant in mowers and a few tires on farm equipment. Works really well. It's a white goo and it feels like there is some sort of fiber material in it.

[@kevinferger9897]

There was a conversion kit out there that makes that machine go from full time 4x4 to part time using a cable setup. I believe they sell it on Amazon or ebay. Makes steering a lot easier

[@kevinferger9897]

They might have discontinued it but you might find one one ebay. I know there's one for honda

[@petersmart1999]

I put slime in one of my dollie tires,do to a small hole in one of the tires. Worked great,except for the time I was rollin a furnace through a house and it somehow started shooting out as a high pressure spray,it was on the ceiling,the walls and the floor! Still use it though.

[@warddc]

I have an '02 Suzuki king quad 4x4 300. Love it. Bought it new and use it for everything here on the farm. Like you say, simple. Easy to fix.

[@jameswallner4300]

We only use Flat Out in our e-bikes tires. Works great

[@jmcenterprises9591]

Great video. I seriously wonder if it makes sense for the average weekend wrench turner to buy a tire machine and mount and balance our own tires. I would also need to buy an air compressor. I am sick of dealing with the tire shops.

[@hahaha12345678993]

i love me some bear claws, the pastry kind

[@calholli]

The crisper kind... and throw in the cream filling. Now you're talking

[@NoPlanProjects]

I worked at a landscaping company years ago. So many flat tires. I started putting sealant in every tire except the trucks. Tractors, mowers, skid steers.... The time I spent fixing tires was cut in half after that. I still do it for all of my own tires. Not a fan of the slime though. Lots of places to buy a 5 gallon bucket and nice pump. The pump I have is graduated by ounces too. Makes getting the right amount in super easy.

[@AlexWhyte901]

Love the after hours Eric!! You have some great channels man. Please say Hi to Mrs. O!!

[@bennewman5192]

Multi seal is pretty awesome. We use it for our equipment tires that would always go flat. Says it will seal 3/4" Not sure if thats true but works great.

[@rustyredram7197]

I have a 2001 Yamaha wolverine, its got the big 350cc. Bought it new and it is a very similar machine to your big bear, almost identical. I ran the Kenda bear claws for many years over rocks, sand, mud, tree branches, snow plowing, yard work and I do believe in the slime. However, I did not need to run the slime in those tires until they were very worn (probably should have bought a new set sooner) but the slime saved me a few more years until I replaced them. Thanks for all the great videos!

[@johnchambers12]

As a retired guy i love the fact Mrs. O tries to keep you in line. This is Your Man Cave! Good Video! If you like old and crude, you missed a big sale of old and crude at DD’ Speed Shop ( KZbin Channel)

[@johnbrossack3791]

A friend of mine and I ran Honda ATV's on a hunting lease in Gonzales, TX., in the early '00's. We used SLIME in all of the tires because the place was covered with thorny mesquite bushes and you couldn't avoid them. It worked great. We did have a compressor at the that we occasionally needed to pump up tires, but otherwise no issues.

[@lawrencepevitts2434]

Neat trick with leaving the air in the tire when breaking the bead.

[@syncronisity1]

Use tire slime in my riding mower tires, and my mountain bike tires, and I love it.

[@mattiask2406]

I watch all your content on both channels, love it. Love your story time and I can relate so much to the thing about me time you said in the last part of the video. I’m also a mechanic so I have to deal with a lot of stupidity.

[@Derrick-t3o]

Love slime. If I wouldn’t use it on the farm I think all I would do is fix tires. 👍👍

[@michiganracer1181]

Used the slime with great results, never put it in a tire that didn't leak though. The old quads rule had a 1999 Suzuki king quad 4WD chain drive it was a working beast. Never had an issue until I tried to jump start it with my truck, while the truck was running, well you probably know how that ended..🥴 some new parts and she was back to work. Snow plowed for 15 years with that thing.

[@mrcogginsgarage7062]

It may be wet and it may be smelly but you'll never get stuck with KY Jelly With regard to your front brakes Eric One of my customers has an old Honda big red on which the front calipers were absolutely Mullard he got a pair of aftermarket replacement calipers and was suffering from exactly the same problem as your having so I stripped of the calipers that he had fitted and put a light pressure spring in each which if memory serves well came from the carburettor dashpot and the problem with having to pump the brakes disappeared and several years later has yet to return hope this may be of some help .

[@calholli]

If you go drive in sand.. You can flip your tires to the other side and that V-shape tread will act kinda like a scooping paddle tire. It does surprisingly well. I've had a lot of Kenda's in my time. I've had actual Kenda paddle tires too: and their paddle was quite stiff and worked great on dirt. They seem to really make their treads useful everywhere.

[@W62315]

Love the Alkaline Trio call-out. Good memories!

[@jakewsimon]

Slime is great stuff for emergencies in automotive in my experience. However let's just to get you where you need to go if you've already burned the spare. I agree 💯 on the quads and mowers though especially with the trash tires you get nowadays.

[@whatsthatnoise954]

Slime does work great in small tires for pressure washers and wagons and stuff.

[@douglasthompson2740]

I gotta go to a new bar. Never had the 'slime' controversy stir up a head of foam. Not even once! I will bow to your opinion. Even slime goes better with beer!!

[@dougray7921]

Slime! Awesome! Quart jug per tire in UTV, drive over a Mesquite tree. No leaks

[@audikris]

Yep. I LOVE my 1997 Honda Foreman. Starts every time, works every time.

[@kevinj6874]

I have a 98 Honda Forman 450ES. Use it every fall to pull logs out of the woods for firewood. Still a working Beast.

[@glennwolfe1663]

My '87' 350 4tracs is an awesome runner. Only major issue was fuel system and a new elec pump resolved that issue. Oh yeah, 4 new tires too. Eric that's for all the great videos. 👍👍👍👍👍🫠😺🐺

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Nice Kenda Bear Claw Evo Tires There Eric O. Going to look good when your done @Eric O - After Hours

[@TheJesusno2]

Those old quads are the best, but man do seen em come into my shop just haggard! As far as brakes go i would look for used OEM calipers and rebuild them most aftermarket kits, from places like K&L are really good quality

[@MrCheeto01]

Tire slime is a great substitute for mayonnaise in potato salad as it won’t go bad if it gets warm at picnics

[@briangillam9636]

Totally agree on the slime, particularly in mowers!

[@rowlandpichey6602]

Glad to see you have time for fun on the Big Bear!! You are so busy!!

[@Michael-yi4mc]

Nice to see Eric balancing work and play.

[@CraigArndt]

I had a set on those on a Kawasaki Brute Force, great choice. My Can-Am wheels/tires were balanced and that was the smoothest ride on an atv I've ever had. I need to rebalance them, makes a huge difference as you can imagine.

[@TarZan49]

Never been on a quad. But I always watch and enjoy Eric O doing anything.

[@ericpaul4575]

I recently got Slime filled tubes for my cruiser bikes. Not got enough miles to tell if they work but I was getting sick of pushing my bike home when I got flats from nails.

[@privateer0561]

Love the attitude about the crude. I have an '06 Caravan and a '97 Lexus LS400. Caravan just needed a fuel pump and a power steering pump. $300 for parts and did it myself in two afternoons. The Lexus just needed an alternator; $140, did it myself with a few hand tools. Rock Auto (bought the quality units/new alternator) No problems with either and just a few hand tools in the driveway. No CANbus systems, no flashing this/reprogramming that. Down the road...

[@Todd66]

Going tubeless is great, I will never go back… but my first time was a little nerve racking. I was more focused on the tires and the feeling, super worried my rim tape would not hold. It held fine and after a couple of rides I never worried again. It’s amazing how many punctures my tires have…I only knew about the few that I had to pull stuff out of, other than that I don’t think I even lost 1psi….going tubeless you can run really low psi. I used Stan’s also. Best choice ever. Only flat I ever had since going tubeless was from a massive spear that was left over from someone grinding away a stump. I would suggest anyone that does, swap out the sealant every 3 months. If you let it sit in there much longer it will be a nightmare to clean. Ask me how I know LOL my tires were in really good shape, so cleaning them was mandatory. I used a little steamer and about 5 little brushes. Worked great. Luv me sum SMA video ❤

[@scrappy7571]

I still use Stan's in my MTB tires. Works great. I went tubeless 25 yrs ago, sure was a game changer with less (almost never) flats.

[@jonesfarm1836]

Eric completely agree on the tire slime. Great for lawn mowers, ATVs. I’ve put some in my little bumper pull trailer and my dolly. Besides that I wouldn’t use it on automotive tires

[@JeffinTD]

Leaving 10 or 15psi is indeed the trick to keep the sidewall from folding under the bead breaker (especially wirh a hand breaker tool, and/or light weight tires). Like you, I first just break the deep shelf bead first, without letting the air out, then hit the other side. I ran some of those Kenda’s briefly. They were ok, especially for the money, but I run Big Horn Radials now. They are heavy, but I’ve never managed to puncture one. Handle well in mud, rock and snow, a little floaty feeling in sand, and they wear like iron. Downside is they are not cheap.

[@simonrawle7885]

with them after market callipers. pop the piston out and polish them down with some very fine wet and dry . them chrome polish.

[@alwhitesell4023]

The tire sealant looks like the commercial stuff I used to put in the off-road equipment, I don't remember it was made by Meyers or ken-tool, it's been years ago, really good stuff. And yes I'm an advocate for tire sealant like that saves a lot of headache.

[@CRobertTv]

my dads ATV was made in 89 had OEM tires on it until like forever LOL. Changed them ( at the time ) my uncles had the ATV before my dad. They use to do POKER Runs back in the days with ATV. Well they used Fix it Flat so much we had to use Saw Saw LOL to cut them off from the rim.

[@tdotw77]

5:25 FreyLube made right here outside Buffalo in Cheektowaga NY (aka Cheektavegas). Nice job Eric. Keep the money around here. You make me really miss my 4 wheeler & younger years when i used to go ride every week down in Portville - Olean area at my buddies land. Miss my '88 Suzuki LTR500r Quadzilla so much! What a beast!👍🏻👌🏻🚜😄 ✊🏻🇺🇸🦅

[@jameshedrick605]

I got a set of the aftermarket brake calipers for 2005 Bruin 350 from eBay. I think they were about 30 bucks and so far i haven't had any problems with them. They bled easily and they've been on there going on 2 years. I got it from a friend he originally wanted 500 for it and ended up only paying 250. Only thing left that i need for it is a new oil cooler

[@DaCoder]

We've used that slime stuff for our riding lawn mowers and it worked excellently. Now we've got a newer John Deere and haven't had to use it, yet.

[@johnbragg2014]

Always a happy day at SMA no matter what your doing.

[@aaronb1300]

Totally agree, I drive a 1984 Honda 200es Big Red. Original except for tires. Love it!

[@geraldclemens1682]

Found 2 2903 honda foremen rubicon with trailer. They run great, just got to redo front wheel bearings made a boonboo. Live and learn.

[@springfield4522]

My car uses directional W rated tires. Ive had 2 different tire shops screw them up. One swapped left and right so it was easy for me to fix. The other gave me 3 left tires and 1 right.

[@mrpiccolo23]

This probably eric's 3rd big bear video in the entire history of his channels, so I chuckled when he said that we must be tired of seeing a video about it. Never something he wonders about if it's a CHEVROLET! 😄 I love all of the videos. GM, Honda, A/C service machine, wilbert's u-pull it of bath, bbq, whatever!

[@tmar23]

Honda had ATV tire sealant that I always had good luck with back in the day. Not sure if they still make it.

[@JustHelpMeOuT5466]

Kenda makes great atv tires! I've had Kenda executionner for many years and they are really tough. Went through swamp and snow without any problem just great tires but they are a little rough on flat surface.

[@gwbuilder5779]

Simple is the way to go!👌 Kenda tires are actually excellent. I run em on my Victory when I can get em, but it's a bit of a challenge getting the proper speed rating. Slime works great for the rear tire on my bike, but never on a steer tire.😉 Nice ego treads bub.😂🤣🤙

[@todaysproject6788]

About 1/2 the stuff I get in to work on are quads and yeah, give me a good ol carbureted manual, analog machine to fix and you will make my day.

[@mikesworld60]

Me Time: The time a person has to himself or herself, in which to do something for his or her own enjoyment. Fixing something I want too for fun is a great me time project.

[@WhiskeyRiverRifleman]

You need to put something on that piston to extend it and it'll take care of your problem and still work right. I know a couple of guys that had the same problem they took The pistons from their original calipers Cut them down on a chop saw and 2 part epoxy'ed What they needed to the aftermarket piston and it works. They hold up even in heat of braking which Most ATV's don't build any heat in the brakes 'cause they're not used often anyway.

[@brucehobbs1734]

In your neck of the woods unexpectedly today. Wished I had time to stop by. For sure next time.

[@ericstalker7973]

I always like to paint the inside of the rims especially where cleaning the beads down to bare metal or even the aluminum rims with excessive corrosion. That also depends on if there's time to wait for paint to dry. I never heard of the rim goo you used I'm definitely going to check in on that stuff. Wouldn't mind using it myself

[@TheRealEricO]

"Frey Lube"

[@Slane583]

That's why I love the old dirt bikes from the 70's and early 80's. Especially the air-cooled 2-strokes. No computers, no liquid cooling and no power valves to mess about with. But depending on what bike it is parts are near Unobtanium for some and plentiful for others.

[@jeffkovacs5974]

The crude bikes are still most reliable to go from point A to point B. Especially when you’re short on time and need to get recreational time for yourself as you said

[@JeffWinter1]

Those are some well lubed tires! You'll slipping down the trails.😅👍

[@alk7142]

Amazon has residual pressure valves, I used them on my 34 ford because master cylinder was lower than the calipers. Like 15 bucks.

[@slipperyjk]

Thorn's luv atv tire's for sure. I was buying tire plugs by the case before slimming.

[@scotthill1278]

Slime is awesome for skid steer tires.

[@joesheneman8638]

Go factory on the calipers. My 05 Kodiak needed a new caliper because of damage to fitting. Tried cheap caliper. Thru in trash. I found a used one...worked great without rebuild. Slime is good slime is wise with low speed low torque tires.

[@SPIN1963_]

Salute to your tire chemical training. LOL Lost Dutchman ring a bell in your MTB ears? On your caliper issue, check with a local ATV race ... you can grab some deals from the locals.

[@aaronkoivu]

We uses the slime in all of are bobcats, portable welders, generators, wheelbarrows

[@jamesbeemer2477]

After market rebuild kit is not advertised. Recommend oem rebuild kit for levers and calipers. You can buy the parts individually if not available like that. Some machines you can’t. But I always had problems with aftermarket unless you go with a good brand. Moose racing or super atv maby Rocky Mountain. If I order oem parts i usually buy from moto sport the prices are usually cheaper then the dealer. Good luck 🍀

[@jamesbeemer2477]

I miss heard you those after market calibers can’t be rebuilt. Get some used oem and clean ‘em up

[@snirtman7223]

As far as the front caliper backing off too far - check to make sure the rotor isn't bent or warped and that it runs true. A bent/warped rotor will widen the pads quite a bit.

[@AlLefebure-ci3xs]

My opinion on Tire Slime is same as yours. Works great on stuff like lawn mowers, yard wagons and slower utility tires. My front tires on my mower would go flat after every use. Slimed them and no more issues.

[@kenchilton]

I wish I saw this video two days ago. I was throwing stuff around the garage. My wife had to help dislodge a tire spoon from the bed of the truck because I was too pissed off to want it anymore. I was replacing a front tire on the BX23. I got two GrassMasters direct from China. They were both collapsed, folded right down the middle of the tread. I mounted one of them last month with much pain, but held off doing the other one because it looked even worse. Instead, I put small wood blocks in that worse one to try to uncollapse it a bit figuring I would mount it later. Well, that later came Wednesday when my other front tire popped while working in the yard. A month of wood block you would think would train it to be reasonable, but Noooooooo… I would love to know any tricks on dealing with these collapsed tires. It took me almost two hours to get the stupid thing to bead. I have mounted many tires for tractors, cars, and trucks and never had this flavor of Hell. Your tires went on like butter, in comparison. I finally got the thing to seal and then realized I had a broken stem, too. If I saw your video beforehand, I would have gotten the hint to change that, too. I don’t use that brand, but I do use that white tractor tire sealant. I agree that the pin pricks are a problem the sealant solves. I also end up using a bead sealant on the tractor because I use it a lot for moving dirt and rocks and the additional side motion seems to make them leak a bit from the bead. Plus the rims are quite beat up from going places no tractor should go. The bead sealant seems to reduce the need to add air to the tires. I never used that anti rust product you showed. For my own vehicles, I use the wire brush and then buff the bead area with wizzy wheels and Roloc wheels until they are like glass, then put a coat of etch primer, which dries pretty fast. I will check out your suggestion. Again, any more thoughts on dealing with collapsed tires would be appreciated. My only solution at this point is to send them back.