Initial review of the HH400

Posts: 327

My review of the 2008 HammerHead 400

This review will cover from the time of order to now.

I ordered the HH400 from Wayne Morris Ford in Perry Ga. This was the monday after the show with Clay Holt, director of the SEMBRA. I thought that since this was a car dealership that had mechanics they should really know how to put the buggy together, test it correctly and make any necessary adjustments. Along with that, we made an agreement on the price. Well, as it turned out, Clay was no longer working for the dealership. I was referred to one of the owners, Brian Bearden. Again, the financial agreement was the same. So, all is cool and I ordered the buggy. The buggy was delivered almost 4 weeks later. The first 3 weeks, reasons for delay was the finance company, Hammerhead themselves, then delivery to he dealership. The, the buggy sat in their garage for a week, due to vacations, lack of personell, etc. So, finally, the 4th week, the 400 gets to be assembled. Before I go any further, I want to say that ALL mini off road buggy dealers know to use LOCKTITE and change that vegetable oil thats in the crankcase. I specifically instructed the dealership to use locktite and to change the oil. Well, needless to say, that was not done. Then after the assembly, someone at the dealership decides to take it for a test drive. Against a Blade 150 single racer. This was posted from the driver on another forum. Needless to say, I was not happy. Anyway, that was on a monday. I spoke with the dealership again and expressed my desire to have the oil changed before it was delivered to me wednesday. Well, wednesday came around, the driver that was to bring it, was busy doing something. I would get my buggy on Saturday. Called on friday to make sure of delivery, all was set. But, the oil was not changed........

Saturday, finally the buggy is delivered. The financial agreement that we had, was somehow changed. The downpayment was alot more than expected, the monthly terms was more than expected. Called the dealership to inquire as to the difference as was told, "Dont you remember me telling you it was going to me this about?"
So, needless to say, this was not a good experience. All in all, we had to pay almost $400 more downpayment and $20+ more per month.

Now, on with the buggy. Upon first inspection on the trailer, a small dent in passenger side. The front fenders were on backwards, had to change that. While relocating the fenders, I found that one of the bolts was crossthreaded and stripped. Now, have to buy another bolt to replace. Still, the fenders seem so much in middle of tire and too high. I guess I'm still used to the smaller buggys(150-250).
The manual choke is great. Although is does not stay(spring loaded) when applying. You have to start the engine while pulling on the choke. That was the situation for a few days. Now, I can pull the choke and start the engine and the choke will ease down but still be ingaged a small bit. Idle is just a bit higher than normal. Once buggy is warm, simply push the choke button down. Much better than auto choke. I will admit, I was not used to it and killed the engine, several times. All lights worked except the right headlight. I thought it was the bulb but it had 2 of the 3 wires pulled out of their sockets. I thought dealers checked things like this. So, bought a solder iron tonight and will fix this problem tomorrow. Also bought a pair of 50 watt driving lights as the headlights are not the brightest. Got them installed today, my first time installing anytype of lighting on a vehicle, and they work great and look great. Also installed a license plate light. As this buggy is street legal in the state of Tenn.

Shifting..... Shifting the gear lever is fine. Once you are moving. Sometimes when first starting out, Reverse, Neutral, and 1st gear can be hard to get into. Not all times, just occasionally. Not sure it's the buggy linkage or me. But once you start out, you can run thru the gear quite easily and quickly. If you are used to using a clutch, you will find yourself trying to engage the clutch pedal. BUT,,,,,, there is none. I tried to shift and clutch and hit the brake. Very embarrasing......

Power....... I'm not sure how much time was on the engine when I got it, but it felt really tight. Since I couldnt change oil right off(next chapter), I knew I had to drive it easy. I didnt like the thought of vegetable oil in the crankcase. So, rather than take it off road and see what she had, the wife and I took it around the neighborhood. Our neighborhood is big. We live in a rural area. Smile

And living in East Tenn, it is very hilly. Having been accustomed to the CVT's of other buggys, from 10HP to 30HP, the manual gearing is a plus. No losing power from the CVT. This thing will climb. About the 2nd day with it, we climbed a hill(street) to get to the river near us. It is a long steep up hill grade. The "Goat" took with fine. Had to downshift into 4th, then 3rd, but it did great. After some more running, the engine felt like it was starting to loosen up a bit. But, still, not much.
After several days of running back and forth to the auto parts store to find the correct size socket to change oil, we finally pinned it down. It is a 22MM. This is different than other BigBear 400 engines. According to the local Yamaha shop, they are either 14mm or 17mm. But, we got. Then had to borrow a 1/2 " drive. Sad

I will be purchasing a new 1/2" rachet soon. I didnt realize that he oil plug also had a spring and a steel screen. As soon as the plug was loose enough, the whole shebang shot into the oil pan and covered with used oil. the oil, after a week and a few days, was black. And it was filled with metal shavings. Also want to mention, it does hold 3 1/2 quarts of oil.
After the oil change, took it out again. Instantly I noticed a change in power. Smoother running, smoother powerband. A bit quieter engine. Definately goes thru the gears much better. I'm pleased. Had it up to 50MPH today, no strain whatsoever. Brakes take some getting used to. You have to really press the pedal to stop at speed. But, they will stop you.....
So, all in all, I didnt get the great deal I thought due to the extra work I had to do myself. But, I'm learning more about it from hands on experience. If i had it to do over again, I would probably have bought from a dealer on BN. As I didnt save any money and I had to do the initial maintenance myself. But, I would have bought the HH400 for sure again. It has the power, the little extras(it does need a 12v outlet) and the looks and comfort. Now, I just have to get a performance intake, jetting, and exhaust(bought pipe wrap tape). Then it will sound, run much better, breathe easier, and just make me feel much better about the extra money I had to spend on it. Smile

Oh, and the wife loves it. Smile

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Posts: 327

oh, forgot, the side of the canvas top was frayed. the delivery driver/dealership forgot and left it on as they were driving it from south georgia to tenn. i used black duct tape to rectify that until the warranteed one comes in. at least it had better.....

Posts: 480

hadnt been on bnews lately,guessed i missed talk about this buggy,is this the same powertrain as the yamabuggy?
Whats the retail cost?

Posts: 1737

i like it maybe some day if they ever get this lawsuit stuff out of the way then i may get one

great review i am looking forward to hear how it fide off road and how the leg room is

Posts: 327

i'm 5'7". leg room is fine. i even had to move the seat up a bit.
i've seen retail on these from $5500 up to $6500.

Posts: 148

It looks really good, I hope you can come ride with us soon. I wouldn't be surprised if it runs better the more you drive it. Is 50mph the top speed?

Posts: 327

a little side note to progress. as stated before, i wrapped the pipe with heat tape(fiberglass) to reduce excess heat on the old backside. this did seem to add a smidgen of extra umph. also, i changed the spark plug from the chinese spark stick to an NGK DR8EA or something like that. had not had a chance to ride until tonight. this thing just keep getting beter. the shocks are still a bit stiff, but it had gained so much torque and power, it's unreal. i actually think it has more power and torque than the stinger did. but it's probably the gearing that makes it so much torquey. the stinger had 30HP and this is running about 22.5-23HP. either way, i'm HAPPY !!!! now if i can only chirp the tires in second.... Twisted Evil

Posts: 327

i got the windshield installed today. i bought 1/8" plexiglass(mistake there) and cut it to shape for the front of the 400. cutting it was no problem. used a jigsaw with a smooth wood blade. then i marked it for the zip tie holes. now, it's been a very long time since jr high shop class. i should have remember to drill ssslllloooowwww, since it was plexiglass. so, i cracked one spot and broke a piece off due to drilling too fast. oops....
anyway, got it on, strapped it down, realized, not much room for my knuckles when hands on steering wheel. i need to wedge the bottom of glass out just a bit for more room. but, it works fine. took it(400) up the road(new road) to see how it would be. windshield was great. buggy had a hard time pulling the hills(i live in mountainous area). but, downshifted from 4th to 3rd and no problem.
drained the gear oil also. it was a weird color of grayish looking thin stuff. wasnt really slick feeling like gear oil. almost gritty. so, i found the bolt to fill the oil. i had to take off the back panel to see it. i used a very small funnel and slowing(bolt went in sideways) (about 15 minutes) squeezed the oil in. i put about 22 ounces. yamaha 400 big bear manual says the diff should hold about 32-33 ounces. but, i'm not sure this is the yamaha diff, so left it at 22 ounces. got dark then but i'll try it out tomorrow. here's some pics of the windshield.