Chris in TN
WKR
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2025
- Messages
- 950
This is probably just an idle wintertime sort of question but I want to ask anyway:
Is it possible - for a guy who knows *NOTHING* about small engine adjustment - to, say, take an older 4wheeler (it's a Yamaha bear tracker 2wd circa 2000 year model that is dirt simple, well worn, but still cranks and runs reliably) and, while living at 650' altitude, re-jet the thing, or adjust the fuel-air mix, somehow, so that I could just drive out west, crank the thing at 9000'+ and drive it to 10500' or higher without problems?
Asking because we could have brought an ATV with us last year and could have, in theory, used it in at least one place, and I'm sort of idly considering if that's something we'd do in the future. I'd hate to have to do a trailside 'fix' and go hunting with gas-smell on my hands so I'd prefer to do the minimum on-site here, if that's possible.
Alternately....is there such a thing as swinging by an ATV shop in some CO city and having them do a 'quick' jet swap if it was planned in advance? Or should I just learn to do this myself?
To be clear I wouldn't be ripping around trails all day. More of a 'load the gear up and make a couple of round trips hauling gear and maybe a passenger up a hilly trail, then leave it parked for a couple days' sort of thing. It doesn't have to run perfectly, it just has to run well enough to make enough power at altitude to climb a hill. Several years back we went hunting in my old (2001) pickup truck and it was very noticeable when we went over a pass at 11.000' or so, that the thin air was hindering its ability to make power. Not a problem on a highway but could be dangerous if you were trying to climb a steep off-road hill and had an engine that wasn't running well.
Is it possible - for a guy who knows *NOTHING* about small engine adjustment - to, say, take an older 4wheeler (it's a Yamaha bear tracker 2wd circa 2000 year model that is dirt simple, well worn, but still cranks and runs reliably) and, while living at 650' altitude, re-jet the thing, or adjust the fuel-air mix, somehow, so that I could just drive out west, crank the thing at 9000'+ and drive it to 10500' or higher without problems?
Asking because we could have brought an ATV with us last year and could have, in theory, used it in at least one place, and I'm sort of idly considering if that's something we'd do in the future. I'd hate to have to do a trailside 'fix' and go hunting with gas-smell on my hands so I'd prefer to do the minimum on-site here, if that's possible.
Alternately....is there such a thing as swinging by an ATV shop in some CO city and having them do a 'quick' jet swap if it was planned in advance? Or should I just learn to do this myself?
To be clear I wouldn't be ripping around trails all day. More of a 'load the gear up and make a couple of round trips hauling gear and maybe a passenger up a hilly trail, then leave it parked for a couple days' sort of thing. It doesn't have to run perfectly, it just has to run well enough to make enough power at altitude to climb a hill. Several years back we went hunting in my old (2001) pickup truck and it was very noticeable when we went over a pass at 11.000' or so, that the thin air was hindering its ability to make power. Not a problem on a highway but could be dangerous if you were trying to climb a steep off-road hill and had an engine that wasn't running well.
