The chopper hunt rages on...I have my eye on a 2002 Big Bear Venom, 7500 miles, custom paint, groundpounder pipes, open primary, 250 in the rear. The main concern I have is the motor. It has a Rev-Tec 100" motor, also has a Baker 6 speed. Haven't heard too many great things about the Rev-Tec. I'm going to take a look at it tomorrow. This won't be my only bike, just something to terrorize the community with...any thoughts on these? Don't have too much experience with the Big Bears.

 

I'm sure the RevTec is either Gen I or II. MOST of those were trouble. I had a Gen III and it was great. Also check around and see if the frame weld was an issue on an older Bear like the ones that were recalled later. The other thing is it a kit bike or built by Big Bear. Look over the wiring good and see if it is suspect or not. Take the bike for a good long ride if you are interested. Is it a good deal.


jim

 

I've heard the same about the first gen Rev-Tec's, and I'll definately look at the wiring....appreciate that. He's the second owner and said he would take 10K for it. Really on the fence.

 

Anything to do with the early RevTec motors is to be avoided if possible . Several of the box chopper aftermarket brands that the Indian dealer I was with sold early last decade had them and we had nothing but problems with them particularly the 100" , 103" & 107" motors up to the point of retro fitting some bikes with an S&S engine for the customer . I heard they settled down later but I can't say from hands on for those , left a bad taste for me I avoid them still .

 

Are the ones that don't have the compression release on top of the cylinder heads OK? What issues do they have?

 

Update....met with the guy last Sunday and the bike had every red flag that you could think of. It was a first gen Revtec, no compression release which had already gone through at least one starter. Turns out it was also a kit bike, and whoever assembled it did such a bad wiring job that the seller had to have it re-wired. The brake lines were too long, it had no front fender, no front turn signals, no instruments whatsoever. The "new" paint had some scratches, the open primary top cover had a big chip out of it, the rear of the swingarm was chewed up on one side...still haven't figured out how the hell that happened?? Those are just the highlights, so the search continues. Thanks again all for your input....

 

Good for you. I probably spent two years looking for a chop before I settled for the one in my pics. A local guy built it and it was great BUT not with an issue or two. Thats the thing about customs whether factory or hand built. I am also a little skeptical about all these aftermarket parts too. I hear how much better some of this stuff is but I'll tell ya the longevity seems to lack.....starters,regulators,ignition modules,coils.

One bike I was REALLY impressed with was Swift Choppers. Could have used more rake in the front but a quality bike IMHO. Keep us updated

jim

 

Appreciate that.....one thing I have learned is that patience pays off when your looking for the RIGHT bike. Kinda rare to see these bikes with high miles. I know Big Bear even had a recall a few years back for the frame actually cracking. There is another one that has come up I've had my eye on for months. I contacted him last Monday and made an offer. He's waiting on a couple others to come and look, but as of today..I noticed it's still available, so I guess we'll see.

 

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First off, thanks to all who have PM'd me with bikes they know for sale, some great bikes out there right now. Today I'm heading up North a couple hours to look at the one I talked about earlier. We finally were able to agree on a price, so if it pans out I'll be riding it home. It's a Whiplash Custom Build with a 124" S&S, 6 speed tranny, Legends Air, 300 tire...blah blah. Here's a few pictures, wish me luck!