BuggyMasters Review: Hammerhead Tiburon Yamabuggy 400

[BuggyMaster]

I've gotta say. I can't think of any machine we have had that had such a drastic spread between the pros and cons. It has major pros and major cons. Next to the Pilot, this was probably the funnest machine we have had. Powered by an engine cloned after the Yamaha Big Bear 400 with the 5 speed semi auto trans (shift but no clutch needed), this thing was a real blast to drive. In addition, this is a BIG machine. It's as wide as the GTR but it also has something the GTR lacks for it's size, a nice spacious cab. This is the machine to have if you are a big guy.

Body wise, this machine was pretty structurally sound. With a 400cc engine it had plenty of power. With a semi auto trans, this is the best of both worlds. Climbing hills? No prob, just keep it in the lower gears. Need top end to spank the other machines in a drag race? No prob. You've got 5 gears that will top this machine out at about 55 mph. Very stable at speed too.

HOWEVER...here's where the cons come from. Although they claim the engines to be built in the Yamaha JV plant (the JV stands for Joint Venture), the engine is not up to Yamaha specs. Most noticeable and most annoying was that they used china spec seals. Both the front and rear output shaft seals leaked.

Planning on adding an even more potent powerplant? Don't plan on it. This thing is engineered to work with that 400 powerplant and that's about it. It uses a differential in the back. Converting to anything else would be a real chore.

All of this is way overshadowed by the biggest con of all: Parts availability. My educated understanding is that the owner of HH and the manufacturer got in a pissing match over pricing (yet another con is the price) and the relationship was lost. There is another company out of AZ that still sells these and has parts but they are expensive and their machine is not identical so there could be parts that you flat out can't get. Motor wise, all the parts from a Yamaha BigBear 400 will fit right on so there's not an issue there other than price.

Pros: A VERY fun machine. A pleasure to drive. Lots of Power. Pretty well built.

Cons: Cost. Parts can be non existent. China reliability in our experience on this machine was not promising.

BuggyMasters Overall Rating: 7 out of 10.

The only reason it got that high was because next to the pilot, this was the funnest one to drive.

[JERSEYDEVIL]

i had the opportunity to drive one that a customer had acquired, his was street legal. he let me take it for a spin and i must say, not my cup of tea. the shifting was not smooth running through the gears. had to let the rpm's drop before it would shift so there's no "speed shifting". the suspension was ok at best and it really wasn't a rocket. seemed pretty heavy and awkward. don't know what they cost but it seems you have a good grip on your review. the one i drove probably wasn't in quite as good a shape as the one pictured.