I just purchased a 1998 Big Bear 350 4x4 and I'm finding that it is currently very difficult to shift gears, especially out of reverse. Shifting out of reverse is so difficult that I'm having to reach down and pull it up with my hand.

Ten years ago I had a Kawasaki Lakota, which was my last atv with a manual foot shift. I believe that, with that atv, I could CREATE this problem by setting the idle speed too high.

On this Big Bear, I have the idle set just low enough so that the engine doesn't die after letting off of the accelerator, so I cannot currently adjust the idle any lower.

Is a difficult shift just part of life with a 1998 Big Bear or might this be due to a dirty carb? OR may there be some other explanation and fix that I haven't thought of?

Thank you so much for your input. - Adam

EDIT: I'm finding that there is a clutch free play adjustment that may address my issue. I don't have a manual yet, so I'm just a'googlin' .