Need Suggestions on New Quad

[Macs]

I am sick and tired of trying to get my bayou 300 right again. If it isnt one thing it is another. So i gues i am going to break down and buy me a new quad. What suggestions to yall have. I want it to be bullet proof of course but i have never bought a new one or even close and dont know what to look for. I would love a sport quad but it isnt pratical for me. So i guess i will go to a utility type quad. I have heard time and time again to stay away from polaris. the only one i have ridden was my father in laws. It was a 400cc sport type quad and i was not impressed at all. it was like a 96 2-stroke liquid cooled. what are some suggestions. This is going to be a family quad so i dont need nothing too powerful. But some friends of mine go to little mudding competitions so i would like to have something that can use for that. not to win but to just participate. And before everyone starts spitting out models. please explain why you think so.

[Kintore]

I say the honda line of fourtraxs. A few buddies of mine have the 350 4x4 model and the 2x4 and another has a 450 4x4. They are pulletproof, dead reliable and cheap, They are all the 00-02 models. They do a good clip and have decent power I was surprised.

Heres a pic of the kind I mean. There is always better/newer ones but if you dont want to spend alot, I would buy one of these in a heartbeat!

EDIT- Im talking bout a fourtrax ES not a rancher but they are similar
http://images.50below.com/facility/harrysmotorsports.com/Rancher%20web%20green.jpg

[BigGreenMachine]

I recommend the 05 Kodiak 450. We have one, its a great machine. If your budget allows then go on up to the 660 Grizzly.

[Macs]

Well my budget is about $8000. I am not going to go over that. I didnt know how reliable these big bore quads are and how long they have been out.

[82300R]

8 grand, thats a pretty good budget!:lol: i got my boy a new trx90 on hold till christmas. so needless to say i have been going through all the shops looking. i was thinking of selling off three of my trikes and getting a new quad also. i came up on sport trikes so that would be my first thought on a quad, but i owned a 03 z400 when they first came out and it was a good bike but i was kinda disapointed with it preformance wise. looking back on it i don't think i gave it a chance before i sold it. didn't try to modify it to my expectations of what it should be. i guess i fell for the new model hype and expected too much. but if i went a got a new quad i probably would get another z 400 even though i like the looks and feel of the 06 400ex. the 450's are all tempting but are they really high maintenence to go along with the performance. you read some things that say they are some say no more than anything else. so i don't know. i guess in the end you get what you like and if your happy thats all that counts cause nowadays just about any choice is good. i'm just looking at it as just a casual rider and not racing or keeping up with the joneses.:)

[bp739]

Well , I've seen and ridden a bunch of utility quads....most of my riding buddies have had at least one of just about EVERYTHING out there. I've ridden 660 grizz,450 kodiak.......400,500,700 Polaris'..... 350,400 Ranchers,450 foreman,......700 Prarie's and the one that impressed me the most was The KAWASAK BRUTE FORCE 750i....This thing is the "baddest" utility quad I've ever seen or ridden....it's just unstopable with the right tires(the stock ones suck)..TONS OF POWER....IRS....$ 7599.00
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=179

I've learned 2 things over the years

1) NEVER buy a POLARIS
AND
2)....buy the one with the BIGGEST displacement...... :Bounce

[twgranger]

Have you checked out the new 700 Grizzly? The are pretty nice with the new power steering on them.

[Macs]

i looked at the new grizzly's and i saw the power steering which i am skeptical about. It seems like that is just something else to go wrong especially if it isnt needed. i am remembering my first car that was 3900lbs and i didnt have power steering. I am going to stick to my R's. I love them and want ever change. But i have nowhere to ride them. My wife would spend alot more time on the quad then i would. Actually what started all of this was they had a female only mud race and my wife borrowed my friends 450es and she killed all of the other girls, not by a little but badly. If some of yall dont know the story we met at 13 and we were racing 80's and she spanked the crap out of me. Anyways she has the bug so lets here some more ideas. ( as long as she has the bug the sky's the limit).

[BigGreenMachine]

Ok well get your hands on a Wolverine 350. An earlier model that didn't have all the styling changes of the newer ones.

[400exguy]

I love honda, we have a Rancher 350es and its awesome. I beat the crap out of it until I got my 400ex. Needless to say, both in my opinion are bulletproof, the 400 more so then the rancher (just to many electrical parts that can break). However, you wont compete worth jack in any mud events with the 350 rancher. You have a nice chunk of change to mess around with. Do not say hey I will settle for this smaller cheeper 4x4...I think you will be a bit displeased if you wanna do mud events. If I were you, I would look into the Can-Ams. I watched 2 different shows on them and they seem very awesome. The bigbore (800) is a giant and could seem bulky but dominated every other quad in its class. The smaller (400) Can-Am blew away all others in the same class and competed with many of the larger bigbores and even out pulled the sled of quads with 200cc more. Like I said I love Hondas but I think they are slowly slipping behind the 8 ball in many different areas. Seems like they add more bells and whistles and start to fall behind in power and performance. If I were to get a Honda I would go with the top of the line 4x4.

Hope any of my rambeling helps.

[Macs]

i havnt thought about looking at the can-ams

[Macs]

WHATEVER YALL DO DONT GO TO WWW.CAN-AM.COM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smokinwrench]

My cousin is a mechanic for a Yamaha shop. He will never buy anything that is a 660(griz, raptor, rhino) he says that is all he works on is the 660 engine. To me that says somethign when an employee won't buy the product.

[Macs]

I have heard them referred as a money pit. But on here i have heard good things about them. So i will probly pass up buying a 660

[SYKO]

yea my mechanics shop, (motorcycle) hate working on the raptors as they hate to tell the people how much it costs to fix them, why not a older quad lt250r or lt 500? trx 250r? you can get a nice one with your money and still have some left over, Or I would go with what smoke is wanting the new polaris ktm deal

[200xcellent]

hmmm not a single problem with my 660 and i have run the *Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited* out of it, with that being said, i think a good motor is sometimes luck of the draw. look at atc250's predator, now that thing has problems but it doesnt mean anything polaris 500 is *Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited*.

[SYKO]

i agree with you 200x Ive seen quads with all kinds of problems with very little ride time and some that get hammerd everyday and never have problems, but when I go to the shop and I see a line of raptors or some other pitcular brand I take note, when I never see a 250r or warrior or 300ex I figure they are either being well taken care of or just a good machine, I know atc250r has all kinds of problems with his while smokenwrench hammers his with no problems, I guese you just got it right its the luck of the draw, and honeslty I liek the new 700 raptors, its one of the few quads I actually fit on and feal good on, But I want more performance so I would hold out fot the new ktmoraris or the kawa if it dosnt share the same motor with the zuki. But I would spend my money on a really sharp older machine

[200xcellent]

agreed, the 450s are the wave of the future and I had a choice between the raptor or the yfz. if i knew then what i know now i would have a 450. also, when you see raptors more often then R's, warriors and 300ex's in the shop, remember what is easier to work on. ill admit when me and 3leg tore into mine to put an 11:1 piston in is was a pain in the ass! but many other bikes are much simpler to work on then the newer technology.

[MTS]

I Would go for a Bit older honda 450, as said,,,Indestructable, Stay the hell away from the new grizz 700, too many problems, the suzuki King quad would be a good choice, Lots of power, 4x4 diff lock, IRS, big fuel tank, And they go pretty good too, the EFI is Real nice on it, havent seen any problems, .....gets my vote.

[Macs]

i was going to go to look at some tomorrow but now i have to work all weekend. It will probly be constant until at least march. So i think i am going to sneek off after work and check some places out.

[Macs]

What about the Suzuki Vinson 500 4x4?

[Macs]

Is it better to have independant rear suspension instead of a swingarm. Also is it better to have fuel injection. Does these things make a BIG diffrence?

[smokinwrench]

For me the dealer has a lot to do with my purchase.

I liek the guys at my honda/yamaha/kawi/ktm/buell/harley shop well and I ride with them a bunch. Problem is it is primarilary a bike shop and they don't stock shiot for a quad, everything and I mean everythign has to be ordered. I can goto my Polaris dealer anytime and they have practically every part I need in stock.

[Macs]

another question i had was that i have never bought a new ATV. i have heard stuff about saying it is used for agriculture that you get a discount. How much on a norm can i talk them down on the price.

[SYKO]

you have to fill out some paper work for that, I dont know what it is in your state, but here in ga we can get one tax free, And a certain amount back from the gov after purchase, but it has to be registerd as farm epquipent, ANd then it can only be used for farm duties and From what I beleive you cannnot take it to a ohv park and ride with it, (it would be the same for trying to take a john deer tracktor to the trails in their eye) so look at what your state has first.

[Eric250R]

If you really want a great quad that is dead reliable, comfortable, will handle trails with ease and get you there and back everytime without killing your budget: Honda rancher 400 AT 4x4. Can't go wrong.

[twgranger]

Go to www.highlifter.com forum and read some posts. You can see the pros and cons of each quad.

[Macs]

i was driving down the highway and saw an artic cat place. They were already closed but my wife had a puddle of drool under her because of it. i am going to try to sneak out of work early tomorrow and check it out.

[Groundworx]

If you can find a dealership that would let you ride them, that would probably be best. I know of 2 dealerships close to me that will allow you to test ride. One is a Honda/Suzuki dealer and the other is an Arctic Cat dealer. The Arctic Cat dealer has tons of used quads. Probably about 50-75 on average. If you can find a place like that, that would probably help your decision a lot. I have heard horror stories from people who have bought used quads from this dealer, but it could give you and idea.

I would probably go with a Honda. Honda has a huge line of utility quads big and small and everything in between. And you really can't beat a Honda when it comes to long life reliablilty. Look how many of the old Honda ATC110s, 185's, 200's, ect are still running around today. You can take an old 110 that has been sitting in a feild for a couple of years, put in fresh gas and plug, clean the carb, roll it down a hill and pop it into gear and it will probably fire off. But I would see if I could find somewhere that would let you test ride. That would probably help you more than anything with your decision.

[jason85atc250r]

what sykolinclon said go with a older trx250r with a aftermarket chassis.

i have seen latly on ebay a couple lonestar or leager chassis trx250r's going for around $5000. you'll have a bike that the chassis will outlast you. just trail riding you'll never break one like the new 450's and there cheap frames that break. the motors hold up better also them the new 450's

[Macs]

i am kinda looking for something four wheel drive. around here trails are limited. just a whole bunch of mud. When i take my 250r out it never leaves second gear.

[kcop]

the can-am video was a Promo. Don't believe everything you see on tv. I have a 660 grizzly and I haven't stuck a dime in it, but if you don't want that go with kawi prairie 700, honda Rincon, or polaris(heard good things)800. I don't know too much of the new 700 Grizz cept its fuel injected has power steering and diff seat height

[bigred1981]

Something to consider is the weight of the quad. A buddy of mine has a 600 polaris that is so heavy that If you manage to flip it onto yourself, then thats probably where you'll still be. The smaller bikes like rancher's and such are at least manageable to roll off of yourself. I rode that 600 polaris and It was like ridin a truck with handlebars and no rollover protection

[Macs]

i am definatley keeping the wight in mind. My wife is going to be riding this some and i want to have something that she can handle.