ORIGINAL: TEmbry
Am I the only one who'd buy a late year model (like Jeff), or better yet just buy a used one? Soon as you take that new bike home you loose a substantial amount of money in it, no matter what ANYONE tries to tell you. If you want the peace of mind of buying new, then pay that extra. If you just want a normal 4wheeler to take hunting and go anywhere...get a used, Honda at that. My dad has owned 5 or 6 different Hondas in my lifetime, not a one of them have ever seen a shop. Our Polaris, junk. Our Suzukis, junk. I'm a Honda guy, IMO their reliability can't be beat. We bought our last one new, a 06 Rancher 350, only got 4x2 though. Most people have absolutely no need whatsoever for a 4x4, they just want the decal. Unless you want to go doing some serious, and I mean SERIOUS, mudding or live on the side of a jagged mountain....4x4 is over rated. They don't handle as well, cut as sharp, etc. Ive had my 4x2 in some pits that I wouldn't dream of taking it, and made it out just fine....Just know how to handle a bike.
Temb, thats a little stretch there pal. Most 4WD quads are switchable to 2WD, so other than the little added weight theres really no reason not to have it, and it wont affect your handling whatsoever unless your comparing Sport/Utility machines. For a hunting rig, go 4WD, theres no reason not to.
I ride some pretty nasty conditions with a lot of 4WD machines and i can go pretty much anywhere they can. However my quad is useless for any kind of work, its simply a toy.
