RE: First ATV
 

Like I said Phil I could go with any of the top 3 Jap bikes without any problem. They are all about 600 pounds and have great reviews. I have never heard of a person who hated his Honda.

RE: First ATV
 

Me and my brother got 2 polarises in 2000 they were HORRIBLE they were never out of the shop we finnaly gave up and no 1 would buy them exept for scrape. Go with the Hondas.

RE: First ATV
 

OK guys, I'm just not comfortable with the conclusions you are drawing here and when I look at the ratings, I see something very different than presented by Islander. I looked at the very reviews he did on powersports network and came up with some very different results. First of all, the ratings he gave are an average of the ratings for every single model each company makes from 2005 through 2007. I think for our purposes as hunters, we probably aren't too concerned about how all the sport models rate, yet those ratings are part of the results given by Islander. Let's just take a look at a comparison of the biggest, meatiest utility model that each company makes. That's what I'm interested in anyway, since I need alot of muscle to do my food plot work. So here are the ratings, straight from their website. I used the 2006 models.

Model Rating

Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4.23
Suzuki Kingquad 700 4.4
Honda Fourtrax Rincon 680 4.5
Can-Am Outlander 800 ho 4.67
Yamaha Grizzly 660 4.79
Polaris 800 efi 4.88

As you can see, it makes a difference how you present the data. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind here, but it bugs the crap out of me to hear folks trash talking Polaris when I know first hand that they make great utility ATVs. Give it another look if you are really serious about finding the truth in all of this.

RE: First ATV
 

Great point Bagem and one that I was going to look at beforeI decide. When I posted my data I included the words brand all models in the description. My point was to show the relative satisfaction to the total brandname rather than specific models. Your point is well taken and I certainly don't care about sport models and others that aren't relevant to my use as a sportsman. When I do my own research I will concentrate on machines in the 400 to700 range which is the class machine I am interested in. Many machines are new to the market and have been given a flat 5 on that site by impressed owners without putting a test of time out there. I will be looking at models that have been in the market place for a while to see how they fare overall. Thanks for adding to my confusion. :D.....really thanks for bringing that up. Good going.

RE: First ATV
 

Ok I looked a little closer at just the utility ATV models that are 400 CC up to the high end machines, which are mostly newer models. I used the Powersport site to compile my figures and limited the data to 2005 through 2007 models. I figured that would provide me with enough data to make some assumptions based on my future needs. I certainly don't want to trash anyone’s ATV. In all fairness some models have improved over time and my figures didn't take that into account. For instance when I talked with a Polaris/ Yamaha/ Kawasaki dealermechanic he said the Polarisquality was pretty bad a few years ago but for the past 2 or 3 years they were about on par with most of the other machines.I realize that just like all sporting equipment people are adamant about their likes and dislikes. We aren't talking about a book or some dress shoes we are talking about the tools of our trade...Sporting Equipment. So here is the summary of what I found for anyone who needs that information. I took all the reviews for each individual machine and multipliedthe average rating times the number of reviews and then added all the totals together and divided by the total reviews. This method gives a basic average rating spread across all models over the 3 year model period.I am not responsible for any math errors since I am a Sportsman not a mathematician.:D

2005 through 2007 Utility ATV's from 400CC up.


Brand Reviews Total Points Average Rating

Kawasaki 173 762.90 4.41
Artic Cat 93 423.17 4.55
Polaris104 474.084.56
Can-Am 84 385.07 4.58
Honda 156 715.15 4.58
Suzuki 208977.27 4.70
Yamaha 232 1106.18 4.77

RE: First ATV
 

IF Polaris' reliability has improved over the last 2 years doesn't mean much. 2 years doesn't equal a "good track record" to me.

We have all heardPolaris owners say, "It was in the shop more than the woods", "Good thing we had a tow rope", "Man, this thing needs repair more often than maintenance!", "Good thing my buddy was there to get me back to the truck.".

You just don't hear that very often at all about Honda or Yamaha, do you?

RE: First ATV
 

Whew this thread is getting pretty long on people trying to push their favorites.
Champlain, I do have athought for you though. These reviews you are pulling up seem to be recent and limited and looks like 2005 to 2007 models.
I guess my point is I would be interested in the long term stats instead of some new no mileage machine that a manufacture had given me to test.
I would want to know how the production run machines perform over time, instead of maybe some made for test type machines.
No need for more research or to beat this to death as the majority already have thier minds set, but if I was in the market for a new machine, the numbers don't mean much and want tosee what works well in the field and here from the users.

RE: First ATV
 

Good point Bob. There has been quite a bit of technology changes in the past 3 years. In 2004 the average machine was probably a 300 or 350. Most of the changes have come about with the introduction of larger and faster machines. Now the large ones are 800cc and probably going up. The nice thing about Honda is most of their line has remained the same for the past 3 years while others brands have changed. What you are saying especially pertains to Honda since they have built a real rock without many problems. I don't need to be at the leading edge of the latest and greatest but I don't want to be buying older technology that will be phased out. I believe Honda will probably do some changing to keep up with the market. I don't have stats on the numbers of machines sold recently but they probably have dropped share in the past 4 years due to the competition getting better. Right now I like the Yamaha 450 Grizzly and the Suzuki King Quad 450. I plan to deal with the decision this week before I go off to camp and our deer season starts. Decisions..decisions but ya got to love it. One thing I have learned is lots of guys like to talk about quads. This thread has been fun and informative for me and thanks to all you who have pitched in. Back to David...it is getting to be decision time don't you know.:D

RE: First ATV
 

Keep in mind that those ratings are on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0
The point is that they are all good ratings. If I convert those ratings to a scale of 1 to 100, then the spread is 88.2 to 95.4 So we are talking about a 7 point spread out of 100 from the top rated to the lowest. That tells me that I'm going to make a decision on which to buy on something other than those ratings, which are essentially equal. This falls in line with what Islander said that in the past few years, all these manufacturers are producing quality machines. So what should I make my choice on then? How about driving them? My first strategy is to simply test drive them all and determine which drives the smoothest, feels the best for me, etc. Beyond that, I'll look at a few specs that are important to me, like turning radius and towing capacity(small food plot concern), clearance, etc. Those are some of my requirements, but other people have different requirements. The one thing I wont tolerate when deciding which to buy is reports on this forum or others about so-in-so's machine constantly breaking down, or in the shop, etc. I think it's funny how I hear things on these forums about how bad a particular brand is, but on the streets I never hear anyone claiming their late model ATV is full of problems. The only exception would be those friends I ride with that abuse their machines. I've got a friend who drives a Vinson and he goes way beyond what any manufacturer would recommend in how rough he rides, and then he scratches his head wondering why it's always in the shop. Anyway, I believe all the manufacturers are building good machines these days and a person should just drive them all under similiar conditions before deciding.

RE: First ATV
 

Hmmm Interesting
I know I come here quite frequently looking for advise or how a product holds up under real life conditions and hold little reguard to most performace tests that go on for a few day's, since I don't plan on using a product for only a few day's but for the long haul.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.:eek:

RE: First ATV
 

You can use the ratings to get an idea of just how a machine performs,but it takes a lot of riding to determine long term reliability.Before buying my own atvs,I looked at what the siesmic crews,surveyors,trappers,forestry people and rental companies used.The people that depend on their machines for a living seem to choose Honda more than any other brand with Yamaha second.The least chosen among these groups of people are polaris.

RE: First ATV
 

Please provide your source of info on this.
Also, businesses often choose a specific brand because of fleet discounts on volume sales, not necessarily because the quality is better. I would imagine that Honda and Yamaha, being larger companies than Polaris, may very well offer better fleet discounts to companies that buy in volume. Just speculation. I have nothing to back that up.

RE: First ATV
 

How about the fact that I see the siesmic crews ,surveyors and forestry people riding their atvson a regular basis as they do their work..I know what the rental outfits use because I know the people that own the localrental companies.As for the trappers,I know several of them and see many atvs and snowmobiles parked outside the trappers cabins.

RE: First ATV
 

when i saw this thread and read through the postsi thought i would throw in my .02, i have 3 atv if you count my wifes, 1 05 outty max 400 (3500 +MILES), 2 06AC 700SE (1250 MILES), 3 wifes 06outty 800 (not max, 275 miles). the 400 outty was my first machine and over 50% of the milage is from snow plowing, alot of older people in town and 2 churches , i have replaced the belt 2 times am on my 3rd set of tires( street legal here in montana), 1 battery/voltage reg (warranty), my rear shocks are still on the softest setting and i have had no spring sag in the front due to the plow, i feel it is because of the set up for carring 2 people that it has performed so well in plowing, i have also had 3 antelope at one time on it w/no trouble, it pulls the trailer i haul it to where we camp with up to 1/2 cord of wood for campfires. i dont think you could get a new one for the amount you wanted to spend but i bet the is a used one in that range, it also has a 3000#ramsey winch to pull wood, etc with the only complaint i have wiht it is that it is a hard shifter that i have learnedto live with, plenty of power and it will go any where. my ac has more zip and shifts easier, but if i am going to work i always take my max, my wifes outty is a gas to ridewhen she lets me and is very comfortable but that 8 inches of wheel base on the max still wins out for work , all of the three get at least 23mpg but 400 still is best at 28mpg, maybe a look at the max or even a john deere buck ( formerly the bombardier traxter) may be worth it,

RE: First ATV
 

I use ATV's every day for work, and we ride Honda. So does Johnson County weed and pest, so do several of the other widlife survey firms, and the list goes on. Demand for Honda is so high that finding a good used machine is next to impossible. You actually end up paying slightly more for a Honda. The fact that everyone who relies on their machines to make a living chooses Honda has nothing to do with fleet discounts- when you run a small business there is no such thing.