RE: First ATV
 

I have a Honda Foreman. It is AWESOME. I can put my plow on it pull a trailer haul a deer. Anything it is the best never had a problem.

RE: First ATV
 

Ok... sure... whatever saves me the most money.[8D]

RE: First ATV
 

I haven't read the other posts, but I suggest you do all the research, test drives, talking around, and then go buy your Polaris. In the end, there really isn't another choice. Just my opinion.

RE: First ATV
 

I have followed all that and even though the Polaris is full of bells and whistles I doubt that I will get one. Too many people are down on them due to high maintenance costs and fundamental failures. They get poor reviews overall and are only marginally better than AC which is dead last on almost all the sites. I have looked at every place on the web that offers reviews and Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki are always at the top and are usually rated about the same. I have narrowed my search to the Suzuki King Quad 450 (MSRP 6499) and the Yamaha Grizzly 450 (MSRP 6299). Both machines are highly rated and are almost identical feature for feature. The Suzuki has EFI with a slightly larger body dimension and the Yamaha has a standard carbureted engine. Both have considerable ground clearance with IRS and weigh around 600 pounds. I plan to make my choice this week and have some decent quotes on both machines.

RE: First ATV
 

Well good looks like you have it narrowed down here. I am not trying to change your mind a bit.
Looks like yor headed in the right direction. Giant power is not needed with these things.The smaller more compact is much better than the over powered and bulky.You will also find as I thru field use ground clearance isn't an issue as well as many of the other big selling points they try to make in commercials.
Of course keep it simple as more gadgets add up to more possible problems and maintainence.

RE: First ATV
 

OK Champlain, what swayed you toward the Susuki and the Yamaha when it seems like more have the Honda?

RE: First ATV
 

Islander
Boy I sure hate to hear what you've been led to believe about Polaris. I've driven one for 4 years now and I'm VERY tough on mine with all the food plotting I do, pulling very heavy stuff and I have never had a stitch of trouble. I think you have been greatly misled, but I wish you well.

RE: First ATV
 

You might be the lucky one.
We don't have a Honda Dealer in the nearest town so I stopped into the Polaris dealer on a hunch which is 15 miles away.I just wanted my Honda went through for the Winter and a tune up.
Said he could do it but was backed up over 3 weeks with all the Dead Polaris atv's. It's hunting season around here and I guess all the Polaris's must of all crapped at once as he had well over 50 in his shop waiting to get fixed as well as others in front of me in line bringing them in.
It's kind of funny to, as there was an add in the local paper looking for a Polaris mechanic.
Not putting you and your ride down, but from what I see from these things I sure would not want to be 20 miles back in with one.

He had them things laying around all over the place waiting to be fixed.

RE: First ATV
 

Like you earlier stated David, there is just too much info out there. Hondas are pretty widely regarded as the best machine by almost everyone out there. They set the standard long ago and came up with a great concept and stayed with it. The only problem with them that I can see is the lack of ground clearance and the fact that they still have a carbureted engine. The fact is that they really haven't changed or modernized while the competition has continually upgraded. The argument is that when you have the best product there is really no reason to change and I certainly understand that issue. I have owned severalMotorcycles made by Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha. They were all great machines that worked as advertised and gave me great satisfaction. I based some of my research on visits to dealerships that sold different manufacturers. I asked what they thought about the different machines and why. Early Polaris was junk and many of the dealers say they now are better but none claimed they were even close to the Japanese ATV's. I really liked the 500 EFI Sportsman but looking at a popular web site that does rider reviews shows there are still some issues. Apparently they have an issue with the heat from the exhaust melting the seat and plastic on the sportsmen models. I saw the same issue raised on more than one site and emailed Polaris about the problem. I never got a response and that pretty much took them off my map. The main dealer here that sells Polaris also sells Yamaha and Kawasaki and he told me the Yamahas are rock solid and seldom come back with problems. I looked in his shop and almost all the ones in there for service were Polaris. He told me the Yamaha Kodiac 400 and 450 never came back with problems and that is the size machine I wanted. Another dealership that sells Yamahas exclusively said all his machines go out of there with a 2 year dealership 24 month warrantee even without the current promotion by Yamaha. That pretty much tells me he has confidance in the product when he says he will fix any problem for nothing. The 07 Kodiac changed to the Grizz 450...same machine just different name. The thing that has me looking at the Suzuki King Quad 450 is the EFI. I live in Northern Vermont with deep snow and my primary use will be ice fishing. Cold starting is always a problem here and several of my friends have had issues with that and all the machines had conventional carbs. Most of the guys that had problems in the deep snow were riding Hondas. The 7.5" clearance just isn't enough when you are running through packed drifts on ice. The tires just start to spin and the frame bottoms out and some of those even had chains. The machines with 10" or more clearance usually do much better. EFI will provide an improvement for two reasons. The cold starting shouldn't be a problem and if I take the machine out west and elk hunt at altitude there wouldn't be any problem with re-jetting for altitude. All machines in this class range will change and come out with IRS and EFI. I suspect Honda will move towards that to keep market share when all the others go more modern. The Honda Rubicon is a great machine and would be the one I would buy if I were going to use it for work like plowing or food plot work etc. No belts and a whole different tranny than all the rest. For my use I think either the Yammie or SuzyQ will work. In 6 weeks the fish will be calling and I need to be ready.
According to Powersports Network the rider reviews for the main brands of ATV are as follows. The higher score the better.

Brand all models Reviews Avg Rating
Artic Cat 220 4.45
Can- Am 265 4.52
Honda1376 4.69
Kawasaki 660 4.57
Polaris 1034 4.51
Suzuki732 4.73
Yamaha 1909 4.72

RE: First ATV
 

I use my Honda Ice fishing all the time, and the only problem I have had was getting on the ice. The same drifts all the otherones had problems with. It is true it is carburated and sometimes the choke will freeze up. That is why they have a primer button on the side of the carb under the seat that is easy to reach. They start up right of the bat without any problems when using the primer. Two or three pushes on the primer and push the start button and you are off and running.;)Perhaps some of your friends that have had the trouble either forgot it is there or was never told. I also have a friend that bought 2 polarises 2 years ago and they have been in the shop more then out. As of right now both have been down for most of the year.