Gut Check

then what is your suggestion?

GA_Hunter

I wouldnt have a Polaris,My uncle had a Polaris 500 Desial,when they bought it,it would go about 60PMH,but when we got it on the farm and in a few weeks,it wouldnt go over 35PMH,speed aint really nothing in hunting i know,gotta have the POWER to get there not the speed.My uncle carried the Polaris to the shop about ever week,something was wrong with it every time you turn around,think it was 9 grang cash,so eventually he sold the Polaris and bought a Honda Foreman ES 450 4x4

travisville

Nothing beats a Honda unless you want to go 100 mph.

newguy23

I have nothing against the other brands out there. but I put a lot of time and effort into searching for my first ATV. I knew very little going in... I kept hearing Honda this... Honda that, till I was sick of it. But I tell you what, they were right.

I bought a Honda Rancher and never looked back. Mine has the auto transmission. It is a no frills work ATV, that just plain works. Kind of refreshing in this day and age!

XTP

Check out our site www.trackshare.com for some no nonsense info on atv's. I am a mod there ( Wolf ) and can tell you that we are not biased to any brand in particular. Everyone has their own like and dislikes but thats good too so you get all kinds of opinions.

The BRP Outlanders are pretty awesome bikes, and that 800 will stretch your arms a bit when you hit that throttle but they have had some issues I think should be dealt with before I would consider buying one. especially for the rather high price tag. Heat has been a major problem in the exhaust, warping and melting the plastic belt covers, fenders and seats. The gauges have a habit of fogging up and there were problems with the front shocks. Now whether or not these have been corrected on current production units I couldn't say for sure but I doubt it since BRP has not fully admitted there are any problems to begin with.

Kawisaki makes a impressive machine in their Brute Force in either a 650 or 750 model. Tons of power in a pretty good overall package, has IRS, front locker, 2 or 4 wheel drive, V twin, and good lighting. This will be my next atv for sure.

Yamaha Grizzly is a tried and true machine but they made alot of changes in the new model. So far it seems to have been very reliable but I would wait a little longer to make sure there are no bugs to work out. Either that or pick up an '06 model and have no regrets there either. Yami's belt drive system is probably the best on the market.

Honda is well known for their reliabilty and for good reason... they are. I bleed Honda red but have to admit that they have had some issues with the auto trannys in the Rubicon and the Rincon. Different trannys in each and unless your running bigger tires or through thick mud the Rincon really isnt bad at all, in fact one of the best trail bikes available. The biggest complaint right now with Honda is the lack of a locker for the front end, the limited slip simply does not cut it in the swamps.

Polaris and Suzuki also have some good bikes well worth considering but my hands hurt from typing already !! LOL

Check em all out before you buy if you can, some dealers will even let you test ride, and pick the one YOU like the best with the features YOU want. After all, you are the only one paying for it.

Tikka 30-06

I have a King Quad 700 and i love it. I am only 15, so of course I had to test out the speed. I got it up to 71 mph and it easy pops wheelies. But, it is also great for hunting. I have ridden in 3 inches of snow, up big hills, and down steep ridges many times without using the four wheel drive. This thing is really amzing because it can go through literally anything without using the four wheel drive or differental lock.

bugsNbows

The reasons I nixed the Polaris were that the radiator was mounted very low and it just looked like a puncture waiting to happen. Additionally, it was quite a bit heavier, and the braking seemed "only o.k.". I could have lived with it though. I also liked the Kawasaki Brute Force, but it wasn't fuel injected... I wanted that. I didn't like the Suzuki King Quad much either. The Arctic Cats didn't much grab me for several reasons. Not my cup of tea. I wasn't concerned much about top speed so the Outlander was discounted. I basically was left with the Honda, Yamaha and the Polaris as my 3rd choice. The fellow at the Honda store was not particularily pleasant. I'm sure the Honda and / or Polaris would have been o.k., but when I drove the Grizzly I was hooked. I'm telling you, the power assist steering was awesome. There you have it. To each his own. My nickel, my choice. It's the Grizzly!!!!! I'll bet Honda and the others will have power steering PDQ. My thanks to everybody who voiced their opinion. Good luck and swing easy.

AK_Zeke

Honda's are the best. Here's a pic of me and my 2005 Honda Foreman ES 500 pulling a 1100 lbs moose out ofa swampy field up onto dry land. I did use the Warn 2500 Winch for assistance. [8D]

bugsNbows

Looks like a nice moose Zeke, congrats. Good for the Honda too (even tho I got a Yamaha).

Champlain Islander

I bought a new Suzuki 450 king Quad at a good price (high 5K range). It has EFI, IRS and runs strong so far. Seems like a nice bike at a low price as compared with other machines with the same features. It won't be a speed demon but all I want it for is ice fishing. I almost went with the new Yamaha 700 but it was really more than I needed but is probably going to be"the machine" for a few years.