Well, I am a Honda man from the word go and have several, (300 4x4, 450 foreman etc) and I probably will stay with Honda. The Yamaha Grizzly is a good machine though, as much as it hurts me to say I think I even like it better than the Honda Rincon after riding both. I just dont think I could ride knowing I was counting on a rubber band. I guess I have seen too many towed home with burned belts, (mostly Polaris's). I'm sure a belt would probably be ok in most applications though, things just get a little extreme around here, (steep & deep). Just my oppinion.

<----Still riding a 1995 Kawasaki 400 Bayou. One battery and several oil changes are all it has cost me. Has all the power I would ever need for anything and has hauled some massive loads. I'm Kawasaki all the way.......Mobil 1 and Red Line oil and proper maintenance have saved me a fortune. Believe me there is some very rough riding to be done down here in Hatfield McCoy country. If I were to buy a new one today...since they dont make my 400 anymore it would be a 450es or a 400 Eiger. Anything bigger than a 400 or 500 is overkill.

"I'm Kawasaki all the way". Me to DD!! I've been riding Kawi's ever since I was old enough to ride. I started out racing motocross on a KX 60 and worked my way to a KX250. Now that I'm a little older and with some "racing" injuries, I've gone to 4 wheels instead of 2. Now, I race a 700 V-Force ATV in some local GNCC events and hunt on a Prarie 650. I know that other manufacturers like Honda, Yamaha and others are making some great quads, but its hard for me to switch. My blood is "green"!!lol

I have two Honda's. One is 8 years old and the other is 4 years old. The only work that I have ever had to do is change the oil, filters, etc. I have never-knock on wood-had a single problem with either of them.

yamaha, kodiak or grizzly ive got a grizzly and its unxeplainable no problems at all

I echo the comments that Ruger-Redhawk made in regard to Polaris and their POOR effort of customer service.

We had purchased a Polaris 350 in 1992, we had occasional problems with it. Too many as a matter of fact. Eventually we purchased a another new one in 1997, Polaris 400 Explorer, instead of continually repairing the old.

After accumulating ONLY 98 miles in little over a year a half the engine stopped working. (I'm a not a gearhead but I will explain it the best I can.) We took it to the dealer and they explained to us that a bolt in the engine had not been screwed in tightly enough and did not allow enough oil to pass through. The mechanic at the dealership said this could have ONLY been done at the FACTORY. After writing and calling Polaris, they continually gave us the the #1 sign with their MIDDLE FINGER. The cost was over $1500.00 to repair it.

In the Milwaukee area, on news Channel 6, they have this service where you can notify them of a a rip off and they will investigate and give either good or bad media on it. Well just prior to this airing, Polaris graciously agreed to cover 75% only due to the fact they would get negative press.

So what does this tell you? Polaris says stick it to the little man!!!! We will never buy another Polaris or Pull-MY-As*, as we call it. It was very unfortunate how they treat their customers.

Keep this in mind as you shop for your new dream machine.

Kyler

I've got a little Honda Rancher 350. It suits me just fine out here in MA. It's not the most powerful beast in the world, but it gets me where I need to go, get's my game out of the woods, and the price was reasonable.

I like my yamaha 400 kodiak, but one recomendation is to get one with locking difs. I wish I would have went with that on the kodiak.

I have ridden a few while elk hunting - a Polaris Expedition and a Honda Foreman ES. I liked both and both did a decent job of hauling a lot of gear and 2 hunters in and out of some nasty trails. I didn't like the foot shift of the Polaris though. The Honda ES is great.

I recently bought an Arctic Cat 650 and love it. I went big as the smaller ATVs don't have enough seat room if both the wife and I want to ride. I rode several but chose the AC because of the IRS, MRP rack system, 2 year warranty, 13 in ground clearance, and std 26 in tires. I also liked the Grizzly 660 and Prairie 700 but the AC just had a better balance of what I wanted. The Honda Rubicon would be ideal if it had IRS, wasn't full time 4wd, and had a locker. It has the best tranny.

I recently spent a lot of time on a Polaris SP500. It rides and handles better than my AC650 but doesn't have near the power or ability to climb through the nasty stuff like the AC. It also has some annoying glitches-grinds gears when shifting, plastic racks, cheap gauge pod, foot rests clog with mud, and the motor sounds like a lawn mower.

I agree with what everyone says about the big machines. I rode trail this last weekend on my old Honda 300 and went everywhere and did everything that the big boys did. I rode a brand new 660(?) yamaha for a little and it was awsome and powerfull but it seems to take some of the fun and action out of the trail ride. Whatever you get, I would want one thats not full time 4 wheel drive. Being able to put one in two wheel drive is fun when it's slippery muddy or snow, I love to dirt track em like they do on the round tracks. But, I want the 4 wheel drive to.