Atv

[tx_fireman1525]

Hey guys, im lookin real hard into buyin me an ATV. The question ive got is which brand makes the best one out right now? Ive been searching into a Polaris, a Honda, and a Yamaha. How do the other brands like Arctic Cat and Bombardier compare, i dont know much about these.



I want one around 400cc and 4x4. Any of you guys out there that own one, i would like to hear some input about all of the brands, pros and cons, price, ect.



Any input will be greatly appreciated

 

[Sageair]

Gosh, you might as well ask whos' wife is prettier but here goes. If the absolutely most important thing to do is reliability and long life I would buy Honda. Flames suit on!

 

[GeneralMachine]

We looked low & hi and decided on the yamaha brand, Mine is a Grizley, moms is a 450 wolverine, and the son bought him a 700r, all perform real well.

 

[Boomer II]

I've got a Polaris 500 HO that I'm happy with, got a family deal. But if I were buying I'd go Arctic Cat. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

 

[DHorton]

400cc is the Yamaha Kodiak. I tested all of them out. Polaris is to heavy in the front end. Artic Cat pushes in the turns. Honda is a very well balanced machine, but tends to drive like a tractor. I use mine for work and trail riding, but also tend to get a bit spirited on my rides, so I like the added agility of the Yamaha. Again, this is all my opinion, your best bet is either to find people with these bikes to let you test drive them or find a really cordual dealer that has a dirt area to try them out. If I were to buy one right now it would either be the new 450 Kodiak with IRS or the new Wolverine.

 

[EBottema]

The best ATV made is by Honda. The bike starts off as a high quality machine, either made in Japan or USA. Everyone that takes care of the honda has it still running 10+ years later with no major work. You can still get parts for a 10+ year old Honda. Honda is awsome.

 

[BigPapa]

You can still get parts for a 10+ year old Honda. Honda is awsome.

Hey E, I'm a bleed red Honda man myself, but this ain't so no more! :{ Now don't get me wrong, Honda's no worse than any of the others, but they ain't what they used to be. Seems as though everybody else has tried for years to do things as well as Honda and they've stepped it up pretty well, but Honda has slid back to the other manufacturers level on most things.



If I wanted the baddest ATV out right now I'd buy the Bombardier 800. It is absolutely the BADDEST ATV I have EVER thrown a leg over (at least in stock form). Our BRP rep has been out riding at major ATV areas every weekend for the past couple of months, so depending on where you are, you should be able to find one to ride before you buy. He even has demos of other brands for comparison. Go ride everything else you can first though!



Scott

 

[EBottema]

What bad things have you noticed about honda, i am curious?



From what I have read, Bombardier uses belt drives in many of their application and we know belts are worthless... . I have heard lots of little problems with artic cats and Bombardier. Chain or gear only allowed around these parts

 

[jkeyes]

I just bought a Kawasaki brute force 750 and I love this machine. It has almost as much power as a Bombadier 800 and has a great ride. Just my $. 02



-J-

 

[RankRam]

I just bought a Kawasaki brute force 750 and I love this machine. It has almost as much power as a Bombadier 800 and has a great ride. Just my $. 02



-J-

Yep the Brute 750 is great, I love the power!



Do yourself a favor and put a Moose power module on it. It really wakes up the lower end.

 

[jvmoore]

Before I could give an opinion I'd like to know are you buying for work or play? It does make a difference I have a Polaris 6X6 425CC that I've used to pull around hayracks with 150 70lb bales! Not bad for a machine with a max towing capacity of 800lb! But I wouldn't buy a Polaris to play I'd probably buy a Honda. Also I'd get the opions of customers on the service department of the brand you going to use. The dealer I bought from went out of business and the next closest dealer service is less than desired.

 

[BigPapa]

What bad things have you noticed about honda, i am curious?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with Honda. All I said was that parts are not available from Honda like they used to be. Ten years ago I could get almost any part for any Honda ever made, except for body parts and exhaust systems. Now I can't get essential parts for some things that are not that old. I can't remember the specifics, but I was told by my Honda rep that they had changed their policies and that they would not be offering parts for older units like they used to.



As far as belts go, Kawasaki had some major problems with belts when they first came out with the Prairie series but that has been corrected. Belts have been around a long time, mainly in snow mobiles. The only problems we see with belts are from customers running them in deep water or mud.



Scott

 

[Skydiver]

Honda or Yamaha, Belt driven units are noisier if your going to hunt.

Tim

 

[tx_fireman1525]

Im gona use it for huntin and playin.



Are all Polaris' belt driven?

 

[crobertson1]

Im gona use it for huntin and playin.



Are all Polaris' belt driven?

Yes.



I have a Polaris Sportsman 500HO. I use it mostly to plow my driveway and it's awesome for that. I trail ride with it a little and it's good for that too until you get in a steep, downhill, rocky situation. The problem there is that the engine braking system only brakes the rear wheels, which is not fun at all. For trails I'll stick to my dirtbike. It's my 2nd Polaris and I'm very happy with it. It's very reliable like the older one I had.



The Suzuki King Quad is the favorite of the host's on ATV Television. He loves the Hondas too.

 

[Fred Swanson]

Arctic Cat 500i. use it for work and play. I don't feel any push in the turns, at any speed. Good Suzuki 500 motor, well balanced machine, and it'll tow alot, too. Fully independent suspension, excellent ground clearance, too. Good top speed(55+), plus great lowend power.

 

[tx_fireman1525]

Well me n a buddy went out shoppin for one this weekend. We each bought a Yamaha Grizzly 660. We just got a good deal on em that we couldnt pass up. They had $1000 of all 2005 five models, oh and guess what, he just happend to have 2 left! He also knocked another $200 off since we bought a pair of em.



Im real happy with it, its a REAL powerfull machine, with loads of low end tourqe, and great all around power. They run about 65 MPH But im happy with it, and hopefully it will be good to me.

 

[BigPapa]

TX FM,



Keep a good watch on the boots on your CV joints, stay out of the deep water, and you'll have years of fun out of those Grizzlies!



Scott

 

[tx_fireman1525]

Hey thanks for the heads up!