Which ATV to buy?

[Corey Bechtold]

I'm finally getting a whiff of buying my first ATV. I've price compared several different companies 4-wheelers and they seem to be all cost consious of each other. What I am looking for is something that is good all around. Mainly an Ice fishing tool for the whole season (since we don't really have Winter anymore ). Pulling my portable, kids, yard work, maybe plowing and some other odd jobs. I think that a 400 would be a good size but 500's aren't that much more $$.

I'm not looking to start a chest beating thread as to who's 4-wheeler is the best. Just looking for some honest feedback for what to look for before I buy and what wheelers you like.

Thanks,

Corey Bechtold

[Ole #1]

Some things I was looking for before I bought my atv in 03 was full independant suspension and true all wheel drive. I decided on a bombardier outlander 400 and love it. I use it for ice fishing and deer hunting. Plenty of power for what I use it for and it was atv of the year in 03. I was also looking for something that would be dependable and spoke to a few mechanics about the machine before buying it.

I would recomend test riding the different models you're interested in, then you really get a feel for them. The dealers should let you.

[Corey Bechtold]

Funny you bring up the Outlander. I have heard that these are sweet machines. Also saw an infomercial about them. Bombardier seems to have something going for them. How much did you pay for yours in 03?

Also what other machines does everyone have?

Later,

Corey Bechtold

[Ole #1]

I had a grill gaurd put on and with tax it was $5,200. But the 04 models had just come out, so I probably got it a little cheaper.

Kind of off the subject, but did you go to Apollo high school?

[waskawood]

Corey, I am in the same position as you. Wondering which is best. Iwould like to ask another question. I have been also looking at the utility atv's lately. Like the Polaris Ranger and the Kawasaki Mule. What is everyones thoughts on these? I realize they are heavier and slower but I would think that they would be great for ice fishing and for hauling a deer out of the woods.

[cold one sd]

I have an 05 Arctic Cat 400 auto and am very satisfied with it. Independant suspension front and rear, a wet clutch, and a ton of ground clearance. It rides really nice and starts very well in the cold weather that we have had so far. It also has high and low range with a locking front differential. I looked at all of em and this is the one that impressed me the most. Like they say try them all and buy the one that you like. I have tried to be objective, but you will find a lot of brand loyalty on here.

[jltimm]

along with riding the different atv's,you have to take the dealer into consideration also.A great dealer is a big part of your purchase.If you have any issues with your atv,and need warranty work done or something along those lines,it is nice to know your dealer will be there for you!I will openly admit that I would NEVER own a Polaris product!I owned one,and have several friends that have owned them,and reliability is something that the polaris did not have for anyone that I know that has owned them,and actually used them hard!Yamaha,Honda,and Suzuki to me are the most tried and true wheelers out there.Bombardier and Arctic Cat come with 3 year warranties (which I'am skeptical of).Arctic Cat uses mostly Suzuki engines in them also,and boasts the most ground clearance,and the most independant suspension with 10 inches of travel at all 4 corners.I could go on all day as there are so many different features on wheelers nowadays.If you have friends that ride em,ask them questions,and possibly take 'em for a spin.Otherwise just start going to dealers with questions that concern you,and test drive them for yourself.Just remember though,dealers are just that usually!They will tell you anything to sell you their product!

[Corey Bechtold]

Nope, didn't go to Apollo High School.

Have you had any problems with your Outlander?

I also thought about the utility wheelers but they seem a bit spendy.

Thanks for all the responses,

Corey Bechtold

[Ole #1]

I had to replace the spark plug this year, but no problems other than that .

It's been a great machine.

[rundrave]

My best advice is to go out and test drive anything you are considering buying and buy what fits you best, and what you are most comfortable with.

Its no different than the ford, chevy, etc... debate

I am gonna give my honest opinion here. I am not sure if its just this board in general, but most will disagree when recomending Polaris.

However I think hands downs as far as a 4x4 the polaris is the best. I know I am probably going to get flamed for this, but I have several friends and family members that wouldnt ride anything else. We beat ours into the ground and with the recomended maintenance all have held up just fine.

[Macgyver55]

I won't put down any of the wheelers out there (except maybe to Dave) they're all pretty good now days. But, I guess you could say I am biased toward the Hondas. In 30 years of owning and riding a dozen different Honda models and in excess of 70,000 combined miles I've never had to bring one back for warranty yet....for anything! I don't think I'm just one of the "lucky" ones either. I ride with 5 other guys all on various Honda models all with the same experience. I think that says a lot! People on this forum who know me also know that I don't "baby" my wheeler, but I don't intentionally abuse it either. I personally wouldn't own anything else. I'll probably get burned by it someday, but I've gotten to the point where I buy strictly based on price. Warranty and dealer service has never come into play so it isn't a selling point for me, but it is to many people. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are for everyone. Different people expect different things from their ATV and each one has its strong and weak points. I put 100% trust in my wheeler because often I ride in pretty remote areas, so reliability is foremost to me. Decide what you want to do with it and get what suits you best.......

[Corey Bechtold]

Are there any Honda's that have independent suspension?

CB

[Macgyver55]

Yes there are. They have the Rincon. 2005 and before it is a 650cc liquid cooled, carbureted machine. For 2006 it is now a 700 cc, fuel injected. One of the guys in our group has one (2005) and is pleased with so far it at somewhere around 1600 miles.

I would urge you to test drive any and all brands you can before buying. Talk to owners and read all you can. Like I said before, they all have strong points and some weaker. See what fits you best. One thing I really like about the Hondas is that the little maintenance they require is quite easy to do yourself.

[Wave Runner]

Another vote for the Outlander. I bought mine this summer and it's been great so far...

[Corey Bechtold]

Are there any Yamaha guys who have any opinions for me?

CB

[jltimm]

The Honda Rincon also uses a non-belt auto tranny.It's a 3 speed kinda like a cars,and the first gear is not really low enough for downhill braking,and from what I've read on other atv forums,if you put bigger tires on it,the first gear has a tough time turning them.I 've owned several Yamahas,and highly recommend them.The Yamaha Grizzly 660 and the Yamaha Kodiak 450 both have IRS,differential lock,and high and low range with a belt driven auto tranny.The Yamaha's have the best,longest lasting belt drives in the business,and you should have no belt issues with these units.Do you have any specific questions?

[Greg T]

as far as Honda & Yamaha wheelers go, there isn't 1 model that I would shy away from. The last Kawi and Polaris I rode I think were both 1987's so I don't have any relavant experience with them. I am sure that you can't buy a new "bad" quad anymore. Like the other guys have already said, find a dealer that won't jerk you around and you'll be set.

[Corey Bechtold]

Can't say I have any specific questions...yet. I know someone who has the Grizzly 660 and he researched a ton before he chose his. He only had one issue with his and it was something like mud and water getting in around the belt causing it to slip. He said that everytime he rode through mud, muck, water and other dump he had to drain and clean the belt areas. I think that Yamaha has fixed that issue since then. Does that sound right?

Corey Bechtold

[Macgyver55]

Quote:

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He only had one issue with his and it was something like mud and water getting in around the belt causing it to slip. He said that everytime he rode through mud, muck, water and other

dump

he had to drain and clean the belt areas.

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We had a guy ride with us a few times with a Griz and had similar experiences. He actually broke down 2 times in one day. We had to drain (and rinse) the belt housing because it had water and mud in it. Later in the day he had all four wheel studs break of on one rear wheel. Later on when we got home we found the belt housing was cracked either due to impacting something or from improper installation. In defense of the machine, it was probably more owner fault than design problem.

One thing I will say though is that his 660 was hungry. He used gas nearly two to one compared to the 450s we were riding. A few times when we stopped you could hear the gas boiling in the tank. It didn't seem to be a problem although it can be under the right conditions.

[outdoorsman1972]

I have an 02 Honda foreman and have not had a problem yet in over 3000 miles and also own an 05 Kodiak 450 and also only one minor problem (needle and seat kit) otherwise it has been a very good and dependable machine. there are drawbacks between independant suspension and straight axle. My foreman is straight axle and seems IMO to handle a trailer with some weight better than indep. because the weight is on the axle instead of on the suspension, but you do lose some comfort with straight axle. Like I said I like both of my wheelers and both have there strong and weak points. Try them all and

buy what think suits your needs. I forgot to add that the Yamaha Kodiak also has the locker in the front end which comes handy where my honda is limited slip and the locker has to added from aftermarket.

[Guest]

Quote:

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Are there any Yamaha guys who have any opinions for me?

CB

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I have an 03' Kodiak 450 that has been flawless. It even started in -38 degree temps when my truck wouldnt plugged in? That was a cold ride to the store for smokes in northern minnesota.

I cant recall how many miles I have on the machine now(just under 2000). I wore out the stock rear tires, The brake pads wore, I burnt out a headlight.. and I change the oil on regular intervals... thats it.

I used this machine for very demanding trail riding, working including skidding logs, towing heavy loads(what wore out brakes). It also does well at getting from point A to B in a hurry if that is important to someone. I am not a speed demon, but I have seen what it *could do* a few times and it will do 65 without a problem... too fast for me, but I had to see(few times).

I cant tell you how impressed I have been with this machine with the demand I have put on it. I do not have independant rear suspension but the ride is plenty smooth.. and I dont like having my machine *sqat* under load. The differential lock 4wd is awesome in the mud and snow. This thing has more power than I have ever needed, and the low range is great for when there is extreme load.. It would probably rip the tires off the machine if it had enough traction before it ever ran out of power. I cant ever recall really having the motor stressed? It also is very easy on the fuel. Its not uncommon to get 80 miles(normal trail riding, not mud bogging) out of a tank of gas and thats not too long after I hit the resrve which I still have about .6 gallon left(3.2 gallon tank if my memory serves right)

For a mid size machine(450), it has a ton of power, way more than any other I have been on in the same class. The machine is also very light in comparison to many others weighing in at about 580# if I remember right.. so when you do finally get stuck, its not like trying to get a battleship out of a clay hole.

Personaly, I dont need to look any further than Yamaha when I go to purchase again. I have another family member with the same machine and they use it for landscaping and harsh trail riding and have had the same experience with their machine as I have. Much of the use of theirs is heavy hauling and leveling out fill(gravel, sand, dirt) with a huge blade(60"?)

They cost a little more than the competitors(at least when we purchased ours), and the extended 3 year warranty added to that tag.. but the machine is worth every penny. We havent needed the warranty, but its piece of mind until this June when it expires.

There are lots of good machines out there. I am not knocking any competitors machines. I am simply expessing our experience with the machine we have. I would highly recommend the Kodak 450 to anyone. It will do the job as well as any machine in its class, and my guess is it will do the job of the monster machines out there too.. one probably would notice the difference in power unless they were pulling a Bayliner down the freeway.

Good Luck with whatever machine you decide to purchase in the end. They are all a lot of fun. The only recommendation I can really make is be sure to have differential lock 4x4, and seriously consider upgrading the tires at the time of purchase(dealers will usually work with you if it means selling the machine). Tires will make all the difference in the world in the mud and snow.

[TV BOY]

I bought a 450 kodiak form Wave Runner. I liked its smaller size. It pulls my 12' fishouse, plows the drive, starts well in the cold. Easy to shift from 2-4-4lock. Steel racks vs plastic.

I really like to Arctic Cat's feature of the 2" reciever for a hitch! That is a great idea. When I hook up a trailer you can't turn sharp or the wheels rub.

[Corey Bechtold]

Thanks for the heads up! I have a Yamaha 4-stroke outboard on my boat. Their customer service seems to be top notch as well (unfortunately I had to find that out on my motor). I don't think I would ever put my machine through what you have but it's nice to know they will hold up.

So far I'm starting to lean toward the Outlander, Kodiac, and Artic Cat(my cousin recommends).

Anything else...

Corey Bechtold

[ChuckN]

I've never owned Yamahas but just about everything else in the family throughout the years. Honda, Honda, Honda. You just cannot kill these machines. I have the Foreman... simple, fairly light and overall bulletproof in IMO.

Arctic Cat would be my 2nd choice, if Honda was not an option.

[Hotspotter]

The only knowledge I have on the subject comes from my brother's experience. It was an older HONDA 300, 1992. My brother routinely does stupid things with his, and not only does it run, it excels.

I have personally witnessed his '92:

-roll down a 200' hill backwards after failed "wheelie" attempt in SE MN

-run hundreds of miles with little to no oil

-smash into trees, breaking fenders, lights, and front rack (zip ties "fixed" everything but the rack)

-jump/land and not break after 4+ feet of air

-pull empty gravity boxes, feed bunks, etc

-drive through creeks/streams

Granted, this is abnormal, idiotic use. No one should ever use a four-wheeler like my brother did in high school. But if it can withstand his downright abuse and neglect, I think it will work phenomenally for the average user. He uses it today, and does change the oil now. He used it daily for 10 years, and the thing hasn't missed a beat.

And I know it's a big assumption to make the leap from a '92 to a newer machine, figuring that that new are built as solid as the old, but I have friends with newer Hondas that report the same thing. I'm sold.

Joel