Looking for an ATV, what do you think?

[Hitman54]

Roofer,

I see where you are comming from but I just threw out my expierences with Honda. I did not bad mouth any other brands. I did not even say that Honda is the best. The thread was started as "Looking for a new ATV, what do you think?" I gave my honest opinion on what I own. I am sure someone else can say that they have had 5 or 6 different machines over the past 25 years that were great for them as well. My point is if something has been a good investment for you over the long haul, why would you want to go in a different direction? Honda's have been good to me and I will keep loyal to them until they give me a reason not to.

[Macgyver55]

I'll chime in with my experience. I've been riding a long, long time. (since 1974) I've owned all Hondas, (12)

In the 60 to 70,000 or so miles I've ridden, I've ridden with and driven virtually every brand, several different models and several different displacements. I also work on different brands for several friends, neighbors, friends of friends etc, including a couple members of this forum.

Some I have been impressed with, some not so much, but one fact remains. I still own and ride Hondas, for one main reason, out of those 12 I have owned, and at least 16 others that my immediate family and close friends have owned over the years, NONE of them has ever been back to a dealer for a warranty problem. None of them has yet to be brought home under anything but its own power, and believe me they are not "babied" by any means. One Rancher was recalled for bad welds on the front A-arms and a there was a poetential recall on a 05' Rincon which turned out to be not one of those affected. Neither one had a problem related to those recalls before they were updated.

Like I said, I was impressed by some of the others, but not near enough to give up the reliability (and resale) of the trusty Hondas.

The most important consideration when buying an ATV is what you are going to do with it, and what you expect out of it. For my expectations Honda fills that need, for others it may not.

[Dave S]

Mac,

your last paragraph brings up a good point. I would be quick to change brands depending on the intended use. If I were to go to a Sport machine again, I would prefer the KTM or the new DS 450. For a Sport utility, I would maybe opt for the Can-Am Renegade 800 (if I could afford one at the time). If it was a true utility I was after, I would maybe change brands again and go for the AC Thundercat (again, if I could afford one at the time).

as anyone can see, money weighs in for many people and will purchase what machine gives them the best bang for the buck for their intended purpose.

I agree with Roofer. Many people are brand loyalists, and there's nothing wrong with that. But don't avoid certain brands just because. They might be a far better machine than you expect.

Like Mom always said, "You'll never know until you try it".

[Down2Earth]

You should check them out before you make outrageous claims like you did.

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Mac's statement shows just how outrageous that claim was.

[Macgyver55]

Quote:

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Like Mom always said, "You'll never know until you try it".

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Basically thats what the gist of my post was, that I have tried many of them, probably more than most guys. I was simply trying to point out that even after doing that I still stay with Honda. That said, in the end, because I've driven and also ridden with the others, I do know what I am "missing". For me, that is nothing because the ATV I own does everything I want it to do and more. For the next guy it may not.

To assume someone else will like something that we do assumes that the other person will be using and expecting it to perform exactly the same as we do, which is rarely the case.

[Wiskers]

My family all has Hondas, I grew up on Hondas. I did own a 350 Wolverine a while back. I loved it but it was one of them that was having carb issues. I am looking for an ATV that I can work with plus play with. So far most of the units I have ridden are great but they are so big and bulky that playing with them is tough. I see now that the 350 Wolverine is only a 2x4. Not sure when they changed that but that is a bummer.

I am wondering how the 450 works if any one has one. Unless I can find a good used 350 4x4.

All your info is great. It is going to be a tough decision.

[jltimm]

If your looking for a smaller sized work and fun atv, take a Yamaha Kodiak 450 for a ride.I'm sure it would fit the bill with 2WD, 4WD limited slip,differential lock, high and low range,independant rear suspension (great ride,but not to good with heavy tongue weight on hitch) and roomy front and rear racks.

[Roofer]

That is kind of like saying, I will take the trusty and reliable bus instead of driving myself. Sure, it isn't as fun and I can't go where everyone else does, but I will make it home.

I have explained why Honda has fewer problems and it is true, but it isn't everyone's #1 priority when purchasing a machine. My atv's have never left me stranded.

I have tried a few Honda's. Yes their name and dependability are impecable. None of them have impressed me while test driving compared to others. I never tried a Rincon, but did consider it. The lack of low range and smaller racks would not work for me.

[Macgyver55]

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That is kind of like saying, I will take the trusty and reliable bus instead of driving myself. Sure, it isn't as fun and I can't go where everyone else does, but I will make it home.

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First off, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to start a "mine is better than yours" war, just throwing my experiences out there for the original poster to consider. I've never said anything bad about any other ATV brand or model. (even though the comparison to a bus was kinda lame). If you ever notice, Honda owners rarely bounce around from brand to brand searching for that "perfect ATV"....why do you suppose that is? I doubt that its because we "dont know how to have fun". I think I've experienced a pretty wide variety of "fun" in my lifetime. I think I have a good "handle" on what fun is. Enough so that I'm sometimes surprised that I'm still around.

After riding as long as I have, I'm pretty confident that there are few places you can go that I cannot go or havent already been. I've been places for years that are illegal to go now that were not then. I've also either owned or ridden most every type of ATV from 3 wheelers to high performance and utility, so I think I have a pretty good handle on whats out there.

Everybody else may not be looking for the same things out of an ATV as you are and possibly reliability is one of their priorities. I'm not trying to talk anyone into anything, although the original poster did say he didn't think he'd like an automatic and I think (not sure) that Honda sells more standard shift models than any one else.

Obviously you feel that your riding style is "more fun" than others, and if others don't do the same thing as you it wont be as much "fun". Remember, fun is a relative term and can only be determined and measured by the one experiencing it. Wouldn't life be boring if we all liked the same things?

[Dave S]

Let's step back here guys before this thread gets out of hand.

I think we all agree that everyone has a different riding preference and have differing opinions as to what we view as an enjoyable time on the trails. Some like work, some like mud, and some like myself, prefer a little mud, water, and well groomed trails, with a little log hopping mixed in there as well.

My perfect machine would have:

Honda reliability

Honda Ergonomics (Rincon)

AC Thundercat horsepower

AC ground clearance

Kawasaki acceleration

Kawsaki rear sealed brake system

Polaris fuel economy

Honda and Polaris ride comfort (IRS)

Yamaha Power steering

Can-Am overall performance (based on my experience with the DS 650)

And some Suzuki ingenuity (they did build the first mass produced 4-wheeled ATV)

And for a few extras, I would have it equipped with a better than stock set of skid plates, EFI that can be adjusted by the rider on the fly, and a better than stock set of tires and rims.

There's probably more, but I haven't thought of them yet.

P.S.

Roofer,

shouldn't you be getting ready for a wedding today instead of reading the forums? Man, that's a dedicated ATV rider.

See you there.

[jltimm]

polaris fuel economy? You must be talking about the 500 because I know the 600-800's are not known for there fuel mileage?

[Macgyver55]

I was kind of taken aback by that too. I dont recall hearing those two things being associated with each other before.

[Dave S]

Sorry I didn't elaborate more on that one guys. I did mean the 500 SP. The 2001 Sportsman 500 that I had was excellent on gas. 1 1/2 gallons of gas on a 60 mile ride at Nemadji.

Roofer will recall that ride when many of us ended up with water in our gas.