I'm going to be buying a new ATV very soon,but have no clue what to get.I started out on an 84 honda 200s and loved that,big mistake selling it.Came across an 89 Polaris Trailboss for cheap,but my loathing for this machine is beyond description.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]I'm looking for something under 5grand with a clutch or auto clutch that's reliable,and is faster than a 99 Suzuki King Quad.I'm not decided on a sport or utility machine yet.Leaning more towards sport since I will only be using it for recreational riding not any kind of work.Rack would serve only to carry the occasional beer cooler,lol.I do plan on riding it on streets and snowmobile packed trails in the harsh Maine winters though.Most of my summer riding will be done on powerline and woodsy trails.Would prefer a 4stroke but I'm not opposed to getting a 2 stroke by any means.Any suggestions or comparisons would be greatly appreciated,thanks.

 

Oh yeah,forgot to mention,I'm going to a dealer that sells Honda,Yamaha and Polaris tomorrow afternoon.

 

Natty, I'm kind of in your shoes - I'm having a difficult time making a decision with the myriad of choices!

I'm between the Honda Sporttrax 400EX (5 spd, manual clutch, sport quad, 2wd, no reverse, chain drive) and the Yamaha Wolverine (350, 5 spd, auto clutch, 4x4 w/limited slip front axle, no maintenance shaft drive, rear rack, semi-sport/semi-ute).

The multi-line dealers I've been talking to carry both and the Honda is a few more $$ than the Wolverine. All reports indicate that both are reliable and there are plenty of hop up parts for each. The Wolverine, though, has a somewhat odd tire size with its 12 inch rims.

While the Honda is not the latest technology (water cooled, reverse, etc) it is simple and low tech and has been around for years. The Wolverine has been around for years, too, and is proven.

Both Honda and Yamaha are offering special financing if purchase before Oct 31. Honda has 4.9% for up to 60 months, Yamaha 3.9% until Jan 2005.

I've found out the door pricing (NOT including state taxes) for the Honda available from about $4,750 to $4,899 and the Wolverine from about $4,450 to $4,750. I'm in the Detroit area and these prices are available in Toledo (90 minute drive) and the Chicago suburbs (5 hour drive) but are way better than in Detroit where the dealers love to tack on the bogus shipping and assembly charges which tend to run from $375 to $500 in this market.

 

Those are 2 of the machines I'm also Highly considering,going the finance route too.Just wish I could get the Wolverine with a clutch[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
After some web researching I've narrowed it down some,lol.If anyone could give me some pro's and cons,etc about these machines please do!

Honda FourTrax Rancher 4x4 vs. Yamaha Big Bear 400 4x4 vs Suzuki Eiger 400 4x4.all the shiftable versions,full auto blows imo.

Honda FourTrax Recon vs. Yamaha Beartracker vs Kawi Bayou 250 vs Suzuki Ozark 250

Honda 400 ex vs Yamaha Warrior

Honda 250 ex vs Yamaha Blaster vs. Suzuki Quadsport Z250

I've gotta go ride some to figure out what type of machine I want.

 

Out of the 250 utes, I can say the Ozark is the best but the others are nice too. As for the 400 utes I would pick an Eiger over the other two......................

 

My personal opinions, from experience:

Rancher over eiger and big bear. I have an 01 rancher that has been beaten and abused on the farm, in the trails, and everywhere. Bulletproof and lots of power and speed.

ozark and recon are great machines. Once again, the honda is bulletproof. these bikes are basically utility versions of the z250 and 250ex. The bayou is a tough little machine with decent power, but it is quite small. I believe its also a 220, not 250.

400ex is superior in all but reverse to the warrior. Both are very reliable and last a long time. 400ex is truly more fun to ride and a better quad all around.

z250 quite a bit nicer than the 250ex, as it has some updates and more power. Blaster is a good deal faster and more powerful than either. Also takes mods much better.

 

if u buy a wariror(which i would suggest cuz they last forever and can b bored higher than 430 but i f u buy 1 new or ne other yamaha don't get the 3.5 option cuz then it's liek 17% after that [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img] go with the 7.5% i think

 

If you can buy a new 2004 Wolverine for $4450 I would jump all over it. What shop gave you that price? I paid $4700 with PIAA lights and I thought I did GREAT. The Wolverine is a GREAT bike that is real fun. I also own a 400EX and IMO the Wolverine is a better bike for rough trails.

 

id go with suzuki

 

Sounds to me that you need to do a bit of soul searching to find out just how you intend to ride the machine before you make any purchase decision. If you want a sport machine, get a sport machine.. if your riding requires 4x4, then look in another direction. I have both, so I have the best of both worlds. But you need to make a choice... otherwise you will not be happy either way.

My local dealer is selling Ranchers for well under 5K...