Ok heres the deal im looking for new quad as you can tell its between the Bruin 4x4 and the Rancher 4x4. I own a 98 recon and that thing is put through 15 times more than its spost to be so i have a pretty good idea of hondas durability and reliability, but the Bruin has so many more things over the rancher such as 20 more cc's, liquid cooling system, 2 and 4 wheel drive selection, auto(which im really not to fond of but i can live with it), more suspension travel front and rear, adjustable suspension, disk brakes up front, better turning radius, and more ground clearance, but im not sure about yamahas reliability with the belt drive auto, i really dont want any slippage at all, i can live with a little but if its going to slip every time i decide to push the machine a little farther ill go with the rancher. I posted this message in the honda section but i didnt get to much response. CAN ANYONE HELP ME???????????

 

i have NEVER seen a cvt slip, unless it has such high milage(me) or have sunk the bike(me) the only ones that slip are the polarisas. but man if the honda breaks it stays broken, kinda hard to fix electronics.

 

Never been on a Bruin however a relative has a 4x4 Rancher and I have ridden it. It is an excellent machine and hasn't given him any problems. Ride is about the same as an older 300 Honda 4X4

 

I'm not sure if this helps, but the belt has never slipped on my Kodiak. I've only had it 3 months, but after break in, she's been through some rough stuff and deep water. If the water gets in the trans intake (about rack high), then the belt may slip.

 

The more and more research I do on the new bruin the more i want it over the rancher

 

I bought a Bruin a couple months ago after looking at the Rancher also. I wanted the auto and so far am pleased with how it performs. It does keep the engine in the power band all the time so even while under light load it is revved more than I would keep it with a manual tranny. BTW, the Bruin is air-cooled. It does have a fan-driven aux engine oil cooler though. Also, I don't know where Yamaha measures "ground-clearance" but the bottom of my rear diff has about 7.5", not the 9.7" listed on Yamaha's web site. Overall, I'm happy but I hear a lot of discussion about Yamaha's lack of customer service, which I know Honda is usually very good at, so we'll see.

 

they are pretty much equal in a drag race

 

its pretty much semi-manuak vs auto, honda vs yamaha. now heres my input. i havent ridden a bruin but i do own a rancher. GET THE DAMN RANCHER. lol. its great. god, for everything. that quad is why honda is the best in my mind. and the suspention might not ( i mean probobly isnt ( i mean its crap)) be as good as the bruin but if u cant handle a couple of bumps then get the f^&$ off a quad. the quad is honestly great, and if your not jumping the quad 30 feet then the suspention is fine, lol.

 

I havent ridden a bruin, but if they are anything like the kodiak 450's belt drive system I wouldnt worry. The belt drive system is the best in the industry.