Getting ready to start shopping for a utility quad. I have been doing a lot of research and looking at everyone's offerings. I have only ridden a few times in the past but did learn a few things about what I liked and didn't like.

MUST HAVE:
reliability
2wd/4wd switch
decent ground clearance
automatic with good engine braking
comfortable
good load capacity for hauling gear
handle easy enough so my wife can ride it

USES:
recreational trail rides and some off trail riding
maybe occasional sand riding but probably not deep stuff
hunting-I do get into some rugged places at times
plowing snow
use on the farm-checking cows, fences, maybe some mowing and small trailer towing

I am not concerned about going real fast, sliding sideways, being the first to the top or bottom of the hill, or how deep of mud I can rip through.

I have only ridden a Polaris 250 in the Oregon dunes (what a blast), and a Polaris 425 Expedition and Honda Foreman ES last fall in CO elk hunting. The last two I got to try for several days so got somewhat of a feel for them

The Polaris seemed to be more stable on the rough,rocky trails and less twitchy at speed on the roads than the Honda. But the Honda tranny was so much smoother and easier to shift. The Polaris also seemed to be more prone to stuff breaking in hard use than the Honda.

I am looking at the Honda Rincon, Kaw P700, Yamaha Grizzly and Kodiak 450. I may also look at the AC 650, Suzuki Twin Peaks and Vinson. I have not ridden any of them yet and I am sure that will eliminate some or maybe even add to the confusion.

I am unsure how important a locking front diff and IRS will be, considering the uses I have. I can see advantages to them. I would rather not wish I had some feature later on.

I know there is a lot of brand loyalty here and if I followed suit, - every motorcycle I owned was a Kawasaki. But I want the pros and cons of these models and suitability for my needs. May be they will all work fine and it's simply which do I like best.

Suggestions anyone? Thanks....... Craig

 

You have lots more research to do, but I can tell you this ... Buy the one you want FIRST, you'll only cry once. What this means is, don't forgo a model you really want to save any money, no matter how much it is. If you've looked at the Preairie 700, you're prepared to spend 7K (or more). You've listed 4 flagships ... Rincon, P700, Grizz and AC650. If you're not interested in going real fast, sliding sideways, or towing large loads, there's probably no reason to buy one of these (even though I'd buy one just to have the power). If that's not your thing, then don't pay for it. That leaves you with th 400-500 class machines. Lots of good ones here too.

If money is no object, go with a flagship, you'll get all your requirements and never want for a bigger/better/faster machine. If money's IS an object, go with a 400-500 machine for 5K and change. Good ones are Foremen, Kodiaks, Eigers, AC 400/500s etc. These will mostly do almost everything of the flagships, with less speed, power, and slightly smaller size (maybe without some top line options like locking diffs, lcd displays, etc). Buying, then wishing is expensive, when you trade in for bigger. If you're the kind of guy who wants the best first, do it first. If you buy Mustang GT's, instead of Mustang 6cyls, if you buy Dodge Hemi's, not 4.6L, if you have a 31 foot Scarab, not a Bayliner, well you get the idea.

Remember ... cry ONCE.

REV

 

I rode the Vinson 500 and the Praire 650. Liked them both except the Praire was a little to awkward for me, not one for tight trails. I am currently looking as well. Take your time ! Have you checked out the Quest?

 

SPD522, looks like you have pretty much the same use as me for a quad even do that I like to be first some time. I personally had Honda's (last one Rubicon wasn't too bad but lacking 4wd/2wd) had Yamaha Grizzly 660 good quad overall but little tippy when trailling. Polaris, never owned one but had some for few week at the time but wasn't like I was expecting but good quad as well. Then Last November, got myself a new ATV (Prairie 700 camo) that so far is the best for me even thaugh I don't have as much ground clearance as an IRS would give me I have enought power to balance it.

My 2 cent's and by the way it took me several month before I really got decided and only realized I made the ride choices after few trail rides....

Good luck. and remember all the quad you memtioned are the best of the best and you wouldn't go wrong with any of them.

MTD

 

I think you should stay with a quad that isnt going to eat you up. Meaning if your still new to quads, start 300-450 range. I've grown up on quads, so I'm pretty familiar with them. Still yet, I didnt want my first quad to be something that I couldnt handle. So I went with a 350cc Honda. Its all up to you in the end. You are probably the only one who can tell what your comfortable with.

 

Get a Suzuki Eiger (fits all your needs), best bang for the buck, then you can afford to buy two, one for the wife.

I bought a 2002 Eiger and a 2003 Honda Recon (wife) for $9,000 out the door, your going to get pretty close to that with those you mentioned once you walk out the door.

 

Rev-I agree with a lot you said. And price isn't that big of an issue. From what I have found, they are all within about $1500 of each other. To me, that is not worth compromising what I want for. I plan on keeping it a while.

From reading lots of other posts and from asking around when I can, I have a few things that I like and question about each model. Again, serious test rides may answer those questions as to whether or not some feature is really that important to me or not.

Honda-exceptional reliability and tranny but no locker available
Kawasaki- Probably the best engine but no IRS
Grizzly- Great features but apparently a little tipsy and squirrely at times-hear the '04 has improved suspension.
Kodiak- Good smaller and lighter unit but no IRS
AC650- Seems to have the best features of most but unknown reliability and the single brake lever
Twin Peaks- A Prairie with a few different dimensions in size
Vinson-Well designed but no locker and costs about the same as the larger units

I eliminated some of the other brands because of questions of reliability and/or readily available dealers to handle service needs. These include Polaris and Bombardier. Local Polaris/Yamaha dealer says he repairs 5 Polaris for every Yamaha that comes in. That's enough for me. And nearby Bomb dealers are scarce.

I wish the weather was nicer so I could start test riding them. Too cold with snow and ice at the moment. Luckily, one of the dealers I plan on going to sells Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki so I can compare them side by side.

Rev,Spud,mtd
Thanks for the replys. I really want honest opinions like that.

 

The P700 and Twin Peaks are the identical bikes. suzuki is releasing a single 700 the new king quad.

 

SPD,

If that's the way you feel then in my opinion, there's only one choice ... the P700. It is a monster. If I hadn't gotten my AC500 for 4300 as a leftover with 2 year warranty, it would have been the P700. It has incredible power, and has won the bigbore shootouts 3 years in a row, 2 years as the 650, now as the 700. It is just incredible.

I know people will scream and yell about how you need IRS, but there's drawbacks to IRS as well. They squat when under load, scrub tires as the suspension flexes, which can lead to a squirrelly ride. I've ridden both, and would not rule out an IRS, but at the same time would not require it either. Just because IRS is the newest marketing feature doesn't mean it's the best and final answer. There's a lot of breakage issues with all those cv joints, and the squirrelly handling at speed is well documented due to the scrubbing of the tires as the suspension flexes at speed. Ride them both, then decide.

Please, no flames and/or arguments against me extolling the virtues of IRS. These are my opinions after test riding both of them myself. New and high tech and pretty (and the IRS is pretty when viewed from the rear) does not necessarily mean better performance in all cases. Your opinions can and may vary and are appreciated as well. In my opinion, nothing is more durable and maintenance free than a solid rear axle (and you can powerslide a solid rear axle), which you may not realize yet, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.

REV

 

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. May go take the wife along and do the sit and touch thing just to get a feel for the various models. If it doesn't feel right sitting on it, I wouldn't think riding would be much better. She has sat on a Prairie before and liked it.

She asked what I wanted for my upcoming birthday and when I told her an MP5 for around $12,000, she moved on to the next on the list-ATV. Almost half the price and something she can play on too appealed to her a lot more than me getting another machine gun.