Thanks in advance for your help here. I have been studying hard to make the right atv choices for my family and was on the verge of buying 2 Chinese made "utility type" quads. Then, the whole 'difficulty finding parts and service' issues came up (good points). I had decided on the Roketa ATV-27's. Great features, including:
Shaft Drive, Water Cooled, Automatic, Full disk brakes, 260cc, 2 cylinder - 4 stroke, Front and rear racks, Adjustable Rear Suspension, etc, etc

....all features I thought were great for driving through the woods on fire roads once or twice per month at our cabin in Northern Arizona. I can get 2 of them delivered to my door for just under $4,500. Seems great. I'm pretty handy and can fix almost anything, but don't necessarily want to spend my time fixing the quads, but rather riding them with my wife, 2 boys (3 and 5) and friends. It turns out that Roketa is only one of several importers of this quad. Other importers carry the exact same bike with a different name on it. Here is the delimma,...for about $1,500 more, I can pick up an '03 Rancher and '04 Recon. I know they are Honda's (which I love), but they are more money for older bikes (and I don't know the features of them yet as far as transmission, cooling, brakes, etc).

Can you help guide me to the most intelligent choice? Your honest and candid feedback is truly appreciated!

 

I'll be blunt, I think you are about to waste almost 5k dollars. I'm sure they will run fine, for a while. If you plan on relying on these machines 30 miles from camp or more than a year after you bought them then I think you are barking up the wrong tree.

260cc 4 stroke with 2 cylinders? Not sure what to think about that one. The hondas you are looking at are shaft driven, autoclutched, have racks, have adjustable suspension (just about any suspension is adjustable to a point), air cooled and I believe both have drum brakes. Here's the catch, in 10 years I'd expect both of the hondas to still be running, I'd be suprised if you dont have major mechanical problems with the no-name brands within a year or two. Hondas have a reputation for reliability for a reason. An 03 and an 04 atv are not that old, my 2nd cousin is still running an arctic cat from the mid 90's which spent the first few years of its life hauling gear up the Rockies and elk back down.

You could probably get 2 used recons for closer to your desired price instead of the rancher/recon combo. I'll guarantee you that both the rancher and recon will outperorm the chinese atvs in any and every situation. For atvs this size air vs water cooling really doesnt make a difference. I beat the hell out of my 01 rancher for almost 3 years, sold it to my cousin who has beat on it for the last 2, and it still runs great. Never had it overheat and even the disc brakes work. 3 complete submersions in water, just change the oil, clean the filter and go again. Although the rear brake did get messed up one year when it went through the ice on the pond and froze. Took it apart and cleaned and adjusted and it works fine again.

In my mind there is no question, go with the hondas. I'll bet it will cost less in the long run.

I will say that I dont have any first hand experience with these Roketas in question, but all the features in the world mean nothing if they dont work properly and last.

Welcome to the site and I hoped I have helped in some way. I'm sure there will be others along with thier opinions so that you can get lots of input.

 

Maddog, your blunt response is exactly the type of feedback I am looking for. Great point on the air vs. waqter cooled in comparison to the engine size. Any feedback on the disk vs. drum brakes (the drum brakes on the back of my 1999 4x4 Suburban have me a bit worried about drum brakes in general).

I truly appreciate you taking the time to help a total stranger make what you consider to be the most educated and informed decision for a long term atv "investment". I hope all those others with opinions that you mentioned do chime in,....the more you all tell me about your experience the better armed I am to make the right choice.

 

All you have to do, is look at the secondary market..the non-big name quads have zero value in the secondary, especially if they are 2wd utilities. Which, if you plan on owning them til they die, means nothing. But if they turn out to be disappointing, and if you want to unload them...theyre worthless. Everyone will wonder why its for sale, and will be scared of no service ,no parts too.
If you buy, even used hondas, they will always be worth something, even if they are beat to death.
Until the import "cheapies" have a proven history... i wouldnt touch one.
Buy any of the big jap brands....and you wont be sorry.
my two cents.

 

Welcome to the Forums UpperDecker[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]


I would also go with the Hondas or any other major dealer over the Chinese quads. I won't duplicate[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] what maddog wrote. I'll just agree with what he wrote[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] When I was looking for another kid quad, I looked at the chinese bikes along with others out there. What I didn't like was the lack of parts and support for those bikes in California. Yea, you can buy them, but no one carries the parts or can suggest replacement parts, when something needs to be fixed or replaced. So, if your children are expecting to go riding and something is wrong with the quad(s) don't expect to run down to the local dealer and have them help you with the part. The scenerio painted for me was, wait for it to be shipped from the east coast[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Sorry, saving a few bucks in the beginning, isn't worth the heartache over time. Also, I just don't see the chinese bikes holding up over time, plus, I would venture to guess the resale value would fall fast also.

 

Thanks Hondabuster and Rescuediver. Your points are totally valid and make complete sense. I have done many hours of research and very rarely found used Chinese brand quads for sale. Either they never brake and people love and keep them forever (kinda doubt it) or they are not even worth selling once broken and have no value. There is definitely something to be said for quality time spent using and having fun with the quads over fixing and trying to find parts for them. You are right about the values,....hard to believe 10 - 15 year old quads are still worth thousands of dollars, but I see them out there every day.

Thanks again guys, great feedback, much appreciated!

<u>Anyone else have an opinion on this subject?</u>

 

Disc vs drum: There are good and bad points to each type, but overall disc is considered the better choice. Honda just recently switched to disc brakes for some of its utility atvs, a move most made a half dozen years earlier. That said these brakes still do function, they just arent as good as discs. Feel and stopping power is better on the discs. That said, drums do have advantages. Drum brakes are sealed on honda atvs, meaning that they arent as open to the water, mud and muck that most of us see on the trails. Disc brakes have exposed rotors and pads that are subject to the elements much more so than sealed drums and more vulnerable to damage from rocks and trail debris. They also need more frequent maintenance in the form of new pads.

Given the choice I would use disc brakes on any atv or motor vehicle over drums, but drums, at least in the atv world, still operate in a more than sufficient manner.

 

Maddog, thanks again. Well, I took the plunge and bought a couple Chinese brand bikes called "Break-Ums",....kidding,....today I bought a 2003 Honda Rancher 350 and a 2004 Honda Recon 250. Both are shaft drive, semi-automatic with drum brakes and air/oil cooling. Both are in very good condition and I am picking them up tomorrow. I think I got a very good deal from a private shop that has gone through both thoroughly. I paid $5,200 out the door for both. It took some negotiating but I think that is a good deal. I am *very* happy I chose Hondas as I am a big Honda fan, especially over the unknown Chinese brands.

Thoughts on the bikes I purchased and the price?

 

Congrats! Having bought them from a shop that has gone over the quads, I think that is a fair price. Like others have said, I think you are far better set for the long run this way. In my family alone there are two 85 Honda 250's and one 86 Suzuki 230 that still run well and require little in the way of maintenance. One of the Hondas only gets used about 5 times a year and still starts right up and runs with little fanfare. The ther Honda and Suzuki get used at least 3x month on average and are likewise reliable.

 

congrats UpperDecker,
Youre gonna like them...alot. Now, get out there, and ride em.