Can anyone give me some advice on what to buy? I've never owned an ATV and I am in the market to buy one. I am looking for a 4x4 with enough power to climb in the mountains, snow, and drag big game out from the field. I know everyone will have a different opinion on brands, but can you please explain why you think the particular brand is best? Thanks!

 

Suzuki King Quad? I have a smaller sportier 4x4 I love my Wolverine 350 ( not the new crappy wolverines) and I love it to death. It will do wokr and is great for play. give people some more details. what size/weight/build are you. are you buying it mainly for chores and hauling game or mainly for riding recreationally and sometimes using it for hunting and work. What other ATVs if any do you ride with or will you ride with? makes a big difference. If your looking for a nice big bore utility ATV Polaris Sportsman or the new Suzuki King Quad are both viable choices. ive heard lots of good reviews about the king quad. more details will help people help you

 

How big are you? I'm a Yamaha fan so I would recomend the Grizzly660 or Kodiak450. Each quad is identical except for engine size. They have automatic, belt driven transmissions with high, low, reverse and park settings. You can go from 2-wheel drive to 4-wheel drive with the push of a button and you can shift back and forth on the fly. It has a differential lock so that both front wheels will turn with equal power. They have independant rear suspension so it has a very smooth ride.
Some people say the Grizzly is a little tippy but most people that own them say you just have to get used to riding it. It does have one of the highest ground clearances of all the big bore quads.
I'm not going to knock the other brands because I don't have much experience with them. I have a small farm and my quad is my tractor. There is nothing that any of the 700 or 800cc quads can pull that my Grizzly can't.
My wife had NO quad experience and I let her ride the Grizzly. After that she told me I had to go get one for myself. Now we have 2.

 

Bombardier is releasing a 650 Outlander. I'd take a serious look at this quad if I were you. Lighter and faster then the Sportsman, faster and more powerful then the Grizzly (v-twin vs. single bore) has an awsome comfortable ride and are built solid as a rock. IRS, Visco loc 4WD(best on the market btw) low gearing, engine braking, security coded key so quad is much harder to steal. Also is fuel injected

From what I've read the KQ seems like a really good machine.

The Brute Force is powerful but from what I've read lacks in handling and comfort, brute power is the key here.

Honda has a new Rincon 700 EFI, very, very comfortable machine but lacks a low gear.

The Grizzly is a bit dated and is due for a makeover. Not saying it isn't a good machine but I think with the newer versions by the other mfgrs. out there you have some better options.

A few other things to consider:

How tall/big are you?

What is your budget?

Do you plan on running a snow plow?

Work or play??

Location to various dealers??

The Outlander may be one of the best quads built but if your closest dealer is three hours away that could present a problem with service/parts.

 

I'm 5'08"/200lbs. I would mostly be using it for recreational use, but I would like to be able to use it for work too (plow, etc.). I am in Albuquerque, so we have pretty much every dealer you can think of...

 

Being in the mountains I would suggest a EFI model. Like polaris 500, 700, 800 efi sportsman. the kingquad 700, or the bombardier efi model.

 

Thanks for all of your input everyone!

 

If you do not want to spend a lot, look at finding a 05 ArctiCat 300. They stopped making them for 06 I beleive? Anyways it is based on Suzuki's King Quad 300 of the mid 90's. With the rebates dealers are giving on 05 models with a 3year warrenty it woud be hard to beat a nice nimble 4x4 quad with hi/lo/ and super low transfer case with fully independent suspension. Just my opinion for a guy that has never had a quad before. I would hate for you to get wrapped up in teh excitement of the new fancy big bores and spend more than you need to do what you want to do. Big bores are nice nd I plan to get one however they are not always needed. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

I would reccomend the Polaris MV7[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

The MV7 is cool and I'd love to have one but I don't think it fits exactly what he's looking for. He said mostly recreational use and a little work.

He certainly wouldn't need something designed for the military.

If I was closer to the mountains I'd go with EFI for sure.

Based on the info you supplied I think the King Quad would be worth a hard look. It sounds like they have there bugs worked out, the new brain to help the bottom end should be out soon if it's not allready. For the money that quad is hard to beat.