Hello everyone. I'm hoping some of you vets can give me some help and suggestions as to what I should get.

I guess the first thing I should mention is that I live in Miami. There are no mountains, hills, nothing...it's all flat. So, I won't be doing much climbing. There is a lot of swamp, mud, etc. I'm getting it purely for recreation....mudding, trails, etc. I was originallly looking for a sport bike but was quickly talked out of it by a few of my buddies that have 4x4s. They claim they can go anywhere a sport can go, get real dirty, and still have enough speed to mess around. If money weren't an issue, I'd get a Rincon. That's still an option but I'm now looking a '06 sportsman 500 HO, a '06 Honda Rubicon, and a '06 Honda Foreman ES.

What feedback can you guys give on those 3 bikes? I've been told the Polaris is probably the most reliable of the three with the true 4x4 etc. I like it but it seems a little bulky and it's not as sexy as the Rubi or the Foreman...lol. Anyways, any info is greatly appreciated.

 

This is purely my opinion, but you are going to have a hard time getting Honda like reliability out of most Polaris products. The Foreman and Rubicon lean more towards utility than sport. Good mounts, but may not be what you are looking for. One quad that bears researching is the 650 Brute Force. The solid rear axle(SRA) model has plenty of power and good handling, a very sporty ute at a great price point. The IRS model is a bit more expensive, but will deliver a better ride and more mud capabilities over its brother. Can-Am also is selling some pretty sporty 4x4s these days.

Polaris does sell the 500 Scrambler, which is a 4x4 with a mostly sporty lean to it.

 

Polaris with the true 4x4?? hmmmmmmm.... Like the obove post says, look at BF, or if it were me, Arctic Cat. They are good for mudding with the most ground clearance, and if its flat, you dont have to worry about the hype of AC being tippy (even though they are not). And they are asy to clean, look at my pics.

 

I'd get the Rincon. Honda even puts it in a category called "Recreation vehicle" which is what you said you were after.

I'm not sure who told you the Polaris was more reliable than a Rincon. Honda has the reputation of being the most reliable quad manufacturer going. The only thing I don't like about the new Honda bikes is that the plastic seems to come apart fairly easy. The body takes more of a beating due to the low ground clearnance. It's nothing we couldn't fix on the trails, however, and the Rincon shouldn't have this problem. Just bring some extra plastic rivets with you.

 

For the same price as a Rincon you can get an Outlander 650, a better machine IMO and I own a Rincon. The Outlander has a v-twin, low gear and (guess doesnt matter if you arent mountain riding) better engine braking. The King Quad is another good option and priced better as well.

Suzuki's Vinson gets good reviews in the 500 class and there will be an Outlander 500 V-twin coming soon.

 

The new EFI Polaris 500 is having more problems than any of the others right now.
What price range are you looking for?

 

Oh yeah, be prepared for Reconranger to come here and tell you what a death machine anything over 350 lbs is and how you should choose a sport over 4x4 and how terrible the Rincons engine braking is (even though its a non issue for you) etc...

 

Now he doesn't have to, you did it for him[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Thanks for all the responses. One of the doofs at a local dealer apparently gave me some false info....expected i guess. Scooter, I looked into that Brute Force and the thing seems sick. I've been reading some reviews at atvscene and they really really like the Rincon and the Brute. Their reviews of those two hit on a lot of the things that I'm looking for. What do you guys think about these prices I've been getting?

06 Rincon $8300 out the door
06 Foreman 4x4 $6900 out the door

As far as price range, the Rincon makes me cringe. But at the same time, I don't wanna pinch a few dollars and get something I'm not gonna be happy with down the road.

 

For $7800 get the Outlander 650.....Nothing wrong with the Rincon but you get a lot more with the Outlander. You should not have to pay over MSPR OTD, play dealer off of each other but stick to your guns.

You may not be familiar with the Bombardier/Can-Am name but they make Ski Doo/Sea Doo brands and make exceptional ATV's. The Outlander will smoke the Rincon.