Hi,

I would like everyone's input on the subject. I am looking to buy an atv for an adult about 200lbs. I will be using just for recreational use and I will not being going off in the back woods off road or jumping off jumps or anything like. What does everyone think of buying a well known brand compared to the off brand clones? If you recommend an off brand if you could give the brand and where to locate on that would be great, thanks!

 

The off brands are junk, don't waste your money.

buy a used 400Ex instead and be happy forever. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

know a good place to start looking or should I just deal with locally around where I live?

 

Can you be a little more specific about your riding conditions? You said "recreational use", not "going off in the backwoods". To most folks, going off into the back wooks, is the defenition of "recreationl" use (vs racing). Or, do you need a work quad???

And you didn't specify a price range, or if you need a sport quad or utility (hint.......never ride a utility anywhere you can ride a sport quad!). Utilities give you high ground clearance, big fenders for mud protection, racks to carry stuff, and most (but not all) are 4wd. The price you pay is that they are bigger and way, way heavy (which mostly kills the fun factor for me). The advantage of a sport quad is that they are light and maneuverable, and even a mid range one is suspended better than a high end utility. But, you give up ground clearance, and they are all 2wd.

My friends who have bought the "off brands", have all lived to regret it!

Something like a Honda 400EX or Suzuki Z400, maybe. If you are on a budget, maybe a Honda 250EX or 300EX.

 

reconranger, thanks for your reply. What I mean was just liesure riding, not taking it to the extreme (so no work quad, more towards the sport quad). Too much speed with bumps doesn't help my back any. And I would say being on a budget is good for me, that's why I was asking for opinions on clones to see what everyone though.

THanks!

 

Any 400 utility quad would be best for you.

 

I agree with V2. The sports are made for blasting and the utes are more for cruising. The sports are fun. Their light and very fast, but they will work you. The utilities usually have a much better ride, are more forgiving and although they weigh alot more are easier to ride.

 

Off brand? You mean like a Polaris?.......................................... ....Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

Yeah, but last time I checked Polaris isn't exactly cheap. you just think they are after having to fix so much stuff[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

To answer eripey's question, I would steer clear of off brands for adult use. If that is your budget, then look for a used 250EX/300EX/or Recon (depending on what floats your boat.) Or step up and buy a 400 class sport quad. I see a lot of people claim they just want to tool around, but once you realize how fun and capable these things are, you will start to push the machine. This is precisely the time when the off brands will leave you hanging. You don't have to limit yourself to the Honda models listed above either, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawie all have made decent smaller/mid bore offerings that are hard to go wrong with when properly maintained.