Hmm well here's how it is. I'm mostly a newbie to ATV's, mainly due to my parents being extremely over proctective (i'm 13) and not buying me one until i was 12. Well i outgrew that one, and now it's time for a new one. Mainly what i like doing is racing through open fields (we have about 1000 acres of land, 1\4 wide open fields, 3\4 woods) with a little wood\mud action here and there. Just about all of my friends have ATV's which i drive regulary.

My budget right now is about $4300 (if i plan on getting a car when i want to :P), which is about the price of the 250 4x4 and 400 2x4. Basically i just wanna know how do they compare to each other in differencet situations. I figured the 250 would be a little bit better at handling big mud holes, and the 400 would probally have about a 5-10 mph top speed advantage over the 250. But would the 250 be ALOT better at getting out of sticky situations than the 400? If someone would give me a few pros\cons of getting one over the other it would be appriciated.

 

I'm not familiar with the 250, but I have 500 auto 4x4 and my friend has a 300 4x4 manual. He can go anywhere that I can, just not as fast. From what I have seen from any 2x4 is they might be fine in the open fields but no contest in the woods. If you can muster up enough for the 300 4x4 that would be your best bet.

 

Well, the 300 4x4 cost a whole $1000 more than those two, so i doubt i'll be getting it.

So i really need to know what is the better of the two. Like i said i know the 400 will be faster in open areas and the 250 will do woods better, but will the 250 be FAR superior in those situations? How well will the 400 actually do woods if there isn't tons of mud holes. I need to make a decesion by tomorrow.

 

GO with the 250. It will ride better, be FAR better in the mud, has a better transmission, handles better(the 400 2wd seems to "push" big time), and will be a better worker I bet cause you will MOSTLIKELY run out of traction before power/gearing on both, but the 250 will have more traction.

 

The 400 would be more fun to zip through the fields, but then again, there are a lot more agile 2wd's out there than that. The 250 4x4 would leave the 400 behind in the rough trails and mud. No substitute for 4wd. Power is major lopsided in favor of the 400, which is common sense.

Not trying to sway you in any way, but you might check around for a slightly used quad in great shape. For $4300, you could get a hell of a good bike. Larger 4wd is basically what I'm getting at. Then you would have the speed and the traction. Only suggestions though, go check them out and ride anything that anyone will let you. The more you ride, the better feel you will get for what all is out there.

 

Yea larger 4wd is what i wanted. I am looking at the honda rancher 4x4. It seems nice and has decent power\speed, plus i can get it for about the same price (maybe a little cheaper) as the AC 300 4x4. What's your opinion on the ranchers?

I'm going to look at them today.

 

Untouchable: I understand your dilemma ($$$$) but remeber when price is your first priority you usually end up with something your never really happy with.
GO WITH THE 250 4x4. I don't know why they even make the 400 2x4 It's big, heavy & slow compared to other 2x4 400cc rides like the 400ex & it just won't go were a 4x4 ( even a 250cc ) will go.
Let's face it the AC400 2x4 isn't a sport quad, but it's not really a true utilty quad ether.

 

Tag touched on something you might want to consider. Since the price is your deciding factor-as it sounds anyway, you just might want to hold off a little while longer. That way, you can get a little more cash saved up, and get the atv you REALLY want. I know I, as well as probably everybody else out there, would hate to recommend a quad to you based on price, then have you dissappointed in what you got. While you are eager and anxious to get the new quad, you might consider waiting till you do have a little more to spend on exactly what you want. Then, there's no doubt you'll be thrilled with your choice. I'm sure it would be well worth the wait.

The two quads you mentioned are good examples. They may be in the same price range, but really not even in the same league. Yeah, the 250 is lacking in engine size drastically to the larger 400, but it does have the selectable 2/4wd. For your trails, and mountainous riding, with mud, I'd highly recommend getting the 4 wheel drive. I know you won't be sorry with that decision. However, the 400 does have the higher top speed, which you also said was important to you for riding through your open fields. Again, it's 2wd only, so you won't have the traction for the hills, mountains.

The rancher on the other hand is also a very good bike, but without the selectable 2wd, probably won't be as fast as you might want it. I'm just guessing on that one, I don't know what their top speed is. Of course then, you have to look at other factors that might come into play between the various makes and models. For instance, ground clearance, engine size, break system-both levers, controls, and disc vs. drum. Also suspension and overall rideability, smoothness and comfort.

You also mentioned you are 13?, and outgrew your other atv. In this case, and at that age, you'll still be doing a good deal of growing over the next few years, so you may want to look into a larger machine that you could then essentially grow into-size wise. Say you end up with a Recon, or something smaller in comparison, then wind up being 6'+ in heigth, you'd be pretty well cramped on that bike, would have to upgrade once again.

Anyway, sorry I couldn't be of more help. I think I'd try to wait and make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted, rather than settling for something I had the money for right away.

Best of luck in the decision,

Mike

 

The 250 is a fulltime 4wd, but for about $75 bucks you can convert it to a 2wd/4wd/locker 4wd.

I don't know how it is were you live, but you can normally get an AC300 for about 500 below msrp around here, I've never seen a Rancher go for less than 100 below msrp around here.

 

From the reviews i have read it seems the rancher maxes out in the 50-55 mph range, which is 'probally' enough for me. Also is weighs 50-61 lbs less than the AC 300 (depending on if you get the ES model or not). The engine is also a full 49ccs bigger on the rancher, and i like the LCD digital instrumentation alot.

How big of a difference does 2wd actually make when your just zipping through open areas compared to 4wd? Do you gain THAT much speed or quickness? I wouldn't know, since all of my friends have full time 4x4's.