I'm wanting a 400 to 500cc 4x4 machine. The only problem is there are to many awsome choices.
I trail ride in the woods , open fields and some hilly trails to.
The 500 Vinson and Honda 500 foreman are my fist to choices because of being a 5 speed.Any and all input on automatic tranny's would be very helpful to.450 Grizzly sounds like it would be a good choice for an auto.

 

It really comes down to personal choices, they all do the job, some do certain things better than others.
I like Arctic Cats - they are big, heavy, stong and simple. They are geared more toward articulation and the rough stuff than sport handling. They have very good ground clearance, and tons of wheel travel and the suspension is smooth over smaller bumps without bouncing all over the place, they track very well. They are not the best handling in the corners, however with some adjustments to tires and preloads they improve dramatically and with a small investment of wheel spacers they wiil run with the best of them in the corners. Inexpensive quick fix. Other machines spend hundreds of dollars on aftermarket mods just to try and get up to AC's clearance and articulation and stock settings. For me they offer a good 'bang for your bucks'. They are reliable and seldom break and if they do, they are simple and easy to work on. There is not a whole lot of fluff and hype, just good down to earth tough. And the front end is a 'true locker', not this viscous and other mindless crap. You control when it locks and unlocks and when it is locked in then it is a true lock not a part time in and out lock.
They are not fast but who can really do 60-70mph on trails. The 400 will run around 50mph and the 500 will run around 55mph give or take a couple.
If you ride the woods then you are not going to get much better than an Artic Cat without doing a lot of costly mods to other machines.
If you want to 'whooptee doo around, race up and down flat roads, and pull wheelies and have a good generally fun machine' then maybe the AC is not for you. If you want a serious 'go just about anywhere (without spending a ton of dollars on aftermarket improvements)' and tackle what ever is ahead on the trail and come out with flying colors then the AC is worth a serious consideration.

 

My choice is pretty obvious. Most any of the 500+ CC machines out there now are larger in scale so the sportiness really isn't there that well. My father has a late 80's Suzuki 250 4x4 and I have much more fun riding that than my polaris, but for a long trail ride or going over very rough stuff .. I'll take the sportsman any day. To sum it up: For play, get something smaller and lighter. For comfort/work get the larger machine.

 

The Foreman is pretty much a pure work utility, and not really a trail quad. Take a good look at the new Honda Rancher 420. Fuel injected and water cooled, time proven manual transmission. Fun, very agile, and fast. In one magazine review, they tested a Foreman and Rancher together, and said the Rancher was way more fun than the Foreman.

 

Have never rode a rancher, but if it's anything like Dad's Suzuki 250 I can agree with the fun factor. So small and light (for a 4x4) that it's easy to toss . and the darn thing can go just about anywhere. It has diff. lock, super low, low and high, 4x2 and 4x4 .. works like a charm even after having sat unused for about 8 years. And it's nearly as fast (though not as quick) as my 500

 

The Wolverine 450 cause it looks like a sport but has 4x4. or the Grizzley or kodiak 450

 

Based on your criteria, I say 420 Rancher all the way...

 

I forgot to mention I plow snow log and pull a 1000 lbs (that is fully loaded) Trailer.I have also heard of alot of problems with the 420.Fitst year bugs I have been told.

 

Well the sportsman 500 will certainly do all of that. Its weight is a great advantage in plowing and also, its towing capacity is 1250 lbs .. comes with a 1" receiver too for a ballmount. Arctic Cat has a 2" receiver so you could easily swap ballmounts from your normal towing vehicle to your quad .. a very good idea on behalf of A/C for sure there.

The sportsman though sounds like a good fit. Comfortable, lots of power for a 500 (second only to Bomb I do believe), EFI which is very nice, especially if you ride in a wide variety of elevations. And it's a very comfortable machine to ride. Just don't get stuck~!!!! LOL

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: NLWarrior01

Well the sportsman 500 will certainly do all of that. Its weight is a great advantage in plowing and also, its towing capacity is 1250 lbs .. comes with a 1" receiver too for a ballmount. Arctic Cat has a 2" receiver so you could easily swap ballmounts from your normal towing vehicle to your quad .. a very good idea on behalf of A/C for sure there.



The sportsman though sounds like a good fit. Comfortable, lots of power for a 500 (second only to Bomb I do believe), EFI which is very nice, especially if you ride in a wide variety of elevations. And it's a very comfortable machine to ride. Just don't get stuck~!!!! LOL</end quote></div>
Nice to hear something good about Polaris for a change.