First of all I have searched this part of the forum and haven't really found what I am looking for. I rode a quad for the first time in Maine last weekend and it was great. They were 03 and 05 Polaris Trailboss 330s. I thought they were great. Handling was fine, the mid-size was good. Power was pretty good except on longer stretches of straightaways I would like to go faster but not that big of a deal. The 2wd got me through some pretty nasty mud puddles, very slowly and dirty, but it was fun and never got stuck. They are so light that its easy to push them out too.

So anyway the trails I ride on are rough, rocky, and skinny with not too many big straightaways. A lot of the time I was going as fast as the 330s could go though. I would like to stay in that price range. I am looking at anything a dealer will have, brand new, leftover, or used. I just want advice on if I should just get the Trailboss or maybe spend a little extra and get somethign bigger, or something in the same size and price range as the Polaris but better. Theres a lot to choose from when you don't know much about them. I see the 250s are really cheap but they probably don't have very much power. I will not be riding too much, this is just a toy for a few weekends a year.

So I would really appreciate any advice or opinions.

 

If you like the rough stuff then Arctic Cat is going to be very hard to beat. If you want a little more fun machine then the Suzuki Eiger will be hard to beat there.
Most any machine will get the job done, some just do certain things better than others, but they all have limitations.
Think in terms of reliability, service etc. You want to ride not fix. Look for a strong, tough, reliable machine. Remember (KIS), Keep It Simple. Hype and fluff are fun but walking home is less fun.
I ride an Arctic Cat for my reasons and the type of riding that I do. You have your reasons and type or riding and it may or may not be the same as me. Arctic Cats are close to 100 lbs heavier than competitiors, so you know they are not made from used beer cans. Mine has a Suzuki engine - very reliable. The machine is very tough and strong without a lot of hype or fluff. They have a lot of positives with very few negatives.
Everything is a trade-off. If you want handling then you will sacrifice some ground clearance and long travel suspension. If you want to climb over rocks etc then ground clearance is an issue - you may have to give up some high speed handling.
Buy what fits your riding style, and what you want it to do most of the time.

 

First off, that Trail Boss weighs over 500 pounds. A Honda 250EX is way more sporty and only weighs 350 pounds.

You have limited experience, so don't make the mistake of buying the Polaris just because that's all you have ridden! Which do you really think is going to handle better or be more fun???? A 500 pound tall wide top heavy TB, or a 350 pound EX. If you must have racks and big fenders for the mud, then the Honda Recon is very similar to the EX.

If you want to go bigger, you should be able to find a 2wd Honda Rancher 350 for cheap.

 

My personal choice of brands, rated top to bottom.

I would buy a model in these lines
1) Arctic Cat
2) Suzuki
3) Yamaha
4) Kawasaki

I would NOT by any model in these lines
5) Can-Am
6) Polaris
7) Honda

 

Thanks for the advice so far. I dont know why but I never even thought about the power to weight ratio. So will a 250 probably go just as fast and accelerate as fast as the heavier trail boss? The reason I'm asking on here is because I just dont want to get a trail boss because thats all ive ridden, but it seems like it handled itself well for everything I was doing. I'm sure I would like more than a 250 or a 330, but the prices for these quads brand new are really tempting. And like I said it is just a toy to fool around on. I also dont have any need for the racks, but the big fenders of the Polaris came in handy with all the mud I went through, there was a lot of it. We just go on short trips, the most would probably be a couple hours. I'm also not afraid of more power just because of no experiecne on quads, I have ridden snowmobiles up on the trails for a couple years now and have a 1200cc motorcycle.

 

Everybody will at some point roll their quad! Think about it this way: Your quad is laying on top of you, so which would you rather have???? A 350 pound machine, or a 500, 600, 700, or 800 pounder?????

Seeing you might need some mud protection, I would go with the Honda Recon. It is a sweet handling little machine. Reasonalby sporty and tons of fun! Otherwise, the Honda 250EX, which is basically a Recon in sport plastic (but 50 pounds lighter!). Don't be fooled by the displacement! These things are plenty fast and powerfull. Most of all they are a kick to ride!

 

Most all 250 2x4's will run as fast or faster than the bigger quads (both on acceleration and top speed). They handle the turns a lot better, and are light enough that if you get stuck - you can pick it up or pull on it.

And yes, God forbid if you roll it. My machine 'trail ready' weights in at a chunky 850lbs without me on it.