Greetings,

I am buying my first quad bike and need a bit of advice. I'm 6'1 and weigh between 280-310 lbs most of the year and need advice on what size of ATV to get.

My brother has a 250cc bike and when I get on it I pretty much bottoms out the suspension.

Now, for a person my size how big of bike do I need to purchase?

Thank you for any input, all is greatly appreciated.

-Neotris9

 

What kind of bike are you looking for? Sport or ute? I would say a 400cc and up would be the prefered,being a bit bigger then you, I looked for anythihing 500cc and up, I ended up with a 650 brute force.

But on just about any kwad you can adjust the suspension to compensate for wieght to a point.

 

I'm looking for anything, probably going to be a utility though. Thanks for the information, now that I know that I can just upgrade the suspension then everything is good. Thank you.

 

I want to see pics of you on a 250...LOL! I'm with 650mobrute....500 and up.....for sport it seems everyone your size likes the raptor, but quite powerful for a first quad. Sometimes it pays to be short like me! LOL! If you don't get much response on this thread, try "Big guy, which quad" or something. There are alot of big riders here who can help you out as they have been in your shoes. BTW, welcome to the forum!

 

Whats your price range??

 

I'm a full time student, so as of this moment it's around 2500. I think I'm just going to save up for something good instead of a used one. At least now I know what to look for.

Thanks guys!

 

size doesn't matter except for price.

Features are what matters. If you want a utility quad, then the features matter even more than speed. Hi/Lo range, diff lock, etc.

However I have to say- that I've yet to encounter any trail condition that calls for a diff lock. (there's no mud here) and rarely do I ever need 4LO unless I look for rock crawling oppurtunites.

These machines are just incredibly capable and I suggest looking at your local trails before buying.

I love my Arctic Cat, but it's heavy with features I can't often find use for. In my experience (limited as it may be) on my local trails- a 4x4 sport machine like the Scrambler or Renegade would probably be ultimate quads.

I have to look for places that exceed simple 4x4 in a high range. So my suggestion is to look at those machines first. They offer plenty of sport and with 4x4, there isn't alot of places you can't take them. Still not light, but less heavy than my 700 pound machine.

If you aren't familiar with shifting a bike or quad, then the CVT models make perfect sense. Even after being a lifelong biker and having raced MX, I really like a CVT with no shifting. Especially when you are using body english like on rock crawls.

Engine size really matters little. Look at the Arctic Cat official tow capacities and you'll see the little 366 has the same rating as my 700, so really- bigger is more about just having it. I don't think there are many situations where my 700cc's would be a major difference from a 500cc. A little faster, but trails don't allow for alot of speed. A little more grunt- but thus far I haven't seen anything that a 400-500 couldn't handle. I've seen plows on 400's as well, so that's a wash.

All in all, I'd suggest a CVT quad with at least 4x4 HI. The LO range and diff lock are neat, but unless you're hardcore into mud, it's unlikely you'll even use it much. As for engine size- whatever fits your budget.

Lastly- if you choose new, look at the manufacturers deals. Bottom line cost is far more of a factor than anything else for most people. THAT is what you need to know, more than what size engine a quad has.

I come from Sport Bikes, and there engine size makes a huge difference (they're all still too fast for their own good) but with quads, much less so.

 

Well, to add to sollylama's post.....size does matter as a 250cc is not rated for a 300lb passenger, so I think that is where we were going with the 500 and up, plus that's where a lot of people seem to end up and be happy with the power...first quad or not. Really, what I think he needs to do is sit on a variety of atv's and find one that is comfortable for him. I mentioned the Raptor because that's where a lot of guys his size end up. I am following your logic with the sportbikes and power as I came from a sportbike background as well. They are all fast, some a little faster. But, finding one that fits you and you are comfortable on makes the sport much more enjoyable....not just the fastest one out there.

 

I purchased one!

I got an 500cc '04 Arctic Cat 4x4 400 (not sure about the 400, I pretty much ruined the manual due to my earlier mudscapades)

It was a great deal in my opinion, 2800 dollars. He gave me 4 quarts of oil and a new oil filter for free. It's in great condition and pretty much has nothing wrong with it other than a shaky heat shield which I'll be fixing tomorrow. It currently has 500 hours and 2500 miles on it. It has a brand new rear muffler, and a new drive shaft. I absolutely love this quad and I can guarantee that it will not be my last! MOAR POWAR!


*Edit, It has Hi+Low gearing, 2 and 4 wheel drive, and various other features I don't know about yet.

 

Congrats. The AC 400 sounds like a good first quad. I hope you get a chance to play in 4x4. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] There are more than just a couple of Polaris riders that weigh 300 - 400 pounds. We ride 500s - 800s. I outweigh you and my 36 HP 500 EFI has all the power I ever wanted.