I am trying to decide what quad to trade my Brute for. I have pretty much narrowed it down to the Polaris Outlaw 525IRS, the Raptor 700, and the Kawasaki KFX450R. My concern is that the trails are real ruff and can have some very large rocks and rutts or washouts. If I go strait axle I will be putting 22 inch tires on it and good skid plates. I like the Raptor and Kawaski for the fuel Injection. I like the Outlaw for the IRS. I am not sure about the outlaw for Dune and fast desert riding. I also worry about jetting issues as I ride elevations from under 4000 feet to over 10,000 feet, sometimes on the same ride. What are your experiences with sport quads on mountain trails and which quad do you guys think performs the best over all terrains.
I posted this in several sections trying to get feel for this. I have never owned a true Sport Quad want something lighter and more fun than my Brute

 

Take a look at Honda's new TRX700XX. It has both IRS and Fuel Injection.

 

i have a raptor 700 and love it. ive owned and ridden quite a few quads and this is the best all around quad i have ever owned. i am currenty building it into one crazy fast duner.


i love this quad so much i think i will be buying another 1 next year sence the one i have now is going to turn into pretty much a sand only bike. but the 525 is a very good bike also. im not a big fan of the kfx450 and would not buy the 700xx myself. exp sence it is a first year bike

 

This is just my opinion, ive owned a kfx 400 for 2 years now and can maybe give you a little advice by expirience. Im not a honda fan so i wouldnt even look at the 700xx but the raptor is a great quad, in my opinion its better for the dunes than it is for the trail but that doesnt mean you cant ride it in the woods. Its very capapble of going through pretty tough trails.

The polaris is what i would choose if i was in your position because of the irs in the rough terrain but the raptor and the kfx will go thorugh trails that rough if you can ride them right or get the right aftermarket accessories like bigger tires or skid plates. The kfx is an awesome quad, i know from expirience because ive ridden one and it has awesome power. The fuel injection is great so it would be perfect for those high altitudes.

Power wise, they are all pretty close together but i think the outlaw is the best with the kfx right behind it and raptor last. That doesnt mean the raptor isnt fast because that quad flies but the 525 is very strong and the kfx is a 450...i mean come on. Ive taken my quad through almost every type of terrian out there. All it has ride wise is a main body skid plate and maxxis tires. The only way i ever get stuck is from ruts because sport quads have horrible swingarm clearence so i think with all of those quads you will be fine with the type of the terrain with the polaris being a little better than the other two. i can make it through big mudholes, hillclimbs, and anything else i try and i know all three of those quads are capable of it too. Ive gotten a little carried away here but if it was my decision it would be the kfx or the polaris but ultimately i would take the outlaw.

 

Raptor 700 all the way, you won't regret it. It will do anything you want it to do.