I am new to the forum, and I would like some general discussion / advice on the topic of purchasing a new ATV. I recently purchased a used 2000 model Suzuki LT250 which is my first quad, and needless to say I love it. Having a small quad has not only introduced me to the sport, but it has also opened my eyes to features that I never knew were important and others that might even be useless. It has also given me the "itch" for a newer, higher caliber machine. Having said that, I used to think that Honda was the "ultimate atv", but after having my eyes opened, I am beginning to see that there are other options, and I really like my little Suzuki. The reason that my topic includes Yamaha and Honda is because I live within close driving distance of one of the largest volume dealers of Honda and Yamaha in the US, thus discounted prices on either of those. However, I LOVE the features of the new Suzuki KQ 500, such as EFI, Diff Lock, and Hi/Lo range. (None of these features are available on the Hondas btw.) And I do have a local Suzuki / Kawasaki dealer, but they are not a volume dealer so the prices will be a little higher. Any reason that I SHOULDN'T like the Suzuki more than the Honda or Yamaha? My purchase could be a year or so away unless I just inherit a fortune or something.

 

You didn't really mention your riding style. The Foreman is pretty much a pure work quad. If you are a trail rider, you are probably looking at the wrong machine....

Take a look at the EFI and water cooled Honda Rancher 420. It is the most value you will get for your money, of any ATV on the planet! The 420AT is available with IRS, but of course that ups the price. As for diff lock, Honda has a torque sensing diff that send the power to the wheel with traction. Never ever felt like I needed lockers. And, it would be silly to put a high/low range on a machine that already has a low granny gear 1st. Keeping things simple!

 

When I was looking to purchase a quad I went and talked to about 8 different mechanics working for all of the manufacturers at that time and with the exception of 1 mechanic they ALL told me to go with Yamaha or Honda, in that order. The other mechanic preferred Polaris and admittedly said that he "would rather own an American made quad even if they weren't as good". There is no question that you can't go wrong with Yamaha or Honda, however there are reasons to go with one verses the other. If you want a fully automatic utility then I believe that Yamaha offers the best. I have had 4 of them now and have not had a problem at all. My cousin runs Honda and he hasn't had any problems either, but he prefers to shift gears. We both ride pretty hard and in fairly extreme conditions, and we both know those that own the other brands and they seem to have more problems than we do. If you are looking at sport quads I believe that any of the japanese models are quality machines that will do you just fine. Just my experience and opinion, not trying to make people mad.

 

Your riding style makes all the difference in the world on what to buy. If you don't have a real need for 4 wheel drive utility have you considered the Honda 700xx? It has TONS of power and low end torque, 686cc, EFI, independent rear suspension, and over 10" of ground clearance. I have one and I can go anywhere the big 4x4's go except the waist deep mud. These are extremely rutted out technical trails in SC, GA and TN that I ride. If you want a sportier 4x4 at a look at the Yamaha Wolverine 450. It's more of a cross over type than a dedicated utility. I ridden one and it was cool. But as far as what brand, you cannot beat a Honda or Yamaha. I always stay away from Suzuki and Polaris ATV's because of reliability issues. I'm not the only one that feels this way either.

 

I would be doing mostly trail riding, but we have some really slick Mississippi mud here and some pretty rutted trails, so I already know I want 4x4. I will also need the utility racks for hunting, camping, etc., so a sport quad is not a realistic option. The only real issue I have with Honda is the ground clearance, but I like the reliability factor. I have friends who swear by Yamaha, and others who swear they won't own one. Maybe I should start considering a Grizzly? Thanks so much for the advice so far.

 

Grizzly 550/700 great quads... hi/low diff lock, great ground clearance, powersteering, reliable as anything. EFI..can't go wrong IMO

 

Test ride as many different quads as you can before you decide what to get. All my friends have Polaris and Yamaha so that's all I get to try out. I wish my friends would buy some other brands I could take for a spin. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Yamaha is pretty good but a couple of my friends have Grizzly 660s and they both said they're trading them in for Sportsman 800s or 850s. The Grizzly 550 would have enough power to keep me happy. I don't need the biggest and baddest. The King Quad is only 5 or 6 cc smaller than what I have now so that would be good too. I wouldn't buy a 475cc Honda Foreman for a dozen different reasons but I'm not bashing it. It's just not for me.

 

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

I would be doing mostly trail riding, but we have some really slick Mississippi mud here and some pretty rutted trails, so I already know I want 4x4. I will also need the utility racks for hunting, camping, etc., so a sport quad is not a realistic option. The only real issue I have with Honda is the ground clearance, but I like the reliability factor. I have friends who swear by Yamaha, and others who swear they won't own one. Maybe I should start considering a Grizzly? Thanks so much for the advice so far.</end quote></div>

So you need an IRS machine! Check out the IRS Rancher 420AT...shouldn't be any "ground clearance" isses there! EFI and water cooled, and a totally unique gear-on-gear automatic transmission.

Of the belt drives, the only one I would ever even consider would be the Griz 700, just because it will have the best handling.

 

Hmmm, I will be honest, I haven't even noticed the Rancher AT before. This would make it the only Honda besides the Rincon that has IRS. I have been looking at bigger machines, but a 420 is definitely no slouch. I am looking at specs and I like what I see! Thank you for pointing this out, I am going to research this more thoroughly.

 

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

Hmmm, I will be honest, I haven't even noticed the Rancher AT before. This would make it the only Honda besides the Rincon that has IRS. I have been looking at bigger machines, but a 420 is definitely no slouch. I am looking at specs and I like what I see! Thank you for pointing this out, I am going to research this more thoroughly.</end quote></div>

Only thing I don't like, is that the Ranchers are on the heavy side. To keep the prices down, Honda has not used all the light alloy parts, that they would use on the higher end machines.

Quad magazine reviewed the AT in the last issue. They said it rides as good as the Rincon! Looks like the perfect machine for me....not to big but not to small, great ride, but with a way better transmission than the Rincon....