Hello all,

I am in the market to buy my first ATV. I am hoping to buy a used one to save some money.

First here is what I will be using it for:

-Plowing my driveway
-Pulling my kids on a sled (slowly)
-Occasional trips into the woods on marked trails

I have been looking at Hondas (420's), Suzuki's (400's - Eiger, kingquad) and Yamaha's.

Recently I went to a used dealer who was selling a 2006 Yamaha Kodiak 450. He mentioned that the Yamaha ATV's have a lower cost of ownership. Mostly due to the transmission which in his definition wasnt a "snowmobile" style like the other Japanese brands as well as Polaris. He mentioned that the belts in the other brands are always needing to be replaced as they get "flat" spots in them??

Is this true? Is there something unique with Yamaha ATV's that make them more affordable to own or easier to service??

Can anyone confirm this for me? Should I be focusing on Yamaha's?

Thanks!

 

My belt is only worth $80 and I can geat 3000 miles out of it ,I change it every 2000 miles for Peace of mind because it takes only 20 minutes to do.

Yes the ATVs have the belt system like a snowmobile, infact belts must be underworked on a ATV because sleds have much much more horse power and rpm then any ATV does.

A 500 ATV pushes 35 hp while a 500 sled pushed 100 hp. The bad boy sleds pushes 170 hp thats 100 hp more then any ATV made.

 

This can go so many ways and people will have differant opions on anything they want but fact is fact and that is when it comes to reliability there are very few that do it better than Honda and Yamaha and more than likley in that order as well. With that said I think the only bike with any major sort of tranny issues would be the Kawasaki Brute Force 750 that I have seen on the forums. JFYI Honda still uses a gear on gear tranny much like in the car setups and if you go for the Honda Rancher 420 AT it uses a all new dual clutch tranny setup that is a trick setup, a sweet ride with EFI and the one I would choose for a mid size ute!

 

Well this definitely helps. Thanks for the replies so far guys.

$80 every 2000-3000 miles doesnt sound so bad actually. I was thinking this would be a bigger ordeal.

I would like to keep my brand options open and have really liked some of the Honda's I have seen. Now to find one at the right price! (the one my wife wont kill me over!)

One last thing, no comments on the Suzuki Eiger, is there a discernable difference in quality/reliability with these vs. the Honda and Yamaha's?

Thanks again.

 

Ya the newer Honda Rancher 420's are the newest bike of the buch having IRS EFI power sterring as options they as of right now are the bike to beat in that catagory even in performance which for Honda is a good thing!

 

I myself do not like the Honda as much because they used a OHV motor on there Utility atvs which does not rev like a OHC motor will. I rode a 500 Foreman 27 hp and it was a dog compared to my 500 Polaris 35 hp.

On our fishing trips we have every major brand name atv and they all seem to be reliable to me.

 

I've had several Yamahas ( a 400 Kodiak and a 450 Kodiak) and I now own a Suzuki. I'm not the easiest on ATV's but by no means am I the hardest on them. I have found my Suzuki need less repairs than the 450 did. The bearings and seals were an issue on the Kodiak. I traded it in at 2400 miles and had all the bearings replaced along with a rear seal. The seal in the front diff went bad and that was when I got rid of it.
The Suzuki now has 2700 miles and I have replaced the rear bushings. Much easier than the bearings. That is the only issue I have had.
As far as the Honda goes, I had a Rubicon (new) for three months and found it to be uncomfortable and also had several issues with a sensor that controled the shifting.
I'm not here to tell you which is best, I'm just explaing the plusses and minuses of what I have owned.
The downside to the Suzuki is that the plastic pins are the worst I have ever had but this was fixed by a trip to NAPA.
Hope this helps.
Buck

 

If you are concerned with cost of ownership and are buying used then your best $$$ savings will be in being selective with your purchase. These days, with lots of people needing money instead of toys, you can find some real deals by scanning Craigslist and waiting for a good deal to come along. I've seen similar ATV's ( and boats and cars) sold at widely varying prices - mostly based on how badly they need to sell. Wait until a good deal comes along and your cost-to-own number will be very low.

As far as quality and reliability goes, all the major manufacturers have been doing very well for the last few years. You'll find lots of brand-loyal responses on these forums but the truth of it is that it's hard to find a poorly made major brand ATV.

 

You sound a little confused??? None of the Hondas have ever had a belt drive! The Recon, Rancher, and Foreman 500 all have manual transmissions, and the Rubicon, Rincon, and older Rancher 400AT have non-belt drive automatics. The new Rancher 420AT has a totally unique dual-clutch gear-on-gear trans, that is totally unique and found on no other machine.

I'm personally no fan of any of the automatics (!), but I can't say that I know anybody who is spending any big money on their transmissions, no matter what the design.