About to take the plunge and buy a 4-wheeler. Suggestions
Sep 12, 2010 | 07:49 PM
#1
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Trailblazer
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About to take the plunge and buy a 4-wheeler. Suggestions
My wife has given me her blessing and wants us to get an ATV. I plan to keep it in the 400cc to 500cc class. I want 4WD and an independant rear suspension.
My main uses will be for recreation and trail riding and I also plan to use it in the winter to plow snow in my driveway.
Right now the ones I'm considering are:
Yamaha 450 Grizzly($6899 msrp)
Polaris Sportsman 500HO ($5599 msrp)
Suzuki Kingquad 450 AXI ($6999 msrp)
Honda Rancher AT 420 ($?)
All of these seem to fit my requirements. I have an Arctic Cat dealer near me but I've heard some pretty bad things about them. I also have a Kawasaki dealer but they seem to have no quads with my size requirements. I also have several Honda dealers but I can't reall seem to find what I'm looking for in my price range. I absolutely will no pay over $7k. Thats one of the reasons the Polaris peaks my curiousity. I'm be able to get the plow and wench and still be under the cost of the others.
In my heart I prefer the Yamaha. I spent a weekend offroading on my buddy's 660 Grizz and I loved that thing. But this will be my first ATV and I want to make a wise decision.
Anyone have comments or recommendations?
My main uses will be for recreation and trail riding and I also plan to use it in the winter to plow snow in my driveway.
Right now the ones I'm considering are:
Yamaha 450 Grizzly($6899 msrp)
Polaris Sportsman 500HO ($5599 msrp)
Suzuki Kingquad 450 AXI ($6999 msrp)
Honda Rancher AT 420 ($?)
All of these seem to fit my requirements. I have an Arctic Cat dealer near me but I've heard some pretty bad things about them. I also have a Kawasaki dealer but they seem to have no quads with my size requirements. I also have several Honda dealers but I can't reall seem to find what I'm looking for in my price range. I absolutely will no pay over $7k. Thats one of the reasons the Polaris peaks my curiousity. I'm be able to get the plow and wench and still be under the cost of the others.
In my heart I prefer the Yamaha. I spent a weekend offroading on my buddy's 660 Grizz and I loved that thing. But this will be my first ATV and I want to make a wise decision.
Anyone have comments or recommendations?
Sep 12, 2010 | 10:15 PM
#3
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Mopar Man!
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Sep 13, 2010 | 07:26 AM
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If the 450 has the same system as the 550 and 700 Grizzly it's a good one. It's more a matter of preference. Polaris system is very user friendly. You put it in AWD and it turns all 4 wheels as needed. Once it senses less than 1/5th of a turn difference between the rear wheels and the front it locks in the front. It's basically seamless and you don't notice anything more than fact you're going places that you didn't think you could. The Grizzly system is pretty straightforward too. If you're already in 4wd (limited slip front)
and you want to completely lock in the front end you push a button in and move the 4wd lever one more notch. Locked in. It just requires a couple extra steps. Nothing major. Both the Grizzly and Sportsman are great quads. I'd give the nod of comfortable riding to Polaris and a slight reliability nod to Yamaha. If you can, give both a test ride, compare features and see which will meet your needs best.
and you want to completely lock in the front end you push a button in and move the 4wd lever one more notch. Locked in. It just requires a couple extra steps. Nothing major. Both the Grizzly and Sportsman are great quads. I'd give the nod of comfortable riding to Polaris and a slight reliability nod to Yamaha. If you can, give both a test ride, compare features and see which will meet your needs best.
Sep 13, 2010 | 08:55 AM
#7
Trailblazer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 43
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The Polaris 500 H.O. sounds like it could give you all of the things you are looking for in the right price range. I have an older model, but it's not given me trouble with the exception of some electrical work done on a recall years ago. If you can be diligent with the maintenance and cleaning, it should end up reliable.
With that said, I am looking to add a new machine. So far I've only test driven one of the machines on your list - the Honda Rancher AT. I really, really liked it. The seat is firm - much different than the Sportsman, and it does not have true four-wheel drive. But you will notice a difference in the drive engagement from a complete stop. It is immediate acceleration. I liked its torque, its quickness, and it felt nimble.
They are two machines worth a comparison because they are just so different. Each of them has advantages over the other. I actually looked at a new 500 H.O. - it has much better storage than my model; and like you said - the price was attractive. If you are a bigger guy, the Sportsman may appeal to you a little more. The tires might be a little better as well for what you want to do with it. And, some may disagree with this, but I like the plastic racks a little better than the steel tubing. I keep a lot of trail gear in my gear bag. The plastic rack gives a lot more support to the underside of the bag compared to the tubing. My son's quad has tubing and his OEM bag has not held up like mine. I've had it for almost 7 years and it still looks good. If I end up buying a quad w/ steel tubing racks I would probably end up buying a hard cargo box to compensate. The maintenance is very straight forward. If you can, pick up a sturdy atv jack, a good filter wrench, grease gun and a battery tender or trickle charger. I've always bought the Polaris oil direct from a dealer as I think it worked best for me. There are other items you may need right away (as you probably already know), like a tow strap and tire repair kit, helmets, etc. All told, there's probably a few hundred bucks worth of items you'll pick up with the quad if you don't already have them. When I bought mine years ago, all of this went into consideration when discussing it with the wife (some of you are probably getting a laugh out of that - but I have to let her think she wears the pants in the house if I want to be able to get into hers : )
Downside to the Polaris... if you really like the Grizzly and you're used to its mannerisms, you may not be happy with the Sportsman. It will not have the engine braking that the Grizzly has. It also has the single lever brake. Personally, I don't mind this. The Polaris modulates the brakes evenly while the Grizzly will give you the control over braking, as you know. With that said, the Sportsman has very good brakes and will stop the big machine very quickly.
Good luck with your choice. Hopefully the dealers near you allow you to have a decent test ride. You have a bunch of excellent machines on your list and it's a lot of fun to talk about this stuff!
Regards,
Lon
With that said, I am looking to add a new machine. So far I've only test driven one of the machines on your list - the Honda Rancher AT. I really, really liked it. The seat is firm - much different than the Sportsman, and it does not have true four-wheel drive. But you will notice a difference in the drive engagement from a complete stop. It is immediate acceleration. I liked its torque, its quickness, and it felt nimble.
They are two machines worth a comparison because they are just so different. Each of them has advantages over the other. I actually looked at a new 500 H.O. - it has much better storage than my model; and like you said - the price was attractive. If you are a bigger guy, the Sportsman may appeal to you a little more. The tires might be a little better as well for what you want to do with it. And, some may disagree with this, but I like the plastic racks a little better than the steel tubing. I keep a lot of trail gear in my gear bag. The plastic rack gives a lot more support to the underside of the bag compared to the tubing. My son's quad has tubing and his OEM bag has not held up like mine. I've had it for almost 7 years and it still looks good. If I end up buying a quad w/ steel tubing racks I would probably end up buying a hard cargo box to compensate. The maintenance is very straight forward. If you can, pick up a sturdy atv jack, a good filter wrench, grease gun and a battery tender or trickle charger. I've always bought the Polaris oil direct from a dealer as I think it worked best for me. There are other items you may need right away (as you probably already know), like a tow strap and tire repair kit, helmets, etc. All told, there's probably a few hundred bucks worth of items you'll pick up with the quad if you don't already have them. When I bought mine years ago, all of this went into consideration when discussing it with the wife (some of you are probably getting a laugh out of that - but I have to let her think she wears the pants in the house if I want to be able to get into hers : )
Downside to the Polaris... if you really like the Grizzly and you're used to its mannerisms, you may not be happy with the Sportsman. It will not have the engine braking that the Grizzly has. It also has the single lever brake. Personally, I don't mind this. The Polaris modulates the brakes evenly while the Grizzly will give you the control over braking, as you know. With that said, the Sportsman has very good brakes and will stop the big machine very quickly.
Good luck with your choice. Hopefully the dealers near you allow you to have a decent test ride. You have a bunch of excellent machines on your list and it's a lot of fun to talk about this stuff!
Regards,
Lon
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Sep 13, 2010 | 09:19 AM
#8
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Trailblazer
Joined: Sep 2010
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The Polaris 500 H.O. sounds like it could give you all of the things you are looking for in the right price range. I have an older model, but it's not given me trouble with the exception of some electrical work done on a recall years ago. If you can be diligent with the maintenance and cleaning, it should end up reliable.
With that said, I am looking to add a new machine. So far I've only test driven one of the machines on your list - the Honda Rancher AT. I really, really liked it. The seat is firm - much different than the Sportsman, and it does not have true four-wheel drive. But you will notice a difference in the drive engagement from a complete stop. It is immediate acceleration. I liked its torque, its quickness, and it felt nimble.
They are two machines worth a comparison because they are just so different. Each of them has advantages over the other. I actually looked at a new 500 H.O. - it has much better storage than my model; and like you said - the price was attractive. If you are a bigger guy, the Sportsman may appeal to you a little more. The tires might be a little better as well for what you want to do with it. And, some may disagree with this, but I like the plastic racks a little better than the steel tubing. I keep a lot of trail gear in my gear bag. The plastic rack gives a lot more support to the underside of the bag compared to the tubing. My son's quad has tubing and his OEM bag has not held up like mine. I've had it for almost 7 years and it still looks good. If I end up buying a quad w/ steel tubing racks I would probably end up buying a hard cargo box to compensate. The maintenance is very straight forward. If you can, pick up a sturdy atv jack, a good filter wrench, grease gun and a battery tender or trickle charger. I've always bought the Polaris oil direct from a dealer as I think it worked best for me. There are other items you may need right away (as you probably already know), like a tow strap and tire repair kit, helmets, etc. All told, there's probably a few hundred bucks worth of items you'll pick up with the quad if you don't already have them. When I bought mine years ago, all of this went into consideration when discussing it with the wife (some of you are probably getting a laugh out of that - but I have to let her think she wears the pants in the house if I want to be able to get into hers : )
Downside to the Polaris... if you really like the Grizzly and you're used to its mannerisms, you may not be happy with the Sportsman. It will not have the engine braking that the Grizzly has. It also has the single lever brake. Personally, I don't mind this. The Polaris modulates the brakes evenly while the Grizzly will give you the control over braking, as you know. With that said, the Sportsman has very good brakes and will stop the big machine very quickly.
Good luck with your choice. Hopefully the dealers near you allow you to have a decent test ride. You have a bunch of excellent machines on your list and it's a lot of fun to talk about this stuff!
Regards,
Lon
With that said, I am looking to add a new machine. So far I've only test driven one of the machines on your list - the Honda Rancher AT. I really, really liked it. The seat is firm - much different than the Sportsman, and it does not have true four-wheel drive. But you will notice a difference in the drive engagement from a complete stop. It is immediate acceleration. I liked its torque, its quickness, and it felt nimble.
They are two machines worth a comparison because they are just so different. Each of them has advantages over the other. I actually looked at a new 500 H.O. - it has much better storage than my model; and like you said - the price was attractive. If you are a bigger guy, the Sportsman may appeal to you a little more. The tires might be a little better as well for what you want to do with it. And, some may disagree with this, but I like the plastic racks a little better than the steel tubing. I keep a lot of trail gear in my gear bag. The plastic rack gives a lot more support to the underside of the bag compared to the tubing. My son's quad has tubing and his OEM bag has not held up like mine. I've had it for almost 7 years and it still looks good. If I end up buying a quad w/ steel tubing racks I would probably end up buying a hard cargo box to compensate. The maintenance is very straight forward. If you can, pick up a sturdy atv jack, a good filter wrench, grease gun and a battery tender or trickle charger. I've always bought the Polaris oil direct from a dealer as I think it worked best for me. There are other items you may need right away (as you probably already know), like a tow strap and tire repair kit, helmets, etc. All told, there's probably a few hundred bucks worth of items you'll pick up with the quad if you don't already have them. When I bought mine years ago, all of this went into consideration when discussing it with the wife (some of you are probably getting a laugh out of that - but I have to let her think she wears the pants in the house if I want to be able to get into hers : )
Downside to the Polaris... if you really like the Grizzly and you're used to its mannerisms, you may not be happy with the Sportsman. It will not have the engine braking that the Grizzly has. It also has the single lever brake. Personally, I don't mind this. The Polaris modulates the brakes evenly while the Grizzly will give you the control over braking, as you know. With that said, the Sportsman has very good brakes and will stop the big machine very quickly.
Good luck with your choice. Hopefully the dealers near you allow you to have a decent test ride. You have a bunch of excellent machines on your list and it's a lot of fun to talk about this stuff!
Regards,
Lon
Sep 13, 2010 | 09:22 AM
#9
Thread Starter
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Trailblazer
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
If the 450 has the same system as the 550 and 700 Grizzly it's a good one. It's more a matter of preference. Polaris system is very user friendly. You put it in AWD and it turns all 4 wheels as needed. Once it senses less than 1/5th of a turn difference between the rear wheels and the front it locks in the front. It's basically seamless and you don't notice anything more than fact you're going places that you didn't think you could. The Grizzly system is pretty straightforward too. If you're already in 4wd (limited slip front)
and you want to completely lock in the front end you push a button in and move the 4wd lever one more notch. Locked in. It just requires a couple extra steps. Nothing major. Both the Grizzly and Sportsman are great quads. I'd give the nod of comfortable riding to Polaris and a slight reliability nod to Yamaha. If you can, give both a test ride, compare features and see which will meet your needs best.
and you want to completely lock in the front end you push a button in and move the 4wd lever one more notch. Locked in. It just requires a couple extra steps. Nothing major. Both the Grizzly and Sportsman are great quads. I'd give the nod of comfortable riding to Polaris and a slight reliability nod to Yamaha. If you can, give both a test ride, compare features and see which will meet your needs best.
Sep 13, 2010 | 09:40 AM
#10
Trailblazer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 43
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I didn't realize it was such a long-winded reply! I guess quad shopping got me a little excited.
The dealer I visited wanted $6,200 OTD for the Rancher AT with a 12v accessory outlet installed - 2009 model year. It does not have a locker.
I was also quoted $5,400 OTD for the 500 HO... but I didn't get serious with the guy. I think they would do better.
I want to try out the Grizzly 450 as well. There's a lot of good feedback about them and it's a model that really intrigues me. Perhaps you could post your thoughts on it if you get a decent test ride soon.
The dealer I visited wanted $6,200 OTD for the Rancher AT with a 12v accessory outlet installed - 2009 model year. It does not have a locker.
I was also quoted $5,400 OTD for the 500 HO... but I didn't get serious with the guy. I think they would do better.
I want to try out the Grizzly 450 as well. There's a lot of good feedback about them and it's a model that really intrigues me. Perhaps you could post your thoughts on it if you get a decent test ride soon.