I ride motorcycle, took my wife along for a couple days riding a friends Honda 300 2WD ATV. She loved it and it looks like something we can do together so we are in the market for a used machine.

Problem is I know very little about the world of ATV's. So I'm looking for some basic education and sage advice on which direction to go.

Here are our stats:
Both in mid 50's
She is not an aggressive rider and will never be
Two track trails and FS roads riding, think the Four Mile area or Taylor Park
Live in Buena Vista CO so we have lots of riding just outside our door
Budget is under or around 4K
Pretty sure we want a 4X4 in the 400cc range
Definitely an automatic or at least auto clutch


Thanks, Bill

 

If you enjoyed the Honda 300 2wd then you have not much other way then a more enjoyable ride.
The 300 is a small size chassis ATV so even Mid size chassis will have more room for a passenger. Mid chassis start at 350cc and up to 400cc once passed 450cc you usually get a even roomier Large full size chassis.
Chassis size may not have anything to do with motor sizes. Example a Yamaha 450 Grizzly is a Mid size yet a Polaris 450 Sportsman and Suzuki KQ450 are full sizes chassis.

Most all ATVs are auto and all are auto clutch when buying a Utility ATV.
Another feature you may want is IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) it has a much smoother ride over rough ground then a SRA (Straight Rear Axle) which the 300 you rode had.

 

While looking around this morning I found a new Polaris ETX 330 for just a little more than the used machines we are looking at. From what I gather the ETX is entry level and maybe a little smaller. It's fuel injected which should be a good thing.

Any thoughts?

 

I've seen a couple guys out on the trails with the Polaris ACE powered by that same 330 cc engine and they did fine. But that was at 1,000 feet elevation at most. The ACE is heavier than the quad so you'd get a higher power to weight ratio than the ACE does. If you are going to ride higher elevations I would look at the 450 over the 330. Not sure if the 450 has EFI or not.

 

The Can-Am Outlander 450L can be had without power steering brand new for around 5K or so. Its the most powerful 450 class machine there is and has independent rear suspension and fuel injection.

 

It's higher than that. Their website says starting at $6,399. That's still not too bad.

 

We used that same motor in the Ranger etx, 1000 lbs of machine plus another 300pounds of rider. It handled Hatfield Mccoy just fine. The atv should come in close to half the weight. For a non aggressive rider it will be fine. 32hp or whatever it has is only roughly 10 shy of what I run for my xc race quad.

Used is also fine if you find the right deal on a clean unit. Hard to beat the Hondas for your wife. They ride fine at slower speeds. The smaller 400 to 550cc Yamaha and Suzuki machines are also pretty solid. IRS is always a plus.

You also have to take into account her size. The bigger flagship machines sound like they would be to intimidating perhaps, even the older ones.

 

She really needs to take some for a test ride or at least sit on them to see if the size is okay.

 

I was talking about actual price that you could get from some dealers. $6399 is retail price but I have seen the 450L advertised at $4999 for the base model, especially if it were a leftover 2015 model. Of course by the time you add all the fees and taxes, it ends up costing close to $6000 out the door but still not bad.

 

I'd try a Honda Rancher 350cc 4x4 for your budet. We got our 2003 for $1200, bur it's 2WD and ES. My uncle got his 350 EANCCHER 4x4 For $1500, so you could get 2 for your budget. Good luck and have fun