my family just bought a 300 acre farm with a ton of hardwood trees, lakes and creeks. im looking for a great trail and woods bike-but also want some sport. i have narrowed it down to the warrior and lakota sport. ive never used a full manuel clutch before-but i do not object to using one. im looking for an atv that will provide with the best overall package. i will be making and developing a lot of new trails-there are no trails yet-which bike is better for this. also, i want a bike that i wont get bored with in a year and a bike that will be able to pull my kids on an intertube through the snow? any opinions would be appreciated.

 

Sounds to me like you need more than one atv if you can afford it. If your going to make trails a 4 wheel drive utility atv is a great trail maker. We have 65 acres and 40 is in woods. I used our honda 300 4 by 4 to make trails with and left the dirty work with that machine. We made enduro tracks through our woods. Gosh for a fun machine that option is up in the air with so many nice machines at the dealerships today.

 

Yup, I agree...sounds like you may need a 4x4, especially for the "snow" part. Have you considered a Polaris Scrambler? They can be switched from 2x4-4x4 with a push of a button. They are also faster (in a straight line) than a Warrior. Once you get on a high speed trail or something, it takes a pretty good rider to handle the big Polaris, but the automatic really helps out. Besides the size of them, I can't complain about anything. Like I said though, if you are going to get a 4x4, that would be the one that I would pic.

One of my best friends owns a Warrior, and it's a good overall quad. It's got quite a bit of tourqe, and it does good in mid-speed areas because of it. It's also a very reliable quad (same design as like 12 years ago). He's running 22" Dirt Devils on the back of it, and it goes great on the trails and in the mud, but I don't know how good it would be for making a trail, or pulling things in the snow.

Any 2x4 has a hard time in the snow, especially if they bottom out. However, in a lot of cases even 4x4 won't help either.

As I said before, I think the Scrambler is a good all-around quad. It's a bit heavy, but if you aren't going to be doing any MX syle racing you should be all set. Right now you can only get the 500cc 4-Stroke if you want a 4x4, but up through 2000 they made a 400cc 2-Stroke which could easily be modified for more power (however, from your description of what you do, maybe a 4-stroke would be better).

I wish that I could comment on the Lakota, but I have never driven one. A guy that I know had one, and he beat it to death and it kept on going...that's all I know though.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

-Josh

 

We have 3 quads in my family. I have a 00 wolverine, my 18yr. old son has a 97 warrior, my 15yr. old son has a 01 lakota. From the sounds of it you would be best with a wolverine. For the winter months you will need a 4x4 to pull the kids around. Plus you have racks to carry supplies around for making trails.The warrior is a great trail quad plenty of power. The lakota is also a great quad, but fells small. If I were to choose between the two I would pick the lakota because of the auto. clutch and easy to maintain. Alot depends on how you like to ride, where you like to ride, and what you prefer on your ride. I like the MUD, and hill climbs, auto clutch, drive shaft, racks( to carry cooler, supplies, etc..) ground clear., sporty looking, etc... thats why I choose the wolverine. With the price of these quads think long term before you buy. Hope I helped!

 

I still say that you should take a look at the Scrambler 4x4. It has plenty of power, and the automatic is sweet. Unless you are looking for a pure sport quad, the Scrambler would be a great choice. It doesn't have any racks on it, but Polaris makes them and they can be installed (though it looks very ugly...but if you are considering a Warrior, it seems that racks aren't a must have for you). If you want a little bit more utitilty, the Polaris Xplorer comes with a liquid cooled 400cc 2-stroke, and it has plenty of get up and go, but yet is set up for more utility perposes in mind.

The Wolverine is a good looking quad too (and a little cheaper), but it can't compare to the features that the Polaris has to offer. Being able to switch in and out of 4x4 is such a great feature, and it is deffinatly a sportier quad than the Wolverine, but it's still too big to be called a true sport quad.

Either way, any quad that you get will be fun. It's just that some can be more enjoyable than others. Also, I am just expressing my opinion from my experiences...others may have different veiws. It would be great if you could try one of each out. Then you'll know.

-Josh

 

thanks for all the opinions. however-i do have a budget between 4,000 and 5,000-i would like to stay closer to 4000 so the scrambler is out of the question. ive also considered the honda 250 ex but fear this may be too small-but it is priced right-i can buy one in dayton for 3400 out the door. the lakota 3900 , and the warrior 5000.

 

To directly answer your question, the worrior is by far the better quad of the two you mentioned, although the other guys have a good point cause there are alot of great quads to choose from but if you want to know which one of the two you have in mind, definatley go with the yamaha, its a superior machine witha six speed manual gear box, my brothers got a worrior and he loves it and it's great in the snow and is also an awsome trail machine along with the options of someday modifieing it (if you want to that is) there's tons of after market mods for it and also is a proven design that has lasted the test of time..stay away from the 250 ex there really over rated and have the power of a suzuki lt 160(very low) and those auto tranies I belive are for beginers or someone who doesn't want total control of his power, not that auto trannies are bad it's just that I prefer manual for total control
go with the worrior you won't regret it trust me it's a nice machine and very reliable and it is one of the better trail machines made.

 

I'm not trying to be a "Polaris Pusher" here, but you may also want to check you their 250 Xplorer 4x4. You can pick them up for about $3900 brand new. They have the same features as the bigger Polaris's. However, you said that you wanted a "Sport" quad, and I'm afraid that this isn't a sport quad. However, with the 250cc 2-stroke engine, I don't imagine that it is a total slug, especially compared to the other manufactures bottom line 4x4's. Other than that, the only other Polaris "sport quad" that I can think of that is under $5000 is the Trailblazer 250 and I wouldn't recommend that one at all. You can pick up the 2x4 Scrambler 400 for under $5000, and they are pretty decent. It's the same thing as what I own, and I personally like it better than my friends Warrior (maybe it's just because it's mine). The only things that I like his Warrior better for are jumping, really fast bumpy trails. Other than that the Scrambler eats it in a drag race, on top end, and the automatic is nice in most cases as well (just push the gas and go...like a snowmachine). It also seems that mine does better in the mud, but that sometimes depends on the paths you choose. Oh, and one other thing, it turns A LOT sharper which is great on the trails. However, like the others said, the Warrior is a time tested machine, and it has a lot of great all around qualities. Maybe with more seat time on one, I might prefer one.

Just my thoughts....Good luck.

-Josh