i am fairly new to atv's and am wondering which would be better for me.

a kawasaki bayou 220
or
a polaris trail boss 325
or
a yamaha bear tracker 250

i am mostly wanting to do trail riding and creek riding.
tell me your opinion and why.

 

i would not get the bayou 220. the one i have ridden was very dissapointing. but the bayou 300 4x4 was really nice when i rode it! my friend has a bear tracker 250 and is very pleased BUT if you want to do tricks and wheelies do not get it! if you want a ok utility go with the recon 250 one reason tricks are really easy voted number 5 out of ten quads for wheelie ahead of the warrior as far as the trail blazer i have heard it was nice but thats it! the recon is nice for trails my 250EX is good for both and his pretty good speed!

hope my info helped!

 

[1] Honda 250EX

[2] Honda 250 Recon

[3] Yamha 250 BearTracker

[4] The Polarbear

[5] Forget the Kawasaki unless you plan to use it for more utility oriented work rather than play. It's not that is isn't capable of it, but it isn't no where near as good as the Honda 250 EX.


KNOWSALOT

 

HONDA RECON 250 !

the 02' has more power and it has racks so you can carry stuff with you on your rides, extra gas, food, drinks ect. Good suspension and handles VERY good in the trails, with a set of more aggressive tires it does realy good in the mud/water.

 

The Recon is just such a well designed machine. If mine would blow up today I would go on the next day the Honda shop is open and purchase a new one.
CHET[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I have ridden all 3 and used to own a 325 TB. The 220 rode poorly left me in pain if I tried to ride fast. The Yamaha was okay but seemed pretty underpowered. I loved my Trail Boss. It was so comfortable and the ride was as smooth as any atv I have ever ridden. Though I had heard horror stories about Polaris' reliability, I only had to replace rear brake pads and the front sprocket and I rode it constantly for a year. It was a great trail machine and could go thru fairly deep water. Why did I get rid of it? I wanted a machine I could jump and wheelie that had a shaft drive. The 250EX does those things very well (as does the Recon which I have also owned). Unfortuneately it doesn't ride nearly as well (although I have really improved on that) and the seat is not the softest. The EX and Recon are a lot lighter and easier to throw around. The 325 is the easiest to ride and the most confidence inspiring with the full auto. You just aim it up a hill, gas it and hang on. It is also nice to be able to keep your feet out of the water and still be able to shift. I can answer more questions about any of the machines if you want. I used these forums as part of my research when I bought my last 3 machines and it helps to talk to people that actually own a machine before you buy it.

 

I own both a Bayou 220 and a Recon. In my opinion, I would DEFINITALY get the Recon. Smoother ride, turns on a dime, more power, better hill climber. As far as creek riding, I do alot of that around here b/c I live on a farm and there is this pretty good size creek that flows through it. Anyway, they both do about the same in creeks. Now I can't get my Bayou in the deep part of the creek like I can my Recon b/c it has a cracked headlight and when water goes over it, water gets in and it cracks my headlight bulb. But my Recon, I have had water all the way up to the top of the fenders and it came out running just fine. Same for my Bayou, but it cracked my headlight bulb so I dont do it anymore. I dont know what kind of creeks your talking about, deep/shallow, but both does fine in either. (just dont crack the headlight if your going to be getting in deep creeks). As far as trail riding, the Recon is still the best choice. I really hate saying this b/c I dont mean to bash Kawasaki, but I wish now that I would have not got a Bayou 220 and went ahead and got a Recon, then we would have 2 Recon's. But that was my first new quad and I guess I didn't care what it was, as long as I had one. But dont get me wrong, the Bayou is an overall great quad, the motor has not gave my any trouble, just the brakes has. It aint hardly got no brakes. I think the cables might be streached or something. And the front wheels are bowed inward, making it feel like when you hit a curve it feels like the tires are going to roll right off of the rims! I hate that. If you ever get in any mud, they both do great, but the Recon I would have to say, does alot better. Well I hope this helps...