Even if you aren't looking for a 4x4, I wouldn't suggest a sport bike for what you plan to be riding, only because it is nice to have more than 4-5 inches of ground clearance to work with. Getting stuck in a little rut or on a little log all the time isn't going to be very enjoyable. I would also suggest something 350cc or larger, as was already suggested. And if you are new to the 4 wheeler deal, don't fool with a 2 stroke. The 4 strokes are going to need a lot less maintenence and you don't need the top end of a 2 stroke for trail riding around.

My suggestions: A Polaris Scrambler 500 is a nice bike, but a lot of bike for a beginner. They do offer selectable 2 or 4 wheel drive, which is fun and sporty, although I'm sure they are heavy. They do seem to have a high center of gravity though and I would imagine are a little tipsy. Also, they may be hard to find for your 4k spending limit - I can't be sure because I'd be lying to say I had ever shopped around for one, although they seem to be decent bikes. They are also automatic, and that is just rider preference. I'd rather shift my own gears, but for a beginning rider sometimes an auto is a good choice. On that, it is all up to you.

Honda makes a nice selection of good trail riding bikes, although I've never though of any of them as much fun to ride. They just don't seem too sporty to me, but they are worth consideration because they are making the most reliable ATV's that I know of. They also offer options of manual auto-clutch bikes, electronic shift bikes, and fully automatic bikes. Pick your poison there.

The Yamaha Wolverine is always a good choice for trail riding. 350cc engine with plenty of torque and power to get you around just about anything. They are light for a 4x4, turn pretty decent, quick, fun, etc .. They are a 5 speed auto-clutch with reverse. They have also proven to be amazingly dependable. The Warn 424 kits allows them selectable 2 or 4 wheel drive, and from what I've heard from everyone who has it, makes this bike even better. I personally love my Wolverine, and if buying another trail bike, wouldn't touch any other model out there. For what it is, it is the best at it. Hands down.

Let us know if you have questions about any of these bikes or others and I'm sure someone around here will know what you would like to [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I also love my wolv. It is a super dependable machine. The warn 424 kit is a must for it. Makes it much more fun. The only thing the scrambler has on it is all out muscle. The scrambler will flat outrun it stock for stock, from start to finish at any speed, period. But you can make the wolvs engine bigger by stroking it. Im about to do that. The only thing I could wish for is liquid cooling on the wolv. I have never had a problem with it overheating, nor has anyone else unless it was like on slow, grueling hill climbs that last over an hour. I am going to buy a bigger oil cooler for it just for piece of mind when i raise the engine size from 350 to about 430. The trans is semi auto so there is no clutch to mess with, which is nice.

 

The Polaris does have 150cc's on the Wolvy, but let me remind you that it also weighs 100 more pounds. The Scrambler has 5.5" of ground clearance, while the Wolvy has 8.7" - that difference is sure to come in handy. The Wolvy is also narrower. Just some info for those 2. Peace [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I just question the reliability of Polaris. I have friends who had them. They always have problems. Belt problems, axle problems, won't start, over heating, etc. I have one friend that bought a new 325 Magnum. He blew it up the second day he had it. It had 2 hours on it. He took it back to the dealer. Here they found out that Polaris FORGOT to drill some holes somewhere in the motor. It was not getting oil. I don't know. That's what they said. They did fix it. It took about 3 months.I hear they have come a long way in their reliability. But from what I've seen, I'd still be leery of buying one.They have single lever brakes. Which I don't care for. What can I say good about Polaris? The Scramblers are fast and have alot of power. Their ATVS ( Sportsmans especially) have a nice soft comfy suspension. They try to improve on their machines when they hear of a problem. ( unlike Yamaha, with their crappy air filter setups) For a big guy, Polaris might be a good choice because of the size of their machines. This is something Big Bubba may want to consider.
If you buy used, BIG Bubba, make sure you take someone who knows ATVs to go over it real good.

 

id get a polaris sportsman 4x4 if i was u.

 

I have never ridden a sportsman. I have ridden with some on a large ride. They look large and kind of bulky. Can anyone compare thier handling and manuverablity to a scrambler or wolv?

 

Get an LT500. You can get one for any were from about 2000-4000 and they are a 500cc 2 stroke. They rule. They have a whole bunch of bottum end and will go about 80mph all stock. They are bikes for bigger people. Great for anything you want to do.

 

The 650ex was a fake it said it in this months dirt wheels....it was combination of hondas new waverunner z400 plastics and a cbrx street bike engine