I am looking to buy a new 400 level 4x4 after the first of the year. I have looked around at all of the quad brands and I have narrowed it down to two that I like. I am trying to decide between the Honda Foreman S and the Suzuki Eiger 400. I definitely want the 5-speed tranny and I definetely want the selectable 4WD. Any advice about these two or suggestions about another quad that I may have overlooked will be much appreciated.

 

I too had the same question, I decided on the Arctic Cat 400 4X4, the big difference for me was the Independent suspension all the way around, not just the front end. The Arctic cat has more clearance, rack capacities are highter, all of which will be useful as i plan on using mine for plowing, playing and hunting.

 

it depends on what kind of driving you are doing, the foreman is not that fast,but it is really good in the mud.but my friend has an eiger and it is one of the fastest sport utillity bikes out there and plus it can go threw a fair amount of mudd,plus comes with free 2500 pound winch

 

I have a Rincon, but if you want a 400cc then take a look at the new Honda Rancher AT - it has the Rincon styling which I liked and a Honda is bullet-proof. take a look at my post about rolling mine and the thing still ran perfect.
Artic Cats are built by someone else, I've watched their products for the past two years, their a shaky outfit at best and who's gonna fix em when they break down?

 

I also compared the Eiger and the Foreman 450 before I bought the Foreman. I really came close to buying an Eiger. There is less of a price difference now than when I bought my quad. This is because Honda has reduced it's retail prices for the Foreman. The Eiger has 376cc while the Foreman 450 has 433cc's. It just seemed like the Foreman was put together a little better. I did like the idea of the hi/low range on the Eiger but the Foreman doesn't really seem to need a low range. The first two gears are low enough. The Eiger is supposed to have a higher top speed. The fastest I've had my Foreman going is 52 mph. I usually don't drive much over 30 mph. I also liked that the Foreman puts the power to the tire with the most traction instead of the one with the least amount of traction. I liked the Foreman's speedo and 4x4 switch and overall look better. I also remember reading an article that commented about the Eiger's 4x4 system not being as good as others but it made up for it in other ways. Just check them both out and you'll know which one you want. (Either or)

You may also want to consider the Rancher 400AT 4x4, Yamaha 4x4 Kodiak 400 or 450, Bomb. Outlander 400 4x4, Kawasaki Prairie 360 4x4. They all have something positive to offer. If you'd like independent rear susp. = Outlander, Locking diff.= Kodiak 450 or Prairie 360,

 

Bombardier has some nice 4x4s in the range that also have the independent suspension at all four corners. unless your planning on pulling heavy loads i would go with one with front and rear independent suspension for the ground clearence. most of the serious mud riders around here are switching to ones with independent rear so the can make it through some of the deeper ruts.

 

I would deffinitly go with the kodiak400 i have one it is unstopable i never had a problem th engin runs great i have 26" 589 tires there great even with them i never feel a loos of power the plasticks are strong my brother has a eiger it never seems to run rite there is alaways a problem with the 4wd and the plastic pins popping out the belt gets wet very easily he rolled it twice and its still held up its very strong but i would still go with the kodiak

 

of the 2 you have narrowed it down to i would go with the suzuki
have you test ridden these machines? that is definetely something you should do-the little things count- like which has the more comfortable seat
the yamaha big bear is also the same type of quad that you are looking for-its less refined compared to the others, but it is very tough
good luck on your search

 

I had the same question about a year ago and went with the Eiger. I love this thing, it has a top speed about 57 mph but I keep it around 30mph. I can't get it stuck and have tried, it has lots of power and is fun to drive.

 

ive got a 05 eiger manual and a 05 400 AC tbx auto{same power plants], theyre both great bikes,but i find myself using the suzuki more frequently......... just seems to do everything better, even the ride quality in my opine is more comfortable....