I am ready to purchase my first atv. I can afford one in the 300,350cc range now. Some of my friends have 450 and 500cc ones, and say I should wait. I will be mostly trail riding. They say more horsepower is needed for torque. Others tell me low enough gearing and keeping rpms up will do. Any suggestions would be great

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I am definitely going 4x4


[This message has been edited by SCman (edited 09-01-1999).]

 

My opinion: If you're REALLY interested primarily in trail riding, a 300 cc or even a 250 cc is probably adequate, as your friends say, with proper gearing (i.e., a dual-range transmission in low or a super-low on a five-speed will spin your tires while you're tied to a tree).

HOWEVER, if, deep in your heart, carefully hidden, beats a desire to smoke your buds on their 450's and 500's on the fire roads, "the only substitute for cubic inches is more cubic inches," or cubic dollars, which you say you haven't.

You can develop your skills on a small machine so you can lead 'em all through the tight trails and over the rocks; however, the biggies will always beat you on the drags and the straights.

Honestly face where your major interest lies and choose the right tool for the job.

Tree Farmer

 

After Tree Farmer's excellent response, there isn't much more I can say, except how big are you?

Common sense dictates larger bikes take more strength and energy to manuver. Not that I am calling you weak or anything like that, but if you ride for 8-10 hours, your arms can get pretty tired, as well as the calluses on your hands.

Sometimes I wish I had a smaller bike, but then I snap out of it.

 

I really appreciate the responses. I am 5'10, 170 lbs. I won't be on ESPN's strongest man competition, but I don't get sand kicked in my face at the beach...LOL. (My 5yr old son sneaks a cheap shot in every now and then)

My main concern is being able to keep up on hills. I live in the foothills of the Great Smokies and the group I will be riding with rides mostly on mountain trails. (Although I'm sure there are good spirited drag races) They are planning a trip to Tellico next month and I would really like to go. But I also want to be prudent about my purchase since I will keep it for at least a couple years.

 

To be honest, the 300 and 350 4x4s will go anywhere the bigger ones will go and actually are easier to keep under control in tough terrain because of their lighter weight(ask Gordon Banks about that one). It all comes down to preference. Kinda like a Nissan 4x4 and a Chevy or Ford fullsize 4x4. The nissan will go anywhere the others will, but still is a bit of a lesser vehicle. Thats about it. Say like a honda 300 4x4 for instance. It will follow its foreman brothers anywhere, but it wont be quite as fast and it doesn't have the cigarette lighter outlet or the digital speedometer and stuff like that. As for being able to lug the machine around and getting tired, I'm not quite your size even and I have no problem at all lugging that 500 Cat around with the 26" tires on it.

If your question is will the bigger bikes go in a bunch of places that the smaller ones won't, my answer is no. Not without modifications such as tires, lockers, and winches. Different brands may perform different in some situations, but a grizzly won't go in any rougher places than a big bear, and a 450 won't go in any rougher places than a fourtrax 300 4x4.

Some people will tell you that the smaller bikes don't have the torque, but they do. If they have enough torque to turn all four wheels, then they have enough torque to get you anywhere a big bike will. They just don't always have the creature comforts and they don't pull as strong in the higher gears.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

You may also want to consider if you are going to have a second rider (did I say that). It seems that Yamahas have longer seats than Hondas.

On my Honda, however, I zip-tied some padding to the front few inches of the rear rack, giving my wife a much nicer ride (and me fewer headackes).

I also wish that my Honda had a larger fuel tank, I know that the Grizz has about 2 more gallons than mine. Its not a problem on short trips (under 4-5 hours) but I need to carry extra gas on longer (mostly camping) trips.

Sorry I did not mean to make this into my wish list.

 

phoenix, we always bungeed boat cushions on the rear racks for a passenger. It worked pretty good, in fact, my 500 has one on there all the time. As for the grizzly gas tank, it probably uses more gas than your honda. My AC has a 4.25 gal. tank, but will run out when the 300 honda's 3.3 gal. tank is around half full.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the input. I bought my atv today. I don't want to start a brand war, so suffice to say I got one in the 300-350 range. My only regret is that I had to get off of it until tomorrow.

I have read most of the threads and you guys are certainly a great fraternity. Keep up the good work/advice!

[This message has been edited by SCman (edited 09-04-1999).]

 

As long as you don't say that it is better than another quad I don't think anyone will start a brand war.

So what did you get? Honda, one of Polaris's 335, Arctic Cat, KingQuad, Bayou, or a 99 Big Bear?

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Arctic Cat 500, Not your average Kitty, The New King Of the Jungle

 

SCman, surely you must tell us what you decided on. If not it would be like watching a 4-part miniseries and having the cable go out during the last ten minutes.

We promise not to fight.