I am in the market for a new atv. I will be using it to hunt and ride on rocky mountainsand plow my 60 foot driveway.I own a 2000 rancher and it has not given me one bit of a problem. I AM VERY LEARY , of buying a new quad after reading about all the problems of the kq700, grizzly 660 and brute force . My friend bought a grizzly and snaped axel after axel. another guy bought a brute force and it wont start in cold.and the smoke and bad filters on the kq, i never hear about hondas.only that they are slow with no low range.so that is why i am leaniong towards the rincon. i can get a great deal on a 05 . so any input an my thoughts or sugestions would be appreciated

 

ive recently fell in love with the brute force..but im 13 [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]
but if you want to plow a driveway go for the grizz it is an auto..so its always in the right gear and will deff push a plow easily...but if you'd like to hunt then the brute force will be what your looking for..because it has a very low range and i think has a few more features and the brute has a place to put your feet on the plastic..but hey your decision...if it were me..i wouldnt be able to decide!

 

Acrtic Cat 650 V2. It rocks. Period. It's got the Kawasaki 650 V2 engine, but better everything else. Look into it.

OneWolf

 

definetly the arctic cat or the bomb 800.

 

Haven't really heard much about the axle-breaking issue on the Grizz since around the 02' - 03' model span. It has been my understanding that the issue has been fixed on the newer models (i.e., 05' - 06'). Therefore, what year is your friend's Grizz, which you claim has been having trouble with axles breaking?

I've been researching big bores for about nine months now. I've basically looked at them all, including the Grizz, KQ, Sportsman, Arctic Cat, Rincon, Brute Force, Prairie, and Bomb 800. This reflects my current state of mind, but then again is only MHO:

Grizz = 99.99% certain it will be what I will end up going with. Decently priced, nice machine, and tried and true.

KQ = Was 99.99% certain I was going with it until about a month ago, which was when the machine pretty much went to hell in a hand basket according to a lot of folks and their complaints as far as problems are concerned. I'm no longer considering it as a result.

Sportsman = Too heavy. More expensive. Reliability issues. Ugly machines. Mechanical difficiencies.

Arctic Cat = A lot of people have told me not to buy one. Supposedly they don't hold up well. I have not been able to verify because quite frankly, I have not really looked at them much. MHO regarding the Arctic Cat is simply this: Why would I want one when I could have a Grizz instead? Case closed, IMHO.

Rincon = Would not consider a 2005 model. But, I will have a look at, and drive, a new 2006 model before I buy. Again, several people have told me not to buy it because of the tranny, and no engine braking. We'll see...

Kawi's (BF and Prairie) = Will not be considering anything by Kawasaki due to the nature of their 4x4 mechanism.

Bomb 800 = I looked at one, and test drove it, too. Very nice machine. However, it's just not quite nice enough to make me want to buy one of them, when I could have TWO Yamaha Kodiak's instead for about the same price! No dice on the Bomb 800...............too damned expensive for what you get.

As I mentioned above, it will almost certainly be the Grizz for me. But, I am not ruling out the 2006 Rincon, yet, until I have had a chance to ride one. Best of luck in your search...

 

I do agree i checked out the grizzly. it has a decent price. alot for the money, my friends is an 03. i am leaning towrd the grizzly or the honda. i dont know if the reliabilty factor outwieghs the trannny problem.i just got prices on the kq and the brute force.7350 for the bf and 7800 for the kq. i know i can get the grizzly for less

 

Aside from the v-twin 650 arctic cats they are extremely reliable, sounds like you're letting the mindless yammering of others keep you from finding out for yourself.

The grizzly still has heating issues. I have no problem with you leaving the kawasakis out of the lineup, but I dont agree with your reasoning. The "nature" of the 4wd system? If you're going to use that excuse use it on the "awd" polaris and bomb, not a true 4wd system with diff lock. Remove the kawasakis from your consideration because they are unreliable, recall ridden crap.

Honda has still had some issues with the rincon trans, but not too many. IMO its a very impressive 500 class machine, but a paltry and pathetic attempt at the big bore class.

 

I really havent looked at the artic cats. i heard they ride like trucks. tough but harsh ride. dont know about reliability.but i will lok into it...can u tell me more about hte rincons. 05

 

Thanks for yout thoughts, mad dog. Are you saying that Arctic Cat machines are great machines, except for their 650 V2? That is what I understand you are saying. If so, then that further rules out the AC for me since the 650 V2 would be the only model from them that I would halfway consider.

To clarify, what I meant by the "nature" of the 4x4 system on the Kawasaki's is that it appearly is the case that their machines have to roll/move a certain distance in either a forward or backward motion before the 4x4 kicks-in. Because of that fact, I will not consider a Kawasaki. I wanted to consider the new 2006 Brute Force 650i (with IRS) really bad, but supposedly it has the same 4x4 set-up. As a result, no dice for me. In addition, a good friend of mine used to have a 2005 BF 750. He has told me time and again, including again just last night, to stay away from it.

Okay, now you do have me a little curious. If what I mentioned in my first paragraph of this post above is true, what is it about the AC 650 V2 that you do not like?

 

Sly, the Grizz axle-breaking issue your friend has experienced has now been explained then (you have stated it to be an 03' model). Again, I haven't heard of any 05'/06' models having the same problem. I also have not heard of the overheating/gas boiling problem in the later models, either.

$7,800 is too much for the KQ. If, for whatever reason, you decide to go that route, do not buy from where you got that particular quote if you have an option to go elsewhere.

The tranny in the new 2006 Rincon's is supposed to have had some changes made to it. Engine braking is supposed to be a little better now. I checked with the dealer in my hometown last weekend, but he does not have any in stock, yet. He stated that it will probably be January 2006 before they arrive. I want to ride one just to see how it does before I finalize my decision. I have never ridden a Rincon before. I have heard many times over to stay away from the earlier models, too (2005 and under).