Hey everybody. I'm in the market for my first quad. I'm an average rider...I ride my dad's Brute Force 650 all the time (and I ride it hard), and I've ridden Rappy 660's, a z400, a Kodiak 400, and a Polaris Scrambler.

Anyways, I want a good, fun quad that will last 5 years. I don't need a utility quad, because we have my dad's for that. I'd like a sport quad, but a lot of the riding I will be doing is mudding (in trails), riding on rocks, and many Jeep-trail type trails. I also will be riding some hig-speed fire roads, some stream crossings, and some small jumps. I will be riding mostly (99% of the time) with my dad and his friends, who all have big-bore, 4WD utes, and once-in-a-while, I'll ride with some of my firends (they have 2WD sport quads). I do need 4WD, but I don't need a ute, so I think I'd be best off with a Yamaha Wolverine 450 4x4. It would be good for me because it's like a 4WD sport quad...easier to manuever than a utility, and better in the rough stuff than a sport quad.

So, would the Wolverine 450 be a good quad for me? Any advice is great...thanks!

 

i dont think the hybrid quads are that good of a idea. it seems good on paper, but i just dont think they have the formula down just yet. each type of quad has their own strong points, and when you try to blend them together, it gets kind of muddy. the sport quads are light weight, and fast..... then you put 4wd on them, and that adds weight, and slows things down. i dont know, maybe its just me, but if you plan on alot of mud and rough trail riding, a utility would be best.

 

I'd get a utility, but I don't want the weight and boxy-ness of them. I like the Wolverine because it's a utility disguised as a sport quad, or vice versa.

Anybody else have an opinion on what I should get?

 

have you looked at some of the smaller utiltys??? like the vinson, foreman, kodiak and big bear???

 

I had that same question last year this time, but went full ute cause the new wolverine didn't impress me one bit.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] I'm sure coming of a BF 650 or roptor 660 you are gonna need one hella sport/ute...problem is ...I don't think one is affordable for most kids...

 

The bomb, now can am, 400 outlander is as sporty as a ute gets. Itll smoke the wolvie in a drag race, and out do it in the rock cralwing and mud too. Plus it has a torque sensing front diff, and the wolvie doesnt, and has a 3 year warentee vs 6 month for the yamahas.,,,,all around a much better quad,

 

Unless you are going to be going through deep mud holes you probably don't need 4x4. The sport quads can go through MOST stuff anyway. Plus when you get stuck you have the big utility guys winch you out. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

The Wolverine 450 is really just a utility without the racks. At 516 lbs it's not very sporty. It's kind of a pig.

I would suggest a 400EX. They are super reliable and will easily make it your required 5 years. Some would also suggest the Z400 which is another good choice. The Honda is the more reliable of the two.

If you want to go big bore for some reason another good choice might be the KFX700. They are pretty wicked stock and can be made to outrun just about anything with mods. I used to own one. They are fast but they are heavy and tippy. If you plan on doing any track riding it's rpobably not a good idea.

 

i have a 400 max xt and its great. just went riding today. for a 400 its pretty impressive. ive had it in mud and water past the floor boards, in big holes with steep sides, big rocks, really long brush, old rotten woods, nothing has stopped it yet.

 

The Wolverine is a step (philosophically) in the right direction, but falls way short of what it could have been. It's way overweight, and has a foo foo automatic transmission. There was a Wolverine sitting side-by-side with a Rancher on the dealers floor the other day. I picked up the ends of each one, and the Wolverine was HEAVY LIKE A BRICK compared to the Rancher, and the Rancher is way overweight to begin with. (I know on paper the Rancher is heavier, but don't believe it! Manufacturers lie about their quad weights all the time.....that's why the magazines always say "claimed dry weight" in the shootouts.)

If you can wait a few more weeks, see what the new 07 Ranchers are like. They are due for a makeover, and I am hopeing (but not holding my breath) that Honda had the forsight to make it into something in the hybrid class.........

 

Blah blah blah.... weighs too much.... blah blah blah

I have an idea... why don't you just buy a unicycle with a big 27" Mudlite tire on it? I'll be that thing only weighs 20 pounds.