Ok seeking some input from the community. I am a bike rider that is going to pick up a 4 wheeler to get more exposer to 4 wheels. I love to jump, go fast, and rip thru trails in the North East. We have nasty roots, mod, rocks, as well as some pretty nasty power lines. I am really looking at the sport ATV's but am wonding what kind of clearence and how much traction they really have. I am not huge into mud bogging or into deep snow, but I want to be able to blast over the same stuff I rip over on my bike. THe 4 wheeler will not be used for anything other then thrashing in the woods and running over friends who wipe out on their bikes.

Thoughts?

 

Im a utility man myself, but i keep up with sports just fine on the trails! And im almost unstoppable in snow, mud, rough terrain, and hardpack. Check my pics, and see what you can do to these things! Otherwise, yes, i would rather have a quad over a bike anyday. If you get a sport, you will still have fun, but you nailed it on the head, you need to really watch out for large rocks and sticks with the low ground clearance, and you may wish later you had the 4x4 and diff lock to go through anything!

 

Sweet ATV of yours, and yes I also have an addiction to upgrades and cleaning the ride afterwards. I am absolutely addicted to trail riding and to tell you the truth over the past year I have had some horrendous wipe outs because of the 2 wheels and traction issues in situations I had no business being in. I am really leaning torwards utility ATV more then sport. Now the issue is choosing one, have the cash ready to pull the trigger but need the right one. I live in the North East and the trails are nasty and I have some land in Maine that I am looking to tear the cr*p[ out of cause I could never on the 2 wheeler. I want one that is nimble but still strong to get out of things. Any thoughts?

 

Of course im going to suggest an AC[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] But why not? They have the most ground clearance, a number one rated 4x4 system and diff lock, unlimited accessories to add on, speedrack, and one of the strongest built ATVs. I almost feel unstoppable with mine! Im sure you will get plenty of responses to your question, but thats my suggestion. You will see reconranger shortly telling you to avoid the bigger utes like mine, and go for a lighter smaller one like his. lol

 

Agree. Reconranger b*itches about "heavy" quads almost as often as v2rider recommends AC to new buyers. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Couldn't skip a post like this!

My philosopy is to push my sport quads to the limit, and that means that I only need a 4X4 utility for about 5% of my riding. Only when there is snow, or the rocks get to huge, or there are big streams to cross, do I get the utility out of the garage. I ride in the desert southwest, so for me, that means only high altitude riding in the mountains.

I have a lot of problems with the philosophical track the manufacturers have taken with utility design. Their heritage comes from "farm work tractors", and most of them show it. This means that they are big and heavy (600-800 pounds), where sport quads come in at 350-400 pounds. Manufacturers try to "sporty" their utes up by putting on cushy suspension, IRS, and the trend is to put on huge big bore engines, so you forget you are riding something that weighs a ton. I also have safety issues with these machines, as most are just to big and heavy for the average rider to handle.

Sport quads are light and agile.....pure fun! But they give up ground clearance (5-6") in exchange for a low center of gravity, and they are only 2wd. The higher end ones have excellent, comfortable suspension. Tire choice can be a crucial factor.

So, you have to look at your traction conditions, and decide what you need. Sport quads are light, and if you hang one up on a rock, it's no big deal to just lift it off. With some big heavy utes, when you get it stuck, you might have to get the winch out! Pay attention out on the trail to what folks are riding. Watch the sport quads and see how they are doing. My experience around here has been that "senior citizens" tend to pick a utility, because they can't imagine getting a 2wd unstuck if they ever got into trouble. Everybody else, except those with special needs like hunters and farmers (and myself 5% of the time), opts for a sport quad.

The excellent trail sport quads are the Honda 400EX, Suzuki Z400 (or its clones), and maybe the Yamaha Raptor 700. The go fast quads are the ultralight 450's. As for utilities, my conditions dictate a small, light, agile and simple machine, so I picked the mid size Honda Rancher.

Do be aware that there is a new emerging class of "hybrid" 4wd machines. It seeks to combine the best features of both a sport and utility quad, and in reality this is probably the quad that will ultimately prove to be most useful to most riders. (Most folks don't need a "tractor", but could use 4wd once in a while in case they get into trouble out on the trail.) This class is still in its infancy, but hopefully we will see many more of them in the future. If done right, these will come to dominate the industry within the next 10 years!

The best example of a hybrid is the Yamaha Wolverine. I have a lot of problems with it, like it's to heavy to be really "sporty", and has a foo foo automatic transmission, but it is a step in the right direction.

 

I think I have the perfect solution to this. I am going to buy a sport quad, then if I decide I need 4x4 I will buy a ute as well. Too many toys is never a bad thing I guess. I am going to pick up a cheap used sport ATV then I will go from there. My problem is once I get a new toy I start modifying it and I cannot stop. Any thoughts with what the first mod you would do if you were going to use this pig for trail and power line riding? Goal here is to beat my friends on the 2 wheelers thru all the loose rocks, roots, and ruts. I am not a deep mud person, more like rip thru winding trails.

thoughts?

 

Ask here before you buy just any old quad. A few of them are best avoided. I would suggest a 400EX.