I am looking at getting a new atv and the only question i have is manual or auto. I have gotten many different opinions from my friends but they all seemed really biased to what hey have. I will mostly be trail riding not puling anything. It is hilly and rocky. Sometimes we cross deep water and play in the mud. Which application would best suit me and give me trouble free riding.

 

It's funny that in the dirt bike world, there are no automatics...and nobody thinks that is a bad thing. Riders just nut up and learn to shift! Sure, there are autoclutch dirt bikes for the little kids, but once you advance it is all fully manual left hand clutches. Learning to shift is a right of passage on the road to becoming an adult....

We talking utility here or sport quads??? Among the manuals, there are two types, the autoclutch and the full manual left hand lever. So, we are really talking about three different types of shifting here. If you throw in the Honda Sportclutch and Rekluse, there are actually four.

Personally, I want to pick my own gears. I have always regarded autos as being a crutch for little kids or adults who just couldn't manage to figure out how to do all that highly complicated shifting stuff. Most folks grow up with automatic cars, and have sadly never actually ever been exposed to a manual transmission! As far as utilities go, that limits my choices to just a few autoclutch machines...and that is just fine with me!

As far as sport quads go, a real sport machine has a fully manual left hand clutch...period! There are some low end autoclutch models, but I see them as a training tool. After kids or adult beginners learn shifting basics, they should join the time honoured tradition and move on to a left hand fully manual.....

 

It's all in what you're most comfortable with or what you consider the most fun. I've had both ... a 2000 Scrambler and a 2007 YFZ450. With the automatic, I liked the simple controls, and it allowed you to focus more on the trail instead of worrying about what gear you're in. On the other hand, the manual is much sportier and is a lot of fun.

No correct answer here ... it's all about what you personally like the best.

 

Thank for the responses. I am going to be getting a utiliy quad something like the vinson 500