I injured my back a year ago and my 02 Foreman 450 beats the he!! out of me when I ride [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] . I will keep it as a workhorse but am ready for a nice comfy "driver" to ride with my kids.

I like the physical size of my Foreman and don't wan't anything larger. (I can't believe how huge some of the newer quads are, why not just buy a Wrangler ?)

We ride sandy backroads, trails, deep woods, etc.. The kids are young and I will keep them on utility type quads as long as I can :wink: ..


What do you professionals suggest in the 500 size range ?


Thanks,

Brokeback

 

A lot of people I've talked to say the Polaris has a very plush ride, a friend of mine rode a 700 Sportsman, compared to his 660 Grizz, and said it felt like a couch, very soft seat, and plush ride. The 500 Sportsman should ride the same, and that motor is very peppy, and now comes with EFI. Best thing is to test ride a few different brands at the dealers and see what feels best.

 

I agree with 95wolv. The Sportsman is the ticket. Either that or an Outlander. They both ride excellent.

 

I have ridden a fair number of "comfy" IRS long travel utility quads, and all I can say is that in nasty off camber stuff there is so much body roll (hell...frame roll!) toward the downhill side that it is scary. These things sacrifice stability for their tall mushy suspensions....so be aware that you are going to be making a trade off (although the 500 class probably isn't as bad as the big bores)!

 

The ride is one of my reasons for the sportsman, I have the back thing going on too. The bomb is close on smoother trails ( has a soft seat) but it will start to buck when start hitting bumpier terrain.

 

Sportsman. Very smooth ride compared to the others.

 

My 98' Sportsman 500 absolutley spoiled me for ride comfort. My 05' Brute Force can't hold a candle to it in the comfort department. With the BF I have to stand up over rough terrain that I could have napped through on the Polaris.

 

Im a pure Arctic Cat guy, but for a caddy like ride, the Polaris is the way you should go.

 

I feel just about any of the new quads has an improved ride over the '02 Honda Foreman. The older Hondas do tend to beat up the rider. A newer Foreman may be a better fit. A Sportsman may be bigger than what you're after.

But then if all you're going to do is ride the kids around the yard, get a Polaris.

 

The Sportsmans and Arctic Cats with IRS are famous for there comfy ride.