Hello everyone!

I found these forums while researching specifications on ATV's that I'm considering purchasing.

My wife and I have been trail riding for a while, but we have never owned our own ATV's - we have always used ATV tour companies that provide the ATV.

This year we have decided that we would like to finally purchase our own ATV's. We will be using them for recreational trail riding in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia in Canada. We are not into mudding or racing or jumping or anything like that, but there are lots of mountain trails we like to ride & there are always some stream/creek crossings that we have to do.

We are having a difficult time deciding on which ATV's we should buy. We have only ever used Kawasaki 300's so we don't have much personal experience to make comparisions. We know that we are looking for Automatic 4x4's, a 400+cc for me (I'm a real big guy!) and a 300+cc for my wife. We want to purchase from one manufacturer only, so we need a manufacturer that provides a suitable ATV for both my wife and I.

We have been to several dealers in our area, but everywhere we go we get the usual "our stuff is great, their stuff sucks" routine. Now, I personally don't think there is a HUGE difference between manufacturers - they all make a good product, it's just a matter of us finding the product that suits us best.

We have narrowed our search down to the following:

HONDA:
Foreman 450ES for myself and a Fourtrax 350ES for my wife. My wife finds the 350ES very comfortable, but I'm not sold on the 450ES - it doesn't seem to have enough ground clearance. I would prefer a Rubicon, but they are hard to get here and as a result they are marked up by about $1000.00 CDN. When I read articles about Honda's, they are never really excited about them (except the Ruby), but they always talk about the excellent reliability and quality. Those are very important considerations when we go riding. One thing - can anyone tell me if the Fourtrax 350ES in Canada is the same as the Rancher in the USA?

POLARIS:
400 Sportsman for myself and a Magnum 325 for my wife (note: we have never seen a 325 Magnum in person). My wife REALLY likes the single brake lever of the Polaris and I find the 400 Sportsman to be very comfortable and I like the ground clearence. The pricing is also very good on these products. What I'm concerned about is reliability - one of the people we talked to is a certified ATV mechanic and he suggested that unless I'm willing to spend an hour doing maintenance for every hour I ride, I should stay away from Polaris. Other people I talk to say that is an "old" reputation that Polaris has that that they are very reliable now.

KAWASAKI:
Prairie 400 for myself and a Prairie 300 for my wife. We have used these many times and find them comfortable and easy to use. I would prefer more ground clearence and we both find the lack of engine braking to be a concern.

Those are the three manufacturers that we have narrowed our search down to. Once thing that I have concerns over is the 4x4 system and front differential of any quad we choose. I would really prefer to see a front differential that gives power to both front wheels, and not to just one. I have been told that Honda's in particular are bad for that and should really be considered as 3 wheel drive. I'm having a difficult time in determining which manufacturers/products have "true" 4 wheel drive.

Anyway, I would really appreciate some feedback from users of these products so I can be better prepared to choose our new ATV's. Sales people generally give only one side of the story and not a true representation of their products (good or bad).

Thanks for taking time to read and answer this post.

Cheers,

 

I own a 2000 scrambler 400 2x4 and they are right polaris has eliminated a good 95% of their problems.
I beat on my machine, run it into trees, rolled down hills, run through thick mud at full throttle, etc etc etc.
The only problem I've had with it was running out of gas, I need a gas gauge.
Belt slippage is a thing of the past with the new concentric drive system which keeps constant tension on the belt and chain at all times.
I do regular mantenance on it each month, oil the chain, grease, and tire pressures.
Right now my scrambler has ice covering it from melted snow and it still fires right up in 10 degree weather without hesitation.
If you have read any of my past posts you can see why I promote polaris, they've came a long way in the past 5 years.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISION!!!

LONG LIVE POLARIS!!!

2000 SCRAMBLER 400 2X4

SCRAMDADDY400

 

just my opion. but the 4x4 are heavy and have a very bad suspension which when it comes to riding all day you need a good suspension. i've been riding atv's since honda introduced them. i think you should also take a look at some of the sport quads out there before you buy. it seams that the makes of the 4x4 are made for farms not trails...

01 raptor

 

my buddy has a honda 500 foreman and a polaris sportsman 500, and he prefers the honda. he installed a second brake cable on the handle bars and split the front brakes so each has its own cable. this works great, it allows you to choose which front tire you want to have power to. incase you get hung up on a tree or boulder like we do sometimes. we ride in the mountains of tenn. through an old creek bed full of boulders. i ride his honda and hes on the polaris. he bought the polaris first , and then bought the honda a year later if that helps any



01 raptor blk/wht
01 hours on machine

 

Hello C>Viking; I own an older kawasaki 300, rock solid all the way, just a spark plug now and then. I also have a polaris sportsman, this is a whole nother animal. I read all about how they would break down, that they couldn't take hard riding, etc. Thats B.S., over 1100 miles and not a single problem. The only thing with the polaris is greasing the u-joints every so often, on the + side you have all 4 wheels pulling or 2 wheel drive just by pushing a switch, the best ride of any 4x4 by a wide margin, great ground clearance, disc brakes, comfy seats, high capacity racks and towing, and by the way, if its 0 degrees out it still fires right up. If you decide to climb really tough hills, the polaris will go where others only dream about. I'm sure owners of other brands will dispute this, but with true 4 wheel drive, great suspension, ground clearence and plenty of power, facts speak for themselves. You need to ride one on a trail to fully understand. Good luck with whatever purchase you make and happy trails.

 

CanadianViking,

Looks like your getting pretty well educated regarding ATVs. My Dad & I bought our first ATVs last spring. We did the same research as you but with different results. Our needs were for Hunting (both getting to our stands & hauling out the game) Plowing snow, Hauling things around our small homestead, & recreational riding. When we started looking, I was leaning towards a 300-400 cc machine. I wanted a 4-stroke because of the smoke & noise issue as well as the low-end torque. The more we looked & test rode, the more I kept coming back to the Arctic Cats. Toughness & ease of maintenance were strong pluses, but the machine just seemed to fit me better. I also found I could deal with the dealer & without spending a lot more $ I could move up to the 500 cc Auto 4X4. My suggestion to you is to buy more machine than you think you'll need, you'll will be amazed at what it can do. Regarding your wife, the only thing she may not like about the bigger ACs is they are a little hard to steer with the stock tires. Some guys have put narrower front tires on and helped this a lot.

On a different subject, my Cousin just moved to Bear Creek, I have visited Calgary many times & I am so envious of anyone who lives somewhere as beautiful as that area. The Banff area & Lake Louis are great. I grew up in Colorado, near Aspen, but your Rockies are much better than Colorado Rockies.

Good luck with your purchase.

Lance

 

Sounds like comfort is important to you.I rode many different kinds of quads and nothing smoothens the rought trails out like the Sportsman. When I swap bikes with my freinds I can not believe they put up with a bumpy ride like that all the time.For you wife I would look at a Kodiak 400 because Honda Canada in known for there higher prices and a Kodiak may cost the same or less as the 350 Honda.The Kodiak is a larger frame quad and believe me switching to 2wd when 4wd is not needed is alot nicer to steer all day long.

 

First off, any of your choices seem good ones. I agree the salesmen all will say mine is better than all the others no matter what they sell.

I also think that Polaris has come a LONG way to make their machines up to par of everyone else. The new machines seem pretty good. I have a '99 Xplorer 400 with over 3500 miles, and my brother has an Xpress 400L with just over 5000 miles. Between the two of them, we had one breakdown : the little spring in the parking brake mechanism. You know, the spring that releases the brake automatically so you don't have to manually press the release. That is it other than one worn out chain on the 5000 mile machine (It didn't break, just stretched way out). The belt is also getting a little frayed, but is still going. The Xpress is used mostly for checking cattle & irrigation where the Xplorer is used more when the mud gets deep.

I also have a Honda 300 2x4 which my Dad drives when he comes to the farm (he is semi-retired) and it has been trouble-free for a long time. Lately the battery went dead, and the new one wasn't being charged properly. I found a corroded connection, and hopefully fixed the problem.

I would also consider going with 2 Sportsmans for trail riding. They are by FAR the smoothest riding things out there. They are not for jumping ditches, but for normal to somewhat spirited riding, smooth out the bumps like a Cadillac. My brother in law has a Sportsman and Magnum both, and MUCH prefers the way the Sportsman smoothes out the trail. Maybe a 500 for you & a 400 for her? Or maybe a 400 for you and a 335 for her (if you can still find one).
Be warned, though, the 325 Magnum and 335 Sportsman are not for speed. They are very capable otherwise, though.

I don't know much about the Kawasakis, but you summed up my opinion of the Hondas. Fair ride, wide turning radius, low clearance, but solid handling, and solid reputation.

PS The Polaris is the only of the 3 with true 4 wheel drive. You can have any 3 wheels on ice, and the 4th on pavement, the hitch tied to a tree so the ATV doesn't move, and all 4 wheels will spin, all the time while in 4wd. It also has selectable 2wd to 4wd.

 

Hi there,

Don't know about the rest, but I own a 01' Polaris Magnum 325 4x4. My Wife enjoys riding it as much as I do. 600 miles and no problems. I have a bad back but can ride all day with no discomfort. It will go anywhere I ask it to. Top speed about 40 Mph.

Check out my site for some pictures:

http://www.thesitezone.com/atv/

 

Wow, thanks for all the comments – this will definitely help me decide which way I should go. Keep them coming!

“...i think you should also take a look at some of the sport quads out there before you buy. it seams that the makes of the 4x4 are made for farms not trails...”

VMAX12, Most of the sport quads don’t have any racks on them and I need the racks for camping gear/supplies.

"...and they are right polaris has eliminated a good 95% of their problems…they've came a long way in the past 5 years. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISION...”

Scramdaddy400, Thanks, that’s more or less what I have been hearing about Polaris reliability. Do you have any comments/experience on the Sportsman line?

“...my buddy has a honda 500 foreman and a polaris sportsman 500… we ride in the mountains of tenn. through an old creek bed full of boulders...”

COOPSTOY: Is that a Honda Rubicon? Does your buddy have any problems with the center of gravity of the Sportsman? You do the same type of riding we do – mountains, creeks, stumps and rocks!

“...over 1100 miles and not a single problem… the best ride of any 4x4 by a wide margin, great ground clearance, disc brakes, comfy seats, high capacity racks and towing...”

RSE500, thanks for the comments – how do you find the center of gravity on the Sportsman in off-camber situations?

“...The more we looked & test rode, the more I kept coming back to the Arctic Cats. Toughness & ease of maintenance were strong pluses, but the machine just seemed to fit me better...My suggestion to you is to buy more machine than you think you'll need, you'll will be amazed at what it can do...”

CatLance, Thanks for the suggestion regarding Arctic Cat. I will go this weekend to a dealer to check them out. What is the front differential like on the AC? Is it true 4 wheel drive? How is the suspension, is it appropriate for mountain trail riding?

“...Sounds like comfort is important to you...I would look at a Kodiak 400 ... a Kodiak may cost the same or less as the 350 Honda...”

Tim1, Comfort is important in the ergonomic sense, ie does the Quad “feel” comfortable to “use”, not so much comfortable ride. I personally find the Sportsman 400/500 to “feel” VERY comfortable – I just love the size of it (but I a pretty big guy!), my wife really likes the “feel” of the Honda 350ES – she finds the Polaris to be just to large. Thanks for the suggestion on the Kodiak, I’ll look for a dealer and try to check one out.

“...Maybe a 500 for you & a 400 for her? Or maybe a 400 for you...The Polaris is the only of the 3 with true 4 wheel drive. You can have any 3 wheels on ice, and the 4th on pavement, the hitch tied to a tree so the ATV doesn't move, and all 4 wheels will spin, all the time while in 4wd. It also has selectable 2wd to 4wd...”

Farmr123, If we go with the sportsman, we probably will go with a 400 for me (instead of a 500 HO) but I don’t know if I can get a 335 for my wife (other than a Magnum). Thanks for clarification on the Polaris 4wd system.

“...I own a 01' Polaris Magnum 325. My Wife enjoys riding it as much as I do. 600 miles and no problems. I have a bad back but can ride all day with no problems...”

JoeM, Nice website, especially the link page. Do you know if there a big difference in the ride between the rigid axle Magnum and the Independently suspended Sportsman when it comes to trail riding? How is the ground clearance?

Thanks again everyone for all the great comments and suggestions - keep them coming! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my post

Cheers,