Hey NP. Yeah, the Outlander is a great machine, and it is definitely a lot of extra $$. Personally, if you aren't sure if you can pony up the extra $$, I would just wait a few months anyways - January, February, and March are usually slow selling months for dealers and usually have some specials on, in addition to being able to be easier to haggle with.

 

Ask yourself this. Is there a dealer that can give you support. That you are comfortable with etc. I lean towards the Hondas and Yamahas. I have both. I like my rubicon because it is slightly bigger machine than my Grizzly. I am 6'3" and 300 lbs. So i need the extra room. I sometimes feel cramped on the Griz. But the IRS is real comfortable. Honda's new Rubicon has EPS now. So does teh 550 Griz. I am not a fan of yellow or green machines. And I don't like the Can-ams. Downright hate the polaris.

 

What's wrong with Polaris and Can-Am Dragginbutt? Not that I am trying to insult your or anything, I am just wondering why people seem to despise both for no apparent reason?

 

Polaris and Yamaha have been close to each other in sales, trading each other for second and third place for over a decade, and Honda is the only thing that outsells them. None of the other brands come close to these, "the big 3". They're 70% of the market and everything else doesn't even matter. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] One out of every five ATVs sold is a Polaris and they've sold over a million Sportsmans, the single most popular utility ATV, EVER. Two million people like Polaris and maybe a dozen people here hate them. Most of the haters have never even owned one or else bought a used piece of crap that someone else beat to death first.

 

Man it goes way back to when I was 12 years old and buying my first Snowmobile. I looked at the Polaris machines.. but didn't think they were of the quality of the Ski-doos at the time. Still feel that way. They were junk then, and I have not changed my mind. I guess you can say it was a closed mind and it has carried over to ATVs...

As for Suzuki and Kawasakis... Well, I actually owned the second 250 Honda Elsinore that was in the midwest. The way I got it was comical. Any way, that is another story. I raced MX in the midwest for 2 years, and there were some pretty snotty nosed punks that rode green and yellow machines. Their dads own bike shops.. nuff said. I used to dust them quite often. I came by my hatred for gren and yellow honestly... and I liked Roger Decoster. Actually got to follow him for about two seconds once then he disapeared in a cloud of dust and I kept hearing hi-o Silver.. away....

Sure you can point to championships etc, I don't care.. it is my personal preferences. I'd rather walk if I had to ride one. I know there are guys that swear by them.. I happen to like honda an Yamaha and have a soft spot for an old maico too. Fact is, when I raced dirt bikes, I'd only ride a Honda... Not even a Yamaha then... but I have 6 Yamaha Atv's that have flowed through my shed over time, and two dirt bikes too. Only one Honda ATV. Well if you count my Son's make that two. I have owned an R-6 and an R-1 as well. Plus an old Honda 500 inline 4 from WAAAAAY back. I ride them because they have never left me on the trail. I don't break parts, and I have a great dealer. Who by the way also sells KTM and Can-am. I just am not interested in the others. I'd sure like to own a KTM, but probably will never get the chance. I want to replace my Raptor 660 soon, but will probably go with a 700 because for my style of riding, it fits. I can keep up with my older son on his 450f and that is all I want.

YOu can quote power, 2 cylinders, better suspension, etc.. I don't care, I am not going ot change my mind. I just feel they are at the top in my book for what it is worth. I am sure that somewhere, some person feels the same way about Suzuki, or Kawis, or Polaris machines. Hey they are free to have their own opinions.

I do not feel that there is any use for more power than what a 500 class machine can provide when you are working it hard. I really am high on the Honda transmission. I would pick that over a belt drive any day, and I own them both. Go ahead and argue it.. it is my opinon. I don't disagree with you.. but it is mine to have.

Frank, I'd have to argue with you though. The numbers I read somewhere indicated that the Yamaha Warrior is the best seller of all time... But that is a sport model too...

 

^ Quite the interesting story Dragginbutt. Sorry if I came off a little harsh. I can completely agree with you on the fact of just simple brand preference, as I used to be the same way (but recently have been trying to take a more open minded approach to ATVs, simply so that I can learn more about the sport and about ATVs as I am still a young rider).

I think that the Sportsman is the most popular Utility, however for sport I thought that currently the Raptor 700 is the #1 seller? Maybe that's not of all time, just of 2007 and of 2008.

 

I don't think there is a whole lot of difference between todays ATVs. Competetion has made all of them better. I've owned Yamaha's before, Timberwolf, Big Bear, and a couple of Grizzly 600's. I researched all the forums I could and rode all the bikes that were in my final (Fab Five) and decided to go with an Outty 800 and a Popo 800. I originally was planning on a couple around 500cc's but in the end, felt going for the big bikes would make me happier in the end and give me those unlimited options on how I wanted to use them.

One thing I've found that made my decision very tough was that there is a lot of customer loyalty to brands in all forums. One person will say the Popo is poo poo and the Outty is fast but an overpriced ATV. Others will swear they are the best thing going. I tried to weed out the loyalty stuff to a certain extent but would be lying if I said it never entered into the equation. How people feel about their bikes is an important input to consider, especially the first hand information.

Several things continued to ring true through the whole process. 1)Ride the bikes that you are contemplating on buying (fit, form, and function), 2)find a good dealer who has a rep for supporting their product to service and repair it for you (dealers always will have a preference and an obligation for the bikes they sell), 3)consider an extended warranty if it is affordable as most usage problems will occur after the factory warranty runs out, 4)how you are going to use the bike (rock climbing, mudding, altitude riding, work, etc...) plays an important part in the one you choose so you should consider how you are going to use it and buy the right capability the first time, and finally, 5) buy the one that rings your bell, not one that others think you will be happier with.

 

I completely agree with Whiner on this one...his 5 suggestions are ones that you should definitely do!

 

I agree with Whiner too. The only problem I have is that none of the dealers I went to wanted to let me test ride them, and when I did ride one it was just to the end of the parking lot and back. That doesn't tell you much about the machines. I like to sit on them anyway. Some just feel akward or uncomfortable, or they feel like they're made for someone a foot shorter than me.

I only buy 4x4 utes because that's what I need. I like to compare all the major brands before I buy. Most of the specs are on the various manufacturers websites so I don't have to see every single one of them in person. Some brands aren't available locally unless I buy from a business I don't trust so they're off my list of potential purchases. If there's something you need an ATV to do and one of them won't do it you have to scratch it off the list too. Because of the arthritis in my spine I need something with a cushy ride, and the terrain I ride demands a lot of ground clearance. Those two things take all solid rear axle quads off my list. I whittle the list down until I find what works for me. Then I pick one from the short list. It usually comes down to a Sportsman or a Grizzly with the Sportsman feeling like it fits me way better and IMO being a better value.

 

You forget the warrior was with us for many years when other brands pulled out of the sport category altogether. ATV's as a sport were kept alive by the Warrior, banshee and blaster. Suzuki almost closed it's doors on ATV's for a while. Cats and Polaris were almost gone. Honda and Yamaha were just about the only game in town. It has only been in teh past 10 years or so that other brands have come roaring back. Polaris has been innovative, so has Bombardier, but that doesn't mean I am going ot give up on what I have spent 40 plus years riding. Honda may not be the cutting edge it used to be.. but they are strong machines. Yamaha has been out there leading the pack. I understand also that in certain parts of the country, Polaris has a following that is very strong. Great. I also admire what they are doing to support the sport in MN and other upper tier states. I also admire Honda for setting up the riding centers, supporting different events etc.. But so does Suzuki, and Polaris. Yamaha continues to be an enigma to me. They have some support programs, but are more geared ot sales that returnig back to the sport. THAT is what is first in my book. If a company is willing to give back to the riders that support them.. that iw what they should be doing and what you are getting when you pay a little more than the Chinese crap, which do NOT support any programs. Safety included.