A friend of mine is looking at both quads to buy. Both are 2006 models and are in great condition. He is looking to buy one in a few days or so, just has to decide which one. Both are priced right around $2000 (the Honda is from somebody he knows so he's selling it cheaper).

My friend has about a year of experience riding on a Polaris 250 Trailblazer. A few years back he hit a small jump way to hard and got messed up and had to get life flighted, so he's finally getting back into riding.

He's going to be doing most riding with me, which is primarily wooded trails, some small jumps, powerlines, mud, hill climbs, ruts and rocks, snow, pretty much everything.

In my opinion I highly think he should get the Wolverine. He said he prefers an automatic as he's not super great with manuals and clutches, and would also like something to do small work with occasionally. However... Being 19 years old, he seems to really like the 450 because it's "faster", and like a lot of newer younger riders, judges bikes solely on their CC's.

Can anybody give me their thoughts? I know the 450r is the better deal money wise, but if he's going to get a quad I figured it'd be better to get one that best fits him. I also think the ground clearance on the Wolverine vs the 450r is a big advantage for it as well considering the terrain we'll be on. Also, was wondering what maintenance, reliability, and rebuild hours were like on the 450s/both quads? He's not much of a mechanic and is a little on the lazy side when it comes to repairs. Also.. Not quite sure if he has the experience that he should be on a race 450.

Thoughts? Anybody have experience with a Wolverine or any 450 race bikes? Any other thoughts I missed as far as other points to persuade him to the Wolverine? Or am I completely mistaken and the 450 would be the better option?


Thanks!

 

Well, those 2 machines are aimed at opposite sides of the spectrum. I ride 450's, and they are amazingly capable in skilled hands, however they do prefer a more spirited riding pace, are useless for utility applications, and aren't much fun once the snow/mud/ruts get past a certain point. If he is mostly riding with you, then it may be better to have something similar in purpose to your ride. Alternately, the Polaris Scrambler is in the same class as the Wolvy, but has a bit more power and can be had in that price range as well.

 

Yeah you are comparing two TOTALLY different machines here. From the way it sounds, the wolverine would be much better for the type of riding and purposes he intends to use it. Also sounds like a 450 is a little beyond his skill level. 450 isn't going to be the best for someone unfamiliar with clutches, especially as the engines like to be revved high and the clutch is very touchy. I've been driving a clutch for years and riding a 450 took me a minute to get used to as it is very easy to stall. They also require significantly more maintenance.

My friends 450's have done surprisingly well in some decent mud/ruts, but still certainly not designed for it or comparable to a 4x4/AWD machine. Wolverine is probably a good choice for him or like suggested a Scrambler. They make good power and also have AWD. Also, since he is going to be riding mostly with you, what are you riding? Would be good to get something similar to yours.

 

X3 For the riding conditions you're describing the Wolverine is the way to go.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Yea I realize they're both completely different types of quads, just wanted to see what everybody thought.

Also, I ride a Renegade 800 so I figured the Wolverine is in the same category as far as sport utility goes. Oh and just a note, this is the Wolverine 350 not the Wolverine 450. The 350 is the 2 wheel drive model. Although I figured with the bigger tires, twice the ground clearance, and automatic transmission it's still a lot more utility capable that a race 450 for rugged terrain. Any more thoughts?

 

Having 2wd with a rear differential is still better than a sport quad with maybe 3-4" of clearance under the sprocket. I've seen places where a Honda Recon with a rear diff. did tons better than my Kawasaki Lakota Sport I had that had a chain drive. I'd still go with the Wolverine in this case but not nearly as one sided to me as if it had 4wd.

 

In light of you having a Renegade, I think he would be even happier looking for a decent Scrambler 4x4...

 

I'm with Scooter, with you having a renegade a wolverine isnt going to be able to keep up, and neither is a 450 in the terrain you intend to ride. I would second a 4x4 Scrambler. They are good machines, older ones are 400 2 strokes and newer ones are 500 4 strokes. Both make good power and would be perfect for what he needs. I'd imagine the 2 stroke ones could be had for fairly cheap these days. Had the same 400 2 stroke in a 94 Xplorer 4x4, never gave me problems and we did things with that that a 2 stroke wasn't designed to do (towing, plowing, etc). It would do 60ish and is a good bit heavier than a scrambler.

 

Yea, I realize the Wolverine doesn't pack nearly the punch of the Renegade but I figured with them being similar type quads it should be able to go most places my Renegade can if he knows how to ride it. Obviously if I'm not giving it my all, I think he should be able to keep up alright in the wooded areas.

The Scrambler is a nice quad, my buddy's dad's got one. It's a lot like the Renegade... just not as nasty. So that would be a good quad for him but the main thing is he's looking for a much newer quad, preferably 2005 and up that's in excellent condition. Last quad he got used needed some work and he's a bit on lazy side so wants something that without a doubt has no problems or much wear.

Basically the ideal quad for him would be:

-automatic
-sporty
-shaft driven
-between 300 to 500cc's
-2005 and up
-$2000 in price give or take