What brand ATV should I buy?
#31
12-07-2011, 09:20 PM
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What ever the machine you decide on will be the right one. They are all pretty dam good these days. Here is what my Brute sounds like in the woods. Have fun.
Hunt Road
2012 750 Brute Force Pre Ride Solo Rip on Hunt Road - YouTube
Bear Paw Trail - Tight Woods
2012 750 Brute Force Dave hits a Tree on the Bear Paw Trail - YouTube
Hunt Road
2012 750 Brute Force Pre Ride Solo Rip on Hunt Road - YouTube
Bear Paw Trail - Tight Woods
2012 750 Brute Force Dave hits a Tree on the Bear Paw Trail - YouTube
Haha, looks like a blast!
#32
12-07-2011, 09:26 PM
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Have you went and actually ridden any of the quads that you are thinking about? I havent heard you say that you have...if you are going to spend 9 thousand dollars you should probably at least take it for a spin before you write the check! A bit of seat time will give you an idea of what you like/dislike about each!
#33
12-08-2011, 07:51 AM
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Well, golly JimBob!
Well, golly JimBob!
Hi Donovan. Sorry it took me so long to see your thread. Went to bed early last night. I kind of had to laugh when you said you ride NH and ME and wouldn't see much mud. I've had the reverse experience. I also ride NH and ME and, other than Northern Maine and Jericho Lake ATV Park in Berlin, NH, I always find plenty of mud.
Pretty much all the points I could make about the quads out there right now have been made. Suzuki KQ is probably the best bang for the buck in a good all around machine. Grizzly 700 is a great machine and reliable. Kawasaki Rolls out the Red Carpet sums up how I feel about the Brute Force. Right now it would be in my top 3 if I were to buy a quad. The only thing I'm not fond of is the front locking diff with the little lever you have to hold on to. I don't care for Honda. They are very reliable but don't have a full locker in the front. I have been in places where that little extra bit of traction has made the difference. Can-Am are great quads too. Most power per cc of the auto transmission quads. They are a gas to ride and have good fuel economy to boot. I don't know much about Arctic Cats. My personal favorites are the Polaris machines. Great riding comfort, and the best on board storage options were among the reasons I went with my X2. Really, if you can somehow ride some to try them out, go for it. We all have preferences that show up in our comments.
Pretty much all the points I could make about the quads out there right now have been made. Suzuki KQ is probably the best bang for the buck in a good all around machine. Grizzly 700 is a great machine and reliable. Kawasaki Rolls out the Red Carpet sums up how I feel about the Brute Force. Right now it would be in my top 3 if I were to buy a quad. The only thing I'm not fond of is the front locking diff with the little lever you have to hold on to. I don't care for Honda. They are very reliable but don't have a full locker in the front. I have been in places where that little extra bit of traction has made the difference. Can-Am are great quads too. Most power per cc of the auto transmission quads. They are a gas to ride and have good fuel economy to boot. I don't know much about Arctic Cats. My personal favorites are the Polaris machines. Great riding comfort, and the best on board storage options were among the reasons I went with my X2. Really, if you can somehow ride some to try them out, go for it. We all have preferences that show up in our comments.
#34
12-08-2011, 01:16 PM
Donovan514,
I'll chime in here, for what its worth. I don't really think you can name one brand as best, because it seems like each brand will make a few models of ATVs that are excellent, and a few models that are not so excellent, and not as good as the competition.
I've been into offroad motorsports for 37 years, and we have been ATVing as a family for the last 12 years. I've been the one that has had to buy and maintain ATVs for our family of four, and we've owned a number of them in that time, so I've formed a few opinions about which ones work well and which ones do not. We've owned every brand except Suzuki.
Since you asked about performance and reliability, I'll try to keep this short, and just say how I would rank the brands in those categories.
Performance:
KTM > Can Am > Kawasaki > Polaris & Yamaha > Arctic Cat > Honda
Reliability:
Yamaha > Can Am & KTM > Kawasaki, Polaris, & Honda > Arctic Cat
They're all really good these days. For your intended use I think I would be happy with either the Polaris or Kawasaki. If comfort is a big concern go with the Polaris. If sportyness and performance are bigger concerns go with the Kawasaki.
I'll chime in here, for what its worth. I don't really think you can name one brand as best, because it seems like each brand will make a few models of ATVs that are excellent, and a few models that are not so excellent, and not as good as the competition.
I've been into offroad motorsports for 37 years, and we have been ATVing as a family for the last 12 years. I've been the one that has had to buy and maintain ATVs for our family of four, and we've owned a number of them in that time, so I've formed a few opinions about which ones work well and which ones do not. We've owned every brand except Suzuki.
Since you asked about performance and reliability, I'll try to keep this short, and just say how I would rank the brands in those categories.
Performance:
KTM > Can Am > Kawasaki > Polaris & Yamaha > Arctic Cat > Honda
Reliability:
Yamaha > Can Am & KTM > Kawasaki, Polaris, & Honda > Arctic Cat
They're all really good these days. For your intended use I think I would be happy with either the Polaris or Kawasaki. If comfort is a big concern go with the Polaris. If sportyness and performance are bigger concerns go with the Kawasaki.
#35
12-08-2011, 02:43 PM
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I've been riding since I was a kid and I'm knocking on 40 now. Mostly I've ridden on the sporty side vs utility so I can't tell you the differences between all of the brands' big bores but I am going to go a different direction. because most of what I've heard is go for it.
You mentioned you're new to riding. I'm telling you to forget HP and learn to ride first. Now think about that before getting defensive. We've all been in your shoes just at different ages. Of all the things I've ridden, I have the most fun on my kids' machines, those being a Honda 70cc motorcycle and a Suzuki 50cc 4 wheeler.
Several years ago we went riding and some friends met us there. I took my ol Suzuki Quadrunner 500 that I use on the farm for them to ride. They were like you, knew how to ride but new to it. Being used to the machine and my experience I took that for granted. That ol machine is rock solid but it's not going to win lots of races and it was still fast enough that I had to go tell my friends wife that he had broken his leg (think Joe Theisman, that's what he told me himself) I hope to never have that experience again. I took my own experience and gave it to everyone else. Fortunately, it wasn't worse than a broken leg but it still involved an air flight to a larger hospital and it was dangerously close to being worse.
I just want you to think about this. Those big bores can cause you to lose control quicker than you can recognize the situation. It doesn't take a second to change your life and I don't want you have that. You might look into the 450cc to 550cc class first. Most manufacturers have mid-size models to their flagship big bores with the only changes being smaller displacement.
All of the manufacturers are pretty good now. All have their horror stories and also stories of reliability.
I know personally of Rincons reaching 15,000+ miles with nothing more than routine maintenance. I've also seen Kawasaki's and Polaris' with similar miles and know of some Yamaha's too. I see agronomists (know a couple personally) running all of those. Those guys will put 8,000 miles a year on them.
Anyway, think about what I said. If you're not riding deep mud much, you can start small and not lose much with the smaller cc's. Mud eats up HP though.
Whatever you do, please do the minimum and buy a helmet at least. Except on the farm, when I go riding I have all the gear from boots to gloves on except for the pants and mostly that's because I got too fat for my gear and wear jeans instead. In summer you can buy vented jerseys that will be cooler than a t-shirt.
Most of all, have fun and be careful.
You mentioned you're new to riding. I'm telling you to forget HP and learn to ride first. Now think about that before getting defensive. We've all been in your shoes just at different ages. Of all the things I've ridden, I have the most fun on my kids' machines, those being a Honda 70cc motorcycle and a Suzuki 50cc 4 wheeler.
Several years ago we went riding and some friends met us there. I took my ol Suzuki Quadrunner 500 that I use on the farm for them to ride. They were like you, knew how to ride but new to it. Being used to the machine and my experience I took that for granted. That ol machine is rock solid but it's not going to win lots of races and it was still fast enough that I had to go tell my friends wife that he had broken his leg (think Joe Theisman, that's what he told me himself) I hope to never have that experience again. I took my own experience and gave it to everyone else. Fortunately, it wasn't worse than a broken leg but it still involved an air flight to a larger hospital and it was dangerously close to being worse.
I just want you to think about this. Those big bores can cause you to lose control quicker than you can recognize the situation. It doesn't take a second to change your life and I don't want you have that. You might look into the 450cc to 550cc class first. Most manufacturers have mid-size models to their flagship big bores with the only changes being smaller displacement.
All of the manufacturers are pretty good now. All have their horror stories and also stories of reliability.
I know personally of Rincons reaching 15,000+ miles with nothing more than routine maintenance. I've also seen Kawasaki's and Polaris' with similar miles and know of some Yamaha's too. I see agronomists (know a couple personally) running all of those. Those guys will put 8,000 miles a year on them.
Anyway, think about what I said. If you're not riding deep mud much, you can start small and not lose much with the smaller cc's. Mud eats up HP though.
Whatever you do, please do the minimum and buy a helmet at least. Except on the farm, when I go riding I have all the gear from boots to gloves on except for the pants and mostly that's because I got too fat for my gear and wear jeans instead. In summer you can buy vented jerseys that will be cooler than a t-shirt.
Most of all, have fun and be careful.
#36
12-08-2011, 02:58 PM
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Hi Donovan. Sorry it took me so long to see your thread. Went to bed early last night. I kind of had to laugh when you said you ride NH and ME and wouldn't see much mud. I've had the reverse experience. I also ride NH and ME and, other than Northern Maine and Jericho Lake ATV Park in Berlin, NH, I always find plenty of mud.
Pretty much all the points I could make about the quads out there right now have been made. Suzuki KQ is probably the best bang for the buck in a good all around machine. Grizzly 700 is a great machine and reliable. Kawasaki Rolls out the Red Carpet sums up how I feel about the Brute Force. Right now it would be in my top 3 if I were to buy a quad. The only thing I'm not fond of is the front locking diff with the little lever you have to hold on to. I don't care for Honda. They are very reliable but don't have a full locker in the front. I have been in places where that little extra bit of traction has made the difference. Can-Am are great quads too. Most power per cc of the auto transmission quads. They are a gas to ride and have good fuel economy to boot. I don't know much about Arctic Cats. My personal favorites are the Polaris machines. Great riding comfort, and the best on board storage options were among the reasons I went with my X2. Really, if you can somehow ride some to try them out, go for it. We all have preferences that show up in our comments.
Pretty much all the points I could make about the quads out there right now have been made. Suzuki KQ is probably the best bang for the buck in a good all around machine. Grizzly 700 is a great machine and reliable. Kawasaki Rolls out the Red Carpet sums up how I feel about the Brute Force. Right now it would be in my top 3 if I were to buy a quad. The only thing I'm not fond of is the front locking diff with the little lever you have to hold on to. I don't care for Honda. They are very reliable but don't have a full locker in the front. I have been in places where that little extra bit of traction has made the difference. Can-Am are great quads too. Most power per cc of the auto transmission quads. They are a gas to ride and have good fuel economy to boot. I don't know much about Arctic Cats. My personal favorites are the Polaris machines. Great riding comfort, and the best on board storage options were among the reasons I went with my X2. Really, if you can somehow ride some to try them out, go for it. We all have preferences that show up in our comments.
#37
12-08-2011, 03:01 PM
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I've been riding since I was a kid and I'm knocking on 40 now. Mostly I've ridden on the sporty side vs utility so I can't tell you the differences between all of the brands' big bores but I am going to go a different direction. because most of what I've heard is go for it.
You mentioned you're new to riding. I'm telling you to forget HP and learn to ride first. Now think about that before getting defensive. We've all been in your shoes just at different ages. Of all the things I've ridden, I have the most fun on my kids' machines, those being a Honda 70cc motorcycle and a Suzuki 50cc 4 wheeler.
Several years ago we went riding and some friends met us there. I took my ol Suzuki Quadrunner 500 that I use on the farm for them to ride. They were like you, knew how to ride but new to it. Being used to the machine and my experience I took that for granted. That ol machine is rock solid but it's not going to win lots of races and it was still fast enough that I had to go tell my friends wife that he had broken his leg (think Joe Theisman, that's what he told me himself) I hope to never have that experience again. I took my own experience and gave it to everyone else. Fortunately, it wasn't worse than a broken leg but it still involved an air flight to a larger hospital and it was dangerously close to being worse.
I just want you to think about this. Those big bores can cause you to lose control quicker than you can recognize the situation. It doesn't take a second to change your life and I don't want you have that. You might look into the 450cc to 550cc class first. Most manufacturers have mid-size models to their flagship big bores with the only changes being smaller displacement.
All of the manufacturers are pretty good now. All have their horror stories and also stories of reliability.
I know personally of Rincons reaching 15,000+ miles with nothing more than routine maintenance. I've also seen Kawasaki's and Polaris' with similar miles and know of some Yamaha's too. I see agronomists (know a couple personally) running all of those. Those guys will put 8,000 miles a year on them.
Anyway, think about what I said. If you're not riding deep mud much, you can start small and not lose much with the smaller cc's. Mud eats up HP though.
Whatever you do, please do the minimum and buy a helmet at least. Except on the farm, when I go riding I have all the gear from boots to gloves on except for the pants and mostly that's because I got too fat for my gear and wear jeans instead. In summer you can buy vented jerseys that will be cooler than a t-shirt.
Most of all, have fun and be careful.
You mentioned you're new to riding. I'm telling you to forget HP and learn to ride first. Now think about that before getting defensive. We've all been in your shoes just at different ages. Of all the things I've ridden, I have the most fun on my kids' machines, those being a Honda 70cc motorcycle and a Suzuki 50cc 4 wheeler.
Several years ago we went riding and some friends met us there. I took my ol Suzuki Quadrunner 500 that I use on the farm for them to ride. They were like you, knew how to ride but new to it. Being used to the machine and my experience I took that for granted. That ol machine is rock solid but it's not going to win lots of races and it was still fast enough that I had to go tell my friends wife that he had broken his leg (think Joe Theisman, that's what he told me himself) I hope to never have that experience again. I took my own experience and gave it to everyone else. Fortunately, it wasn't worse than a broken leg but it still involved an air flight to a larger hospital and it was dangerously close to being worse.
I just want you to think about this. Those big bores can cause you to lose control quicker than you can recognize the situation. It doesn't take a second to change your life and I don't want you have that. You might look into the 450cc to 550cc class first. Most manufacturers have mid-size models to their flagship big bores with the only changes being smaller displacement.
All of the manufacturers are pretty good now. All have their horror stories and also stories of reliability.
I know personally of Rincons reaching 15,000+ miles with nothing more than routine maintenance. I've also seen Kawasaki's and Polaris' with similar miles and know of some Yamaha's too. I see agronomists (know a couple personally) running all of those. Those guys will put 8,000 miles a year on them.
Anyway, think about what I said. If you're not riding deep mud much, you can start small and not lose much with the smaller cc's. Mud eats up HP though.
Whatever you do, please do the minimum and buy a helmet at least. Except on the farm, when I go riding I have all the gear from boots to gloves on except for the pants and mostly that's because I got too fat for my gear and wear jeans instead. In summer you can buy vented jerseys that will be cooler than a t-shirt.
Most of all, have fun and be careful.
#38
12-08-2011, 03:08 PM
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Donovan514,
I'll chime in here, for what its worth. I don't really think you can name one brand as best, because it seems like each brand will make a few models of ATVs that are excellent, and a few models that are not so excellent, and not as good as the competition.
I've been into offroad motorsports for 37 years, and we have been ATVing as a family for the last 12 years. I've been the one that has had to buy and maintain ATVs for our family of four, and we've owned a number of them in that time, so I've formed a few opinions about which ones work well and which ones do not. We've owned every brand except Suzuki.
Since you asked about performance and reliability, I'll try to keep this short, and just say how I would rank the brands in those categories.
Performance:
KTM > Can Am > Kawasaki > Polaris & Yamaha > Arctic Cat > Honda
Reliability:
Yamaha > Can Am & KTM > Kawasaki, Polaris, & Honda > Arctic Cat
They're all really good these days. For your intended use I think I would be happy with either the Polaris or Kawasaki. If comfort is a big concern go with the Polaris. If sportyness and performance are bigger concerns go with the Kawasaki.
I'll chime in here, for what its worth. I don't really think you can name one brand as best, because it seems like each brand will make a few models of ATVs that are excellent, and a few models that are not so excellent, and not as good as the competition.
I've been into offroad motorsports for 37 years, and we have been ATVing as a family for the last 12 years. I've been the one that has had to buy and maintain ATVs for our family of four, and we've owned a number of them in that time, so I've formed a few opinions about which ones work well and which ones do not. We've owned every brand except Suzuki.
Since you asked about performance and reliability, I'll try to keep this short, and just say how I would rank the brands in those categories.
Performance:
KTM > Can Am > Kawasaki > Polaris & Yamaha > Arctic Cat > Honda
Reliability:
Yamaha > Can Am & KTM > Kawasaki, Polaris, & Honda > Arctic Cat
They're all really good these days. For your intended use I think I would be happy with either the Polaris or Kawasaki. If comfort is a big concern go with the Polaris. If sportyness and performance are bigger concerns go with the Kawasaki.
Great news... I really like the Sportsman 800 EFI and I was hoping that most people would give me positive news about their reliability. Thank you..
I noticed you had an Outty 1000; that's a serious bike.
#39
12-08-2011, 03:30 PM
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That accident happened when we were moving 10 mph too. We were on a trail back to the campground and the speed was 10mph and to this day, I still don't completely understand it. It happened behind me so I didn't see it.
#40
12-08-2011, 03:52 PM
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Wow... that makes me very nervous... I had a few days on my brothers 500 HO and I was looking for more power. Not that I would necessarily use it, but I hated the fact that I was comfortable with full throttle after such a short time riding...