Hey everyone! I'm trying to get back into riding after almost a decade. I'm not real sure what to consider buying. I know what size I want just don't know what brands to stay away from. I know the Polaris is notorious for burning belts but I don't know about Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat, Suzuki. I just don't want to buy something and be working on it all the time. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forum. The Polaris belts typically last thousands of miles. I assume the same is true of other brands too. I hear good and bad about Arctic Cat but I think all the brands you mention are good. Kawasaki too.

 

I changed my belt after 2000 miles and it still looked like new, but for $70 and 20 minutes work to change it I just do it for piece of mind.

The only people who complain about burning belts are the ones who do not know what a low range is for.

 

every brand always has the possibility of producing a lemon from time to time. Test driving each machine would be the 1st step to determine which model you prefer and which models you dont. What size engine were you looking at getting and what are you going to use the atv for? trail riding with mud,rocky,snowy type trails or work like cutting and hauling wood,snow plowing,food plot,ect... or an atv for the sport rider? atvs over the past 10 years have come a very long way. Some are like going from an old 3/4 ton pickup to a Cadillac. others have features that others wont. Unlike 10 years ago there wasn't a whole lot of atvs with differential locker,but most have them today as well as Electronic Fuel Injection(EFI) and Fully Independent suspension(FIS). these are things that may make one atv better than the other in ones opinion. So let us know more specific and we can all help with different opinions to help narrow your choices.

 

I got about 3200 miles from my belt before I replaced it for peace of mind. It had some weather cracking at that point but was still going strong. Don't know much about Arctic Cats, Polars tend to have the nicest ride comfort-wise, and good on board storage options. If you want a strong utility with 2-up capabilities look at the Sportsman X2. Has a dumpbox in the rear rated to carry 400 lbs. and can convert to a passenger seat in seconds. Has a storage box under the front rack that holds a ton of stuff. Suzuki, Yamaha, and Can-Am also have 500 class machines that are great. Suzuki tends to be best bang for the buck, Yamaha is an excellent all around machine, Can-Am tends to be fastest per cc. As others have said, see if you can test rides some of the machines to get a feel for which you like best. All the major manufacturers make good machines now. In my experience I have put about 3500 miles on my Sportsman X2. This is in New England where it's mud, water, rocks, snow, and ice. We ride pretty much all year round and it's abusive on the machines over time. Only thing I needed so far other than maintenance, are the rear brake cylinder (mine seized up) and 2 wheel bearings.

 

I am looking at 500 cc machines. Any thoughts on 4 wheel drive versus all wheel drive? Pros/ cons?

 

When it all comes down to it, if it keeps all 4 wheels rotating in the gnarly terrrain it's good. I once came on a Ford Mustang that the lady driving it had got stuck. It was facing nose down on an inclined parking spot and they had no traction to back out. There was a guard rail in front of them. I offered to pull them out. I told them, "One of two things is going to happen. I'm either going to yank you out or dig 4 holes in the ground." Yep, I dug 4 holes in the ground. The AWD systems like Can-Am and Polaris have are pretty easy. Put the switch in AWD and forget about it. Both systems make the fronts spin when it senses that the fronts aren't rotating at the same speed as the rears. Can-Ams system used to be (Pre-2010?) on the slower side compared to Polaris' system but the newer ones have a quicker engagement. The others use an extra button. If you're in 2wd, you switch it to 4wd, and if you want all four wheels pulling, you press an extra button. I didn't mention the Kawasaki Brute Force. It's got a 750 and moves really well. Their 4wd system requires you to pull on a little yellow lever by the left brake handle to fully engage the front tires. I found it a little more difficult to use in off camber situations.

 

arctic cat has a 500 and a 550EFI known for more of a working atv,but also does well on trails as it has IRS for a smoother ride. not the most power out of all of them but its not bad. ive owned 3 of them and havent had any real serious issues.
Can am produces the most power for each engine category on all their models. their atv are more sport/utility with to me a more sport feeling and the 500 is efi. I had a can am outlander 500 and it easily out ran my arctic cat 700,but the 700 was by far a better hunt and work machine. The outlander was fun for fast trail riding.
Honda foreman 500, well known for a solid work machine and reliable as the technology hardly changed since 1982,haha. The honda is the only atv that does not have a diff. lock. all the others have either the locker or true 4wd like can am and polaris have. the foreman is also the only solid rear axle atv which makes it a bit rougher ride. the others have models that have IRS. foreman is the least powerfull(but plenty) of all the makes and models.
kawasaki,well im not sure of a 500 class that they have. Maybe the kawasaki praries? they have the 650 and i think a 360. Kawasaki produces good power but as mentioned the diff. lock is used by a 2"lever which isnt handy if you need full control on off camber situations. I cant speak for the kawasaki as know one has one near me. The body style is not a favorite of mine.
polaris,they are better atv than 10 years ago. they have the 500 and 550 efi. the Belts do last longer. I just bought my 1st polaris product,a rzr and so far so good. polaris is the Cadillac of atvs,very smooth,good power and if you like plastic racks then its a pretty good all around machine.
suzuki is going to be the cheapest most likely but their atvs are built well and also have good power the 500 is a solid engine for suzuki.
yamaha makes the grizzly 550,with EFI and option of power steering the yamaha is a good ALL around atv. Very solid machine with excellant power and transmission that has had very few problems.
I was sitting here bored so i hope some of this helps,but if it doesnt then oh well. like i said I was bored. ha. good luck. Test rides are the best way to figure out what you want and this is only a fraction of info in all these machines. they all offer different options,you just need to know what you want. Also note that you may find a larger engine displacement atv for just a few hundred more if you think you may want a bigger one. this will depend on sales in your area. For instance my dealer had a 500 for $5,500 but also had a 650 for around $6,000. to me id rather have the 650. it had more options other than just being bigger.

 

I was going to ask sport or utility atv, but since you're asking about 4wd/awd, It must be utility atv.

All use belts now except Honda, stuck in the 90s. Belts cost $50-$100, Honda car style transmission, $$$$ ????? never priced a Honda trans rebuild. Use low range when required and belts will last thousands of miles. Personally know of several atvs with 3000-6000 miles on oringinal belts.

Polaris Sportsman XP best all around atv AWD
Can Am Outlander fastest atv cc for cc AWD
Yam/Kaw/Suz/AC middle of the pack 4WD
Honda old school 3wd

main differance between the AWD/4WD systems is:
Polaris AWD locks the front diff, both front wheels, in Automatically when the rear wheels start to spin. True 4WD.
Can Am locks the front diff thru viscos coupling in the front diff when 1 front wheel spins faster than the other. Yes 4WD but front diff is connected with fluid, not gears/clutches/pins.
Yam/Kaw/Suz/AC has a switch for 3wd and then you push another switch to lock the front diff. True 4WD
Honda just 2wd or 3wd no front diff lock.

2WD/3wd is OK 99% of the time but for that big mud hole or rock garden, 4wd makes the differance if you get thru or not.