well i know of a place in Tennessee called Abernathy's Cycle in Union City, Tennessee offers new and used Honda, Polaris, Victory, and Yamaha motorcycle, sportbike, dirtbike, atv, muv and Ranger® parts, accessories & maintenance. that have probably the best deals youll ever find. you will have to determine if its worth the drive or not though. They sell polaris 500(carb) for $4999.00. ill bet you will never see it trhat low for a brand new 2013 model. they also sell yamaha and honda. they use to sell suzuki but not anymore. go to the site i gave you and go under "show room" and choose your maker then go from there. prices are listed as well.

im not trying to sell you on the cat but ill tell why I like it incase you wanted to know. I had a 500 prior and racked up 5,500 miles on it with no major failures that werent my fault. the guy i sol it too said it has 7,500 miles now. I dont think 7,500 miles is really all that much either. I broke 2 axles but i was rock crawling with 28" tires. I chose the cat for several reasons. Large gas tank,big racks with option to haul more with the speed rack system,2"trailer receiver so you can use the one in your truck if you have to, Great ground clearnce,2wd/4wd/with diff lock, transmission is one of the best. i never heard of one failing. Cat uses a wet clutch. This will keep the belt form smoking in deep mud,or any strain. The wet clutch is soaked in oil and is like a drum brake when the engine revs the clutch shoes shoot outward gripping the plate and holding it to alow the bike to move. If there is too mush strain it will just slip keeping the belt safe from heat and wear.The bad part is,IF you put to much stress too many times you will wear the clutch shoes out. (takes quite a bit and you will know if your tires arent moving when applying throttle)If your mechanically inclined it takes about 1.5-2 hr to repair. you must also use wet clutch safe oil. i ruined mine by using other oil. I know of guys with 10,000 plus miles on thiers and they are still factory belts and clutches. Catys arent the most powerful but not the least and using mine for bear,elk,and deer hunting in Wyoming my cat has never left me stuck or worried. Im not bias on any brand as mentioned i own can am and polaris as well but i usually choose the cat for my hard work and trail ride. If the kids go then i take the rzr or if the wife doesnt wanna ride hers. These days they are all pretty good

 

So it seems that the best choices for me are going to be: Sportsman 500 or 550, Arctic Cat 425i, Honda Rancher ES and possibly the Yamaha Grizzly 450 or Yamaha Big Bear 400. I found a decent deal on a big bear but i guess they will be discontinued. The price change from the Polaris 500/550 seems a bit much and dont know enough about it to know if it is worth it. I want to stick to something that is fuel injected if possible. Pros/Cons? anyone with personal experience?

 

I like fuel injection. When I had a carb atv I always had to adjust the idle depending on what time of year it was just to keep it running. With efi there's no choke, and it adjusts itself for altitude changes if that's important to you. The down side is that it needs a decent battery to keep the atv running and it's harder to fix on your own if something ever does go wrong.

 

That is why I like a quad with a carb. Very easy to fix and maintain.

 

the polaris 550 is more for a few reasons. Its slightly bigger engine size with a little more power, its EFI(electronic fuel injection),and may possibly have PS(power steering) some have it some dont i think. It may have other options like heated hand grips or something else too but you would just have to ask,but i doubt it.

 

About the carb thing. All my ATVs had carbs and I never touch them or even cleaned one. Hit the choke on cold day morning, let it warm up and of you go for the day.
In the summer you "may" use the choke once in the morning and never touch it again that day.
Out of the options like Diff lock,Low range,IRS and Power steering,, EFI is the one you will be hard pressed to actually feel in real world riding..

Power steering is a very exspensive option, it makes Grizzly 550s and 500 KQs cost the same "or more" then a 700 Grizzly and 750 KQ without power steering.
Easy steering or easier steering vs good power vs brute power. Is that a hard choice? http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth...2=307757&go=Go


The 550 XP is pricey and more so with Power Steering. A bare bone XP 550 M.S.R.P. is more then a 800 Sportsman. 2013 Polaris Sportsman® 550 ATVs and the 800 even has EFI.

The 800 Twin cylinder is a power house over the 550 single cylinder for less money, something odd there.

Both have IRS,low range ,true AWD and EFI but there motors are not even remotely comparable.

 

What about these used quads?
2004 CAN AM OUTLANDER MX XT
2006 HONDA RECON 250 ES

They are used from an atv rental place. thoughts?

 

all i know is the 400 is a single cylinder 32 hp motor. I think all outlanders are 4wd. thats all i know. The recon is a single cylinder as well,its not 4wd and honda builds it so its probably pretty solid. The recon did have electronic shift also depending if its a recon ES (electric shift)

 

The Recon is very small, it considered a "Small Chassis" its physically smaller then a "Mid sized" Rancher which in turn is smaller then a "Full sizes "chassis like a Foreman or Rincon.
You may want to sit one one to see if its roomy enough for a adult. The ATV comes stock with tiny 22" Tires to give you a idea of its size.

The Outlanders are all "full size" chassis, The smallest 400 outlander has the same dimensions and chassis as the 800 big bore outlander. http://images.powersportsnetwork.com...frontwheel.gif

 

my wife is 5'3", 125 and never been on atv before. was thinking the recon for her if she liked it...or do you think i should go with a larger frame?