so the boss and I have decided that an ATV would be fun to have.

Requirements:
- trail machine for Rockies, 8,000' and up
- purely recreational
- plenty of room for 2 - either side by side or a 2-up machine
- 50" wide MAX for ATV trails
- I am an experienced dirt biker, 0 experience on ATV
- 56 years old

Choices
1) Arctic Cats 2-ups
2) Can Am 2-ups
3) Polaris RZR - but I'm worried about quality (was advised by knowledgeable friend to stay away from this brand) and ride quality (I'm not racing the thing). However I like the idea of a roof. We get frequent, sudden and VERY cold rains here in CO.
4) Polaris Sportsman 2-up

If you have any wisdom or experience to share, please pass it on.

Thanks.

 

ignore

 

I don't know much about Arctic Cats.
Can-Am Outlander Max is fastest 4x4 per cc. I would recommend a minimum of 650 ccs for the Rockies just judging by how my GMC felt when we crossed them in 2005. My 8 cylinder felt like a 6 cylinder. Max has a comfortable ride for both the driver and passenger and has good rack room in the rear even with the passenger seat installed. The 650 is a good engine with really good power. On par with others 700s-800s. If you get a Max get the XT package. Well worth the extra money. Pre-2012 Can-Ams had kind of a weak frame in my mind. The 2013 Max has a new frame that is more like the traditional quad frames. Haven't heard of anyone twisting them or damaging them yet.

Polaris has the Sportsman X2 550 and the Sportsman Touring in 550 and 850 cc models. The X2 is more of a strong work vehicle with the ability to have a rider. It has a dumpbox with a passenger seat stored under it. You can transform it from dumpbox to passenger seat or back in 10 seconds. Strongest rated quad for chores as far as toting and towing go. The Touring model provides a more comfortable seat with a softer spring set in the rear. Polaris are also the most comfortable riding quads out there. Most people I know that have Polaris have had very good experiences with them. I had an older X2 500 that I beat pretty hard for 3600 miles and had very few minor issues. I had one big thing but it was caused by me falling 3 ft. down on a granite rock while doing about 20 mph. I knocked something loose in the rear axle/transmission. That hit was hard enough that any quad would have been damaged. I was still able to drive it to the truck.

 

Forgot about the RZR. Comes with a 570 or 800 cc engine in the 50" trail size models. I've seen more and more of them on the trails and they are pretty amazing in the rocks. People who don't beat on them haven't had much if any trouble that I know of. Here's a video of one of the guys I ride with. He's not as nice to them but it shows him scaling a near vertical rock that was about 6' high. We could not do it with our quads. Even the 2-up quads couldn't make it. This is a RZR 800.
Oddly enough the 570 has almost as much power as the older 800. It just doesn't have as much top end as the 800.

 

I don't know anyone with a 2-up quad but everything I read says the Sportsman Touring is the most comfortable riding with great suspension and good seats too. The RZR is only 2" wider than my quad so it would fit down most of the trails I ride, but I'm out there to ride not drive.

None of my friends has an Arctic Cat so I don't know how good they are. I've heard good and bad. Mostly bad. I wouldn't get an old Can-Am because some people have bent frames on them. The new ones are supposed to be better and they have more power than any other brand.

I've been riding Polaris quads since '97 and only had one serious problem. One of the grease zerks was plugged so the a-arm never had any grease in it. Between that and jumping the quad earlier in the day the end of one a-arm broke. That was the end of the ride that day.

I haven't had any non crash related problems for several years after that. If you hit stumps hard enough it will bend or break a tie-rod. My friend on a Grizzly hit a stump and bent a tie-rod once and broke his frame another time so it's not a Polaris problem.

 

I dont know anyone with a 2 up but ive heard all have been pretty reiable. I have a 50" rzr with only 600 miles on it and yes ive heard of others to stay away from polaris also. The rzr has been very good and reliable. If you would like some solid feedback specifically on the RZR (any model) go to Polaris RZR Forum - RZR Forums.net and scroll down to the forums you would like to know more about. There is general,rzr800,rzr900 ect.. to choose from. You can see any type of issues guys have had. the 800 seems to have been a pretty solid machine. The 570 had some issues in the beginning with motors blowing due to lack of oil and/or running too lean they have said.