Hey guys I'm gonna start out with a little background info then into details

My name is JT and i'm new the the forums and fairly new to ATV's. I don't know a whole lot about ATV's but I've been doing a bit of research so please bare with me.

I'm planning to move to the "City Above the Clouds" Woodland Park, Colorado area (probably havn't heard of it it's a small mountain towns about 45 minutes or so west of Colorado Springs) in the near future and need some help on deciding on the best ATV fit for my needs in the Rockies.

I'm looking for a Sport-Utility ATV that I can have some fun on the trails in the summer that can also help me with plowing my driveway and maybe plowing others for a bit of extra cash on the side. I'd say that the most snow i'd be plowing would be probably around the 5in range however i'm not entirely sure as of now. Not required, however i'd rather prefer it to be a 2-up so i can ride with a friend from time to time but not always be in the way taking up space. Also if you know of any good and simple on/off with electric adjusting plow attachments for the front that would be quite helpful

I'd say i have a kinda tight budget hoping not to exceed $10,000 if not necessary. With help from a bit of research I think either a Polaris Sportsman 570 EPS 2-up version and a Yamaha Grizzly 450 Auto if there is a 2-up version. not sure if those are the best or if there are any others.

Thanks in advance!!
JT

 

The only 2-ups that I'm aware of are Polaris, Can-Am, and Arctic Cat. I haven't heard much about AC, good or bad.

 

Other than side by sides like the Polaris RZR, Yamaha Viking, or Honda Pioneer there are no Japanese brands that offer a true 2-up machine. Only Polaris, Can-Am, and Arctic Cat offer them. Polaris has the Touring model and the Sportsman X2, along with the RZR that will fit on 50" or less trails. Can-Am has the Outlander Max. And Arctic Cat has both a 2 seat quad, and now a 50" capable side by side. I don't know much about Arctic Cats.

Polaris tends to have the most comfortable ride and good on-board storage options like the under front rack area that can hold quite a bit of gear. The Touring is more comfortable for a passenger with a nice removable seat. The new 570 is a lot more powerful than the older 500 or 550. The Sportsman X2 is probably the most versatile quad out there (I used to have a X2 500 but needed more power). They now have a pretty potent 550 cc engine. It has a dumpbox that can carry a true 400 lbs. In the dumpbox is a fold up seat that pops up and you can be ready to carry a passenger in 10 seconds.

The Outlander Max is more sport oriented than the Polaris models. Typically, Can-Am has the highest horsepower per cc. One reason I picked the Outlander Max over the Polaris Touring is if you have the passenger seat installed you have room on the racks to tie stuff down or add a cargo box. The Polaris Touring has some room but not nearly as much as the Outlander Max.

Any of these quads can be outfitted with a plow. Not sure on the power turning option as to whether or not you can get it with the plow.

 

One more thing. All major quad makers have full 4wd available on their quads. Honda only has one model where you can fully lock the front end.

 

Hey MooseHenden, thanks for the great info! Just a few questions, what did you mean by a full 2-up compared to the others? by not a full 2-up do you mean it's removable? if so then that would be ideal. For the Honda's I don't think i'm very interested in their ATV's any other vehicle from Honda would be great but i've heard in terms of atv's they are big time lacking. Also are any of those mentioned easy to learn/use or sorta beginner friendly?

 

Oh and also which brands do you think would be the most reliable? and polaris, i was watching a review on youtube and heard that several of their atv's except for some of their newer ones have an electric start? anyone know about that?

 

Some two person machines have you ride side by side like the Polaris RZR. 2014 Polaris RZR 570 Side by Side For Trails : Features

Two person machines are quads with a longer wheelbase that are made for a driver and a passenger. Single rider machines aren't designed to have two people on them safely. Typically, on a 2 person quad the driver and passenger sit above or in front of the rear axle. On a 1 person machine, if you have a passenger, they're sitting on the rear rack and behind the rear axle. This can effect the weighting of the machine and lighten the front end drastically. All the two person machines have a passenger seat that can be removed and put back on as needed. The Sportsman X2 passenger seat unfolds from under the dump box. (Instead of a rack the X2 has a dump box like a dump truck)

All of the two person machines have a longer wheelbase and are more stable going up and down hills than a one person machine. A 500 class machine will do everything you need it to do except for racing with quads with bigger engines. The modern sport/utility machines have a high and low range (except for Honda) that can be used for anything from towing, toting, mud, snow, sand, and cruising in high.

 

All of the two person machines have electric start. I don't know of a single Polaris machine that doesn't have electric starting including all the way down to their kid's quads. Whoever said Polaris machines don't have electric start doesn't know what they're talking about. Unless they are very old machines. The one thing Polaris doesn't have anymore that I know of is a pull start backup. If you replace the battery every 5-6 years like you have to with most machines I don't think you'd ever have a problem.

Polaris and Can-Am have been pretty reliable with the guys I've ridden with. I've gone on rides with dozens of different guys in the New England area and the majority of the 100 or so different machines in New Hampshire and Maine, where I ride, are Polaris and Can-Am. I had a problem with overheating for a short time with the X2. Just needed to pull the radiator off and give it a good cleaning. This was after 5 years of going through headlight deep mud and water holes that left a clay residue in the parts of the radiator I couldn't get at with a hose. It's not a problem on more modern Polaris. The Polaris I owned for 6 years got thrashed and still never left me stranded. I had one problem where I went off a 3' drop where I didn't have enough speed up to jump the drop off or wasn't going slow enough to crawl down it. I slammed onto a large granite rock going about 25 miles right under the transmission/rear axle. It developed a loud noise. I hit so hard I rattled my teeth and almost got thrown off the quad. I had to replace a part in the transmission and it ended up to be just as cheap to buy a used transmission on eBay and have them replace the whole unit. Still, considering how hard I hit the rock, it was under $1000 damage. Other than that I never really had anything go wrong other than needing a new battery around the time I decided to get a more powerful quad for long uphill trails where you can open it up. I ride in winter too, so power is a must on open groomed trails where they allow ATV's.

 

Oh, and the new quads are very easy to ride if you use a little common sense. Sport/utility quads are not 300-400 lb. quads that are easily thrown around. A little more care is required than smaller, lighter quads. I always recommend taking an ATV safety class to learn some of the basics. You can usually find one nearby by asking about the classes at your local dealer. Some makers even give coupons out for accessories if you go to a safety class. Polaris and Can-Ams that are 2 person machines have automatic transmissions that are belt driven like a snowmobile. Just shift to the right gear and go. Braking on both makers' 2-up machines is a single lever that works very well. They also have good engine braking with the nod going to Can-Am. Just let the gas off and the engine helps slow the machine.

 

Wow so much info and a lot of help!! Thanks!! Which would you prefer in terms of cost and features between the can-ams and Polaris 2 person atv,s?