Hello all.

As the title says, I am looking to purchase my first ATV. I am looking to spend around $3K, maybe up to $4,500 if it's right.

I am looking for a few things:
Around 500cc
4x4 - I would like to have a switch but not needed.
Standard shift. No auto, or any of the other crap.
Independent suspension
Utility racks

It needs to be a beast, as I like to trail ride, (use my friends currently) climb hills, and over logs. All that fun stuff.

I was looking at a Honda Foreman, Yamaha Grizzly, or a Polaris Sportsman. What do you guys think from your experiences? Any others I should look at. Can Am are nice but buko $$$.

 

In the past 10 years there have only been a few manual shift or semi shifting atvs. They were closer to 2003 and older though. Grizzly has always been automatic as well as polaris,kawasaki,and the only ones that come to mind for shifting are the arctic cat 500,the suzuki king quad 500 and honda but it may have only been electric shift. There are some manual shifting hondas and there was a yamaha wolverine 350 that you had to shift but them are long gone now. An automatic atv will outperform any shifting atv these days. They are pretty reliable in todays market. Considering there are all automatics. The only atvs that you can manually shift now are sport atv's

If your going to spend $4500 on a used atv consider looking at a polaris 570 with EFI. There are some dealers (depending where you live) that are selling this atv for around $5000 brand new. The down fall for you is they are automatic. heres a place and prices on the polaris. not sure where your located. http://www.abernathycycles.com/defau...Polaris&vt=ATV

 

Welcome! Pretty much everyone except Honda uses the snowmobile belt style transmission these days. Nothing wrong with that, but you are going to have a hard time finding a foot shifter these days. Out of your choices, only the Foreman is a 5 speed shifter, but it does NOT have independent rear suspension. If you can live with an auto, both the Grizz and Sportsman are great trail machines.

 

Find a Vinson or Eiger, both came with a 5 speed. But both have a solid axle.

 

i made the jump from manual to auto and honestly i love it. as long as it has high and low you'd never really know the difference except that you're not having to manually shift all the time

i think pretty much all manuals are also full time 4wd and as others have said there are very few left on the market. i believe the foreman 500 still has it and possibly the smaller Yamahas and i doubt many if any manuals on the market have IRS

this is strictly speaking utility quads, there's plenty of manual sport quads out there but most don't have racks or 4wd

 

Bought a Yamy big bear in '90. I too thought, never gonna be an auto in this stable. I now have 3 Polaris all auto, wouln't be without it. Think an auto can't pull as much as a shifter; think again. Not solely a Polaris fan but they've performed for us so amazingly, have to say I must be somewhat loyal to them. All bought used, just coincidental that they're all Polaris.

 

I would definitely recommend a suzuki vinson 500 it is great at both trail riding and especially gettin you through hell and back.its performance in both 2wd and 4wd is outstanding it feels like it has power-steering.it is liquid cooled and has hi and lo gear.you can find an 06 for about $3,300.you will definitely enjoy this quad i will buy nothing but a suzuki. good luck!