the only recent suzuki's with SRA are the vinson 500 and KQ400. the KQ450 is IRS. having owned both the 500 and 400 with SRA i find them very capable on the trail. i might not get there as comfortaby as an IRS bike, but i"ll be right behind them! the advantages of SRA, you can work the snot out of them trailering and pulling, less parts to break, and on the trail you can slide the back end around with ease. as far as buying a used atv,SRA bikes are usually less expensive. IMHO don't rule out SRA bikes.

 

I kinda view them as being basically equal but I give the nod to the Grizzly for being a Yamaha. Personal preference I guess. I don't think the older KQ 700 models had power steering, Grizzly 700 had it as an option from day one. Its a great feature on the Grizzly, even if you don't think you need it. Its so smooth that you don't notice its there until you ride a quad that doesn't have it. That alone gives the Grizzly a slight nod. The KQ 750 always had it but they're harder to find used. You will most likely find many more used Grizzly 700's than KQ anything used though, at least in my area. Suzukis don't sell very well around here, just aren't many Suzuki dealers nearby. The Brute Force is another good option as well. The v-twin engine is very responsive. The lever to mechanically control the diff-lock is a bit weird but it seems to work well. You have to hold the lever with your left fingers like a brake lever to keep diff-lock engaged. The Rubicon wasn't efi until 2013 I think so most used Honda Rubicons will have a carb. Same for Honda Foreman 500's as well. The Rincon was the only one that has had efi for a long time and I wouldn't recommend it, the 3 speed auto-style auto transmission doesn't do anything well.

 

I thought the sportsman 450 was at some point a 375cc? I was looking at the new 450 HO because I saw it was the existing prostar 570 just de-tuned a bit.I'm still curious about their AWD system too. I think for my use it would work very well.

From my point of view, there are a lot more Polaris ATV's for sale than Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda or Kawasaki. Does this mean that people aren't satisfied and want something different? Maybe yes, maybe no, but it begs the question.

Most everything I have read on the Griz and KQ has mentioned them as being very close to equal. I have also heard that the Suzuki dealerships are lacking though.

When did they stop production of the Vinson? I only see models through 2005.

I haven't completely forgotten about the Rubicon just yet either. If a good deal pops up it could happen. Again, for my use I think it would work very well.

Thanks again everyone!

 

From what I've read Polaris built all the ProStar engines themselves. They haven't been around as long as the Fuji engines but should have any bugs worked out by now.

This demonstration of the Polaris 4x4 system shows how when the rear wheels slip a tiny bit the front end locks in.

 

I loved the Polaris machines we had for that AWD system. Instantaneous. I like the Can-Am QE system but not so much the non-QE (Quick Engagement) system. My son's 2009 takes a bit more time to fully engage than the newer system.

 

I just looked up the Vinson, it was produced from 2003 to 2007. The Polaris 4x4 system basically senses wheelspin and then engages the front differential. The only thing I don't like about it is that is will disengage when it feels like it is not needed. I don't like the machine deciding when it wants to be in 4x4, I would rather choose for myself. The other systems like on Yamaha and Suzuki when you push the button, it is in 4x4 until you disengage it yourself. You do need to push another button to engage front diff-lock and it does make it noticably harder to steer but it is really only needed in extreme situations.

 

My rubicon is an 08

It's snows from October to April here and I can honestly say that the rubicon will get thru about a equal amount of deep snow as any of my own or my riding buddies IRS equipped atvs. I do run larger 27in ITP XTRs in the winter time but everyone usually has a equvlent tire so I've been able to make some pretty even comparisons.

as far as the ruby's reliabilty goes, I haven't had to replace adjust or fix a single thing other than changing the fluids, oil filter and battery (after 7 years). It starts up very quickly in the dead of winter and does everything I ask of it. My battery finally went last winter to the point where it wouldn't even light up the display and I was still able to pull start it cold in 15 degree weather. Im not sure too many other 500+cc ATVs could of pulled that off, even if they had a backup starter.

This picture was probably the deepest I was able to successful take the rubicon without getting stuck. It was still pulling very slowly while the picture was taken but I was really beating the **** out of it that day. [IMG][/IMG]

 

I think the Polaris AWD system is pretty cool in how it works. I'd be worried though that it's a more complex system and more prone to having issues.

I do see a lot more issues with the Sportsmans too. A quick search revealed a link to the consumer affairs website and the results weren't good. I'm not getting that warm and fuzzy feeling...

Greg74, I'll probably not include the Vinson in the mix just because the newest one I could buy is already 8 years old. I'm hoping to find something closer to the 5-6 year old range, again condition dependent.

I also agree with you on the diff lock and choosing when it is engaged vs having it be automatic.

HondaR24, Nice Rubicon! What part of the country do you live in? Our snow season is a little shorter than yours, but still pretty long. So how does your 4wd perform then in the deeper snow? Do all 4 wheels spin?

 

The Vinson never had efi either, I know you said that's one thing you really wanted. The Rubicon is a fine machine but all the ones I've seen used cost just as much as my Grizzly 660 and I wouldn't trade my Grizzly for a Rubicon. Grizzly has quite a bit more power. Though trying to pull start my Grizzly if the battery is dead would probably dislocate my shoulder lol. The Rubicon does have the advantage of no cvt so the difference is power won't feel as great as the numbers might indicate. And obviously no belt to ever wear out. But if something does go wrong with the transmission, its very expensive to fix. From what I've seen, they last a long time though, 15,000 miles is common. It is a Honda after all. I think the newer efi Sportsman 500 models do have a bit better reliability than the older models, look at how many own them on this forum. If you really want efi, an efi Sportsman 500 might be the most affordable option, especially if you want a quad with lower miles. They built them until 2013, 2014 was the first year of the 570.

 

The winter before last I pull started my Sportsman 500 all winter and I have arthritis in both shoulders. It has an automatic decompression cam so it's not as hard to pull as you might think. It's still not fun but as long as you hang on tight it's not that big of a deal.

And I love the 4x4 system. I never even feel it go in or out of 4WD and when it's in 4x4 equal power always goes to each front wheel. Plus you can put it in 4x4 at any speed as long as the back wheels aren't spinning. If I see a mud hole ahead I can slide the button over to 4WD and go right through it. I could leave it in 4x4 all the time but I usually put it right back in 2WD so I can slide the rear end around. Yes, you can do that with a big, heavy IRS quad but not like a sport quad that weighs half as much.

The only problem I've had so far has been with the ADC (Active Decent Control) that broke twice. I've never needed it anyway but it's enough to make me think about getting a Grizzly for my next quad. Meanwhile my friend with a Grizzly 660 bought a Sportsman 1000 so if i switch to Yamaha everything balances out.