Hello - I'm brand new to the forum and I'm thinking about buying my first ATV. I own a Triumph America, I've been riding motorcycles for 33 years. I'm 6'2, live in the mountains of North Idaho on 40 acres. I want to use the bike to plow snow, haul wood, help me fight noxious weeds, and ride the mountains. So -

I've got it narrowed down to (not in order of preference):
Kawasaki Prairie 700,
John Deere 650 (Bombardier),
Suzuki King Quad 700,
or a
Yamaha Grizzily 660

All of these look like great ATVs. I've ridden the Prairie (compared it with a BF 750 - the dealer was great!), and the the King Quad (wow); before I bought either of the other two I'd need to ride them as well.

My concern is maintence -
how often do I need to take it to the dealer for valve adjustments, etc? Dealers are like an hour away, or more.
How easy is it to change the oil and do the routine owner kinds of things?
How reliable are these machines (I know the King is a brand new model, so I guess only time will tell)?

Any insight you can give me would be really appreciated! Thanks!
Roadie

 

Anything you buy is going to have wrench time. ALthough some more than others. I can't speak for the Suzukis, polaris or cats... but I do own yamahas, and a Honda Rubicon. Of all the machines, the Rubicon has been the most trouble free of all of them. Plus, the tranny is different than all the others with it's hydralic tranny/torque converter like a car, versus the belts/mechanical torque converters on the others. Mine has had zero defects... and I ride hard, and use it hard... plus, I am in the 6'3"-6'4" 300 lb range, so I think we have a lot in common there.

 

any honda.

 

I'm assuming sport quads and utility quads are similar, so changing oil is like every 15 hours for me, and it's quite simple, the first time, almost all of us have or problems, but after that it's simple. And as for changing valves, I took it to the dealer a month after I bought it and that's it after that, I adjust them myself and it was some work to do, that change to be exact was like 8 months after the first one. I have only ridden the Grizzly from all these, and I liked it, never got stuck in the mud!

 

When your dealing with reliablity, if you treat it well, it'll treat you well. Oil needs to be changed about every 20hrs or so and it shouldn't be a problem. And valves are usually checked/adjusted right after break-in then 6-12 months after that.

The Griz has been around for 4 years and the earlier ones (600 not 660) had a few cooling problems. But I havn't been hearing any problems for the 660s.

KQ.... I've heard its great. Dirt Wheels raves about it, but who can really trust DW? Owners need to respond to this...

Prairie is also a great quad. But i don't hang out in the Kawi forum sorry [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

well i personally think that my yt 125 is the most maintence free, it has to suspension bushings to replace or anything fancy like that, no im just kidding i personally would go with a twin peaks 700 but thats just my opinion

 

iI've had 2 Yamaha snowmobiles, 2 Yamaha ATV's and have never had a problem with either.

 

I own Honda's and can't give a maintenance report on the atv's you are looking at, but friends I ride with own Yamaha's and Kawi's and have pretty good luck with them. The key is regular maintenance and avoiding abuse. One friend's Kodiak was bought used and evidently was abused because he has had several issues with it. But after working thru the problems, it is now serving him well. Mud and water can be tough on any machine.

In my regular job, I work with many farmers and businessmen. If you are planning on doing a lot of work with your machine such as spraying, hauling, etc.; I would look at the JD/Bombardier machine that allows you to avoid throwing your legs over the motor every time you get on and off. I have used my ATV to pick up rocks in fields, spray ditches, haul firewood, etc. And at the end of the day I am tired of climing on and off. Many of my clients have switched from ATV's to ATU's such as the mule, gator, or new Kabota offering. The only problem is recreational riding is quite limited with them.

Definitely drive all that you are serious about. Try to put them in work situations similar to what you would use them for. It is amazing at how many times I spray and drive one handed. Wish I bought the machine that allowed switching between 2 - 4 wheel drive. I haven't bought the Warn 424 kit yet.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I just bought a JD 650 Trail Buck. It looked like the best compromise for me since I intend to use it for plowing snow (we've got about 3 feet on the ground), hauling wood, spaying noxious weeds; as well as playing around. I was impressed with the ease of access to the engine; the hydraulic valves (no adjustments); AND the good performance (I rode it and it runs out good).

Since its a new brand - granted, it's a rebadged Bombardier Traxtor - I'll be posting a review as soon as it gets delivered.

Thanks again for all the help!
roadie

 

You should get good performance from your new mount. The Bombardier Traxtor has established a workhorse reputation. It may not be the sportiest looking one out there, but it does what it is made for quite nicely.

Welcome to the club...