Im moving to AR soon (so soon i put AR in my profile) and we have 40 acreas of wooded land with a few small creeks and alot of slight hills,and i want an ATV but know nothing about them,heres what i do know (or at least i think im right) cc's=cubic centimeters,and more cc's=more displacement,and in some/most cases more power,theres 2 strokes and 4 strokes,i know the diff. between the two,but from what i read it looks as if theres a few diff. kinds of 2/4 strokes,i believe you shift with your right foot on most ATV's,is there a Clutch like on a motorcycle?also i think that most have a "thumb throttle",is most of this right,could someone give me a good ATV FAQ's site,im 16 and i will only be able to spend like $700 max. but i could fix it if it had something wrong with it,it doesnt need to be super fast or anything,i just want to play around with it,also what are some things to look for when buying a used one (ya know like kicking the tires on a car b4 you buy)?oh and what kinda starting systems do they use?kick start?elec. start?
Thanks
Bolink

 

You're going to need a bit more than $700. ATV parts don't come cheap, especially on older machines, even if you do the labor yourself. I'm 18 years old, so I'm in the same age bracket as you, and I just took out a loan so that I could buy my Polaris Scrambler. If you have a job -- work a lot, and budget and save your money. My first ATV cost me $1500, but it was and still is reliable, and worth every penny. You shift with your left foot on most machines, even motorcycles. Only sport ATVs are clutch-equipped nowadays. The rest are semi-automatic (you shift with your foot, but no clutch to hold in) or fully automatic (just about all Polaris ATVs, and some of the bigger utility quads from some manufacturers are belt-driven like snowmobiles) with no clutch or gears at all. That's referred to as a Continuously Variable Transmission system. You'll find that there are three general different groups of machines -- Sport, Sport/Utility, and Utility. There will be a group you'll fit into. You'll find the main difference between two strokes and four strokes is that two stroke machines require a bit more maintenance, but they generally supply more torque and throttle response with less weight wasted on displacement. You'll also want to explore the difference between chain and shaft drive. However, with the amount of money you have, you won't be able to be too picky. In fact, I doubt you'll be able to find a machine that even runs for that price. But save some money, see if mom or dad will co-sign with you on a loan, and go shop around! If you have any more questions, private message me and I'll send you my e-mail. GOOD LUCK!

 

The best thing to do is to check with friends and family members. Often someone will have one they hardly use and you can get it fairly cheap. My first was a Yamaha 200 that I paid 500.00 for. I bought a Honda 200 4-trax last year from a family member for 500.00 but just sold it for 950.00. If you ask around and be a bit patient, you can get a good deal.

 

You should be able to find a good old Honda ATC in the price range you are in. Good Luck.

 

Thanks for the info guys,i know about 3 times more than i did b4,about the ATC,i seen a few of those for around $700 that ran,but i like the idea of having 4 wheels,lol

 

Sound like you're just going to be putting around the farm, so I would stick with a 4 stroke machine. 2 strokes dont like putting around at half throttle (I've been there). For less than 700 you might find an old 3 wheeler, the Honda ATC 200x is a good starter bike, reliable and fun to ride. Hondas are pretty bullet proof if they havent been abused. They also made other variations of a 200 cc 3 wheeler, but those had no rear suspension. I would make sure to get one with full suspension.

If you want a 4 wheeler it will probably take $1500 to buy a decent used one.

 

Well I must say that you can't go wrong with a three wheeler if you feel comfortable buying/riding one (some people can't seem to keep them on three wheels, or even two for that matter).
I bought a 1985 250sx ATC a couple of years ago as a project bike and that bike was bullet proof, in fact my buddy has the 1986 model and he will never get rid of it. In most cases he has the most reliable bike out of all of us.
Anyway you should be able to find an older model ATC for less then a grand but I would recommend taking someone with you that has some knowledge of ATC/ATV's so you don't get robbed.
Good luck and ride safe.
GET A HELMET!!