My husband and I are looking to buy a reliable ATV for recreational riding. We've heard great comments about Honda and Arctic Cat. We would like your input on either vehicle.
Thanks
J.

 

Buy Honda!!!!

 

To shift or not to shift that is the question.

If you ride a snowmobile, you would like the AC 500 Auto better. But... The Rubicon is coming.

The 300 CC Cats are underpowered if you are in that price range.

The Ranchers are nice machines and the Foreman series is very tough.

Assuming you will be riding 2-up at times you will probably want a machine with the larger engine. It is no fun to run out of momentum on a steep hill.
I would suggest the most powerful machine that fits into your budget. :-)

 

Got a Rancher ES 4x4. Not much time on it yet, but love it so far. Most quads these days are built well. If they weren't they wouldn't be able to stay in buisness due to stiff competition.
My advice to you is:
1) Read as many posts in ALL the manufacturer forums. Knowledge is power.
2) Test ride before you buy. Is the quad comfortable to you. I know a 5 minute ride is not the best test, but you may be suprised to find the quad that looks good on paper may not be comfortable to you.
Best of luck. Just my 2 cents.

 

I agree with patrailrider.

Use the posts to your advantage and be sure to test ride the machines before you purchase and go for the machine that is the most comfortable for you.

Since you live in or near a hilly terrain, keep in mind that if you are planning to do some steep terrain or do some fast riding (w/ alot of turning, etc) on the trails, the AC has some body roll due to the semi-independent suspension - that can lead to unstability. But otherwise, AC is a solid bike. It is a little info that I'm kind of wary of b/c I do alot of steep runs near or at the N. Ga mountains.

-E

1993 trx 300 4x4
26" blackwaters f/r
superwinch2000
oxylite boot guards

 

I guess I would give the nod to the Honda if you want something that is bulletproof!Artic Cat is basically a Suzuki with a little more time and effort into them.So far I've heard of no trouble with the Arctic Cats,(Suzuki has a pretty good track record for years)If your going to ride at all agressively I would go with the Honda Rancher,Foreman,and the 2WD Recon is supposed to be a great machine,a little small but fun!!!!The Artic Cats are a little heavier and slower,if that matters at all,but they do offer the automatic,which is easy to drive.The Cat also has the optional 2WD-4WD which is a great feature that Honda will hopefully,someday, come out with.The Honda has the push button shift,which doesn't seem to handy when traveling rough terrain,but the traditional foot shift is always an option.I don't know if you would consider Yamaha or not but it has the best of both worlds,push button 2WD-4WD,automatic,400-600 engine tough enough for two people,and very reliable.The Grizz is the 600,the 2000 Kodiak is a 400w/Auto tranny,the Big Bear is 400 5Speed foot shift.Hope this helps.

 

There are very reliable ATV's currently on the market that do not carry the Honda name. Granted, Honda is the top seller and does make a very reliable machine, however you need not pay a premium for a high-quality ATV.

Based on the posts that I have read here over the course of a year or so, about the only ATV that I would not recommend is Polaris. At one time, Polaris was one of the few (if not the only) ATV manufacturer that would not offer customers an extended warranty for the quads. That in itself serves as evidence as to their expected reliablity.

I own both a '97 Kawasaki and '92 Honda. I paid a lot less for the Kawasaki than I could have for a Honda and have been extremely pleased with the decision. In fact, my only regret is not spending more for a larger model.

With that in mind, I would suggest you only consider an ATV in the 300-400cc range. Unless you plan to make it a habit to pull stumps, a 400cc quad will be sufficient to handle most work loads.

Good luck.

 

Hello I own the AC 500 and the polaris sportsman 500 both are good bikes the honda is a good bike but does not have a lot of features like the two I own. If you are definetly interested in honda or AC go with the AC it does not have a better resale value than honda but by far in my opinion is the better bike w/more features such as water cooling, more power, disc brakes on back, semi independant suspension, can be put into 2 or 4 wheel drive, if you are planning on riding 2 people on one bike definetly get a 400cc or higher bike especially if you are doing steep hills. The AC has a big seat for 2 riders better than the honda and the polaris has the best seat they are for 2 riders plus the plushiest ride. The best thing you can do is go out try out the 2 bikes and see what fits you the best. I must say though the best bike for pulling and riding double is the polaris though and I own both, watch who you take info from in here though do a search on their name and see which ones try to tell the truth or are just bashers who are mad cause their bikes won't hang with the rest in the tough stuff...if you have any particular questions about the AC feel free to email me...hope you enjoy whatever you get...

All my friends want me to go with them just to pull them out...

 

Joemoty, You haven't said that you are wanting a machine to ride double on. If that is not important to you, then please ignore this post; but if that is the case, I think the most comfortable machines are the Polaris Sportsman and the Kawasaki Prairie because they both have very long and well padded seats. Also, being automatic, the passenger doesn't get thrown back and forth from shifting. They also both have very large floorboards, so the passenger has a place to put his or her feet (the Arctic Cat automatic may be a good choice if the new ones have a better seat than the 1997 one I rode. I don't know if the seat is longer than the old one either. The Honda line all have fairly short seats). My wife has short legs and can't reach the floorboards, so I installed "fender protectors" on my Kawasaki Prairie 400 4x4, which are really bars that wrap around the fenders from the rear rack to the floorboards with adjustable footpegs on them. They work very well. (I'm told that the manufacturers don't call them passenger footrests because for legal and safety reasons you aren't supposed to have a passenger.) I honestly don't even know that my wife is back there once we've been riding a short distance and I get used to sitting slightly farther forward than usual. Anyway, my point is that the longer seats are a blessing for riding double. If you put a back-rest on the rack, it is really comfortable for the passenger. I have a storage box on my rear rack with a backrest pad built onto the front of it. If you buy a quad with a short seat, the passenger has to sit on the rack, which really limits what you can carry.
Like the other posts have mentioned, make sure that when you've narrowed down your choices, you test ride the machines, (preferably over the same terrain for a fair comparison), before you buy one. A good dealer will let you try out his machine if you tell him that you are comparing brands and won't buy without trying it first. They may handle very differently than what you would conclude from what you have heard or read. This certainly was the case for me. As far a reliability goes, I can't speak for everyone else, but my Kawasaki has been perfect since I bought it in March 1997. If you haven't already done so, take a look at the other post about buying an ATV.

 

honda honda honda
rancher rancher rancher

450ES 450ES 450ES

all great in all area's and for all things

i have driven the 450ES and i love it!@
but am waiting on there new Rubicon!

adn some friends of mine love their Rancher's!