You seem to be a very imformed guy Weygandt, I'm sure you'll pick the machine best suited to your needs & ignore the childish comments from some! Buy the way what is an Egore sounds like a fantasy crimiinal? Haw Ha

 

Suzuki is more reliable than a bomb, Weygant I don't know what your talking about, Suzuki makes the Best 250 class ATV, the BEST 400 class (I know the outlander is slightly better but the Eiger did beat it in a shootout, BTW I think the Eiger has won every shoot out its been in), and the Vinson is the BEST in the 500 class, and the Z400 is the best sportquad in the 400 class, you dont get to be the best when your quads are breaking down, I cant imagine anyone picking the Outlander over the Vinson, Especially when the Eiger (iy-gerr) just beat it in a shootout.

 

I guess what Ram says is true?? After all the mags said so??? Sure would like to know who put the " ATV OF THE YEAR" sticker on the front of my OUTLANDER???? Or I guess it can't be "best in 400 class" when it best in ALL Classes at the same time!! Brand loyalty must be a great thing for manufacturers, how else could they sell an inferior product, poor sus, poor ride, lack of ground clearance, a non operational front diff, etc,etc

 

sxr, I'm not knocking the outlander at all, I started this thread and really liked it when i rode it, both times. That said, I think the atv of the year thing is a joke. I looked at the article in the dealership, they had reprints, of course. There was no substance at all to the article, they basicly just reiterated what Bomb says in their brochure, all the new tech and how it works and why it's good, etc. Sure the new tech is good, but ride the d*mn thing and tell me about it if you're going to call it atv of the year, jeeez. Nowhere in there did it say "when thrown into a corner, the outlander does this... or when hillclimbing it acts this way.

I'm not sure how avid a sledhead you are, but that atv of the year designation is as valid as Snowblower's(I mean snowgoer) sled of the year. They call it before the snow even flies based on what, prototypes they're ridden in controlled conditions? Plain and simple a joke.

All imo, of course.

 

Hey Vinson was voted ATV of the year also, and Im sorry I read magazines and listen to the experts from ATV action, Dirtwheels, etc. But I think they know more than me so I read them, I'm not that loyal I did buy my wife a Honda, but it was for the Electric shift, I bought the Eiger for perfomance, I liked the looks of the prairie 360 better, but then read the mags and went with the Eiger, BTW i love these debates, remember were all ATVers so we have something in common.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

At least we have something to debate about.

Five years ago the 'hot' topic was who had the best "Bold new graphics".

Jaybee

 

I too view the magazine ratings with great skepticism if not cynicism. The fact that Polaris had last year's overall ATV of the Year speaks for itself (Now I p:ssed off the Polaris people too I suppose)
I think that the Suzuki styling is nice, and I like Suzuki as a company, worked with some of their people.
One needs to define what he/she is specifically looking for in an atv.
My riding terrain primarily: Wooded trails and old strip mines in SE Ohio.
What characteristics an atv should have to best handle this terrain.
(1) Low CG yet good ground clearance (conflicting objectives requiring good engineering). Low CG for hill climbing stability, off camber stability, and clearance for rocks, and mud; worst of all, roots buried in bogs in Wayne - got my rear diff stuck so bad on my Rancher last fall I thought I would have to spend the night in the Forest, 1 hour of winching and backstraining later, I was out).
(2) IRS (a rear swing arm can throw you into trees quite easily on a narrow trail). No root grabbing pumpkin either.
(3) Good turning diameter. Oultander is amazing in this department.
(4) Comforatble riding position
(5) Good suspension travel
(6) Good low end and mid range for hill climbing - You should be able to climb at a controlled, lower speed, not have to hit it full speed like a 2 stroke bike just to make it up.
(7) Good amp output from alternator (winching)
(8) Liquid cooled (Rancher is a nice bike, but no more air cooled - thus forget the Eiger too)
(9) Reliable powerplant - Rotax is a well respected, bordering on legendary engine in many industries. Go to a tractor pull and see some of the larger Rotax in action. Bombardier was smart to buy this Austrian firm (cannot say the same about Learjet purchase).
(10) If buying an auto trans - good engine braking (present version of Vinson auto drops out of contention for me on this criteria alone). Also, trans scoop (opening high enough) keeps out water. The Outlander is fully sealed down low and the opening is up behind the central access point (radiator hatch) just in front of the dash instrumentation.

I rode both Outlander and Vinson extensively at rural dealers (live in the burbs) who had test courses - the Bombardier dealer had a small but challenging motocross course setup.
I found that the Outlander was extremely stable in sharp turns on flat and even inverse banked/camber situations. My Rancher would have easily been on two wheels in the same maneuvers. The engine braking is outstanding, and I loved the brakes (no idea what the he!! DW is talking about that their riders feared the brakes being too strong - huh? simply do not yank the handle all the way in at once I guess). The Outlander has a low CG by dropping the tank ala the Prairie but high clearance via its suspension (and the travel is great - I just wish that they had adjustable preload in the front). One knock I have is that Bombardier last year claimed that this Rotax 4Tec would have self-adjusting valves as in the Sea Doos and DS650s(basic hydraulic lifters ala all modern cars), but instead this Rotax does require inspection at 10 and 100 hours, although much easier than on a Honda (pull the tank) - that would have really made it all the more attractive - if you do not do this maintenance yourself, bend over for the dealer rates or let your bike perfrom poorly - especially the Hondas.

The Vinson is more like a sport bike, and would be more fun to ride in the farm fields I ride off season. But my @ss dyno was telling me that I would be feeling it a lot worse on the SE Ohio trails with the Vinson and would not be able to take them at as high a rate of speed.
I like the Suzuki looks, I really like 2.9% financing now available versus 6.9% from Bombardier.
But I am only going by what suits my needs. The Vinson would be better for other purposes. I think that the Vinson would be better for plowing and work, by I have a Rancher for that already outfiited.
People can bash the Rancher and I will not flame at them. I am simply trying to give some feedback on my own search. These forums are a valuable tool and we are fortunate to now have the internet compared to years past. I have gleaned a lot of valuable info from all of the atv forums and hopefully I can provide something of use to others. I was trained as an aerospace engineering (actually stupid enough to spend 9 years of my life getting a Ph.D. in that field) and I have some familiarity with some of the componentry. The Surrounding Spar (SST) is an offshoot of an aerospace approach and I think it really is the foundation upon which so many other clever things could be done with the bike (drop engine and allow for the shaft to pass straight through, hence less power loss through geared turns - probably why this 400cc performs as well as it does at a lower compression ratio than the Suzukis ( higher compression ratio means the engine takes a lot more beating, and the Vinson and I suspect the Eiger as well have very high ratios). The inboard brakes are great, the only possible downside mentioned in another forum being that hard braking in a steep downhill could stall the engine as had happened with Polaris, although the Polaris system is different according to an other poster on that forum - a big dunno for me but I suspect that Bombardier has tested this seriously. I tried to create this scenario on a steep but short hill on the course but could not.
Anyway, I am no Bombardier fan, but that company has some talented people as do the big Japanese firms, and from what I have heard, they really bet the farm on this bike and the effort shows (although now they are shopping the REC division? - Lear will be their downfall). The looks really do nothing for me, I do not like the plastic handlebar fairing , and I am not sold on the racks either, but the mechanicals sure seem promising, both "theoretically" and from my experiences riding it. If you want a good mid sized bike with power and IRS, especially for the terrain mentioned above, this bike should really be considered.

 

Makes sense to me, one thing though the graphics are nicer on the Vinson........[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] lmao..

 

This is all i have to say, Vinson = Better Looks (Sporty), More reliable, Power. I do not like Bombardier they are the ugliest machines on the market, Get the brand that built the First ATV SUZUKI!!!!!!!!

 

Better looks? Ugliest? You sound like a girl? You buy your car by color too?