I never see anything posted about the Quest 650. Are there any new owners out there that would share their experiences with us? How are these quads running? What problems have you encountered? How is Bombardier and the dealerships for service?

It looks like a great little unit, but I don't know much about them.

 

I own a Quest 650XT - it's a great machine and I'm very happy with it. There aren't too many Quest owners here, this forum seems to be more geared to the DS crowd. Some of the other forums are more geared to the utility scene and have much more active Quest/Traxter communities.

The Quest is extremely well built and engineered, it has a super stable and comfortable ride, an awesome front differential with nice light steering and the ability to carry a huge amount of gear and equipment. The Rotax engine is excellent, offering excellent power and top end speed. I have added just about every accessory that is available for the Quest and use mine for mountain trail riding and backcountry camping.

If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to send me a private message or email.

Cheers,

 

Hey CV - I see from your handle that you're also a Calgarian. I've just moved down from the YT. Who is your dealship? Bow Cycle? How have they been to work with?

Are you happy with the XT vs. the regular 650? Was it worth the extra $$ for the goodies? I've heard some bad reliability problems with the Quest, but haven't been able to ask an owner directly. Do you work your bike very hard? How many KM do you have on it?

Obviously I like this quad, but a bit reluctant to buy as I don't see much info on it. Probably not looking in the right places.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.

- Norseman

 

yep, purchased from Bow Cycle and I've been EXTREMELY happy with my dealings with them, both at the time of purchase and on the service end.

What problems have you heard about on the Quest? the only major issue that I have heard of was the transmission sticking in low range problem and Bombardier has/is fixing those under recall. I was at Bow today actually and asked Kevin specifically about that and he indicated that all the units he currently has in stock have already had the recall done to them. Other than that, I haven't heard of any major problems, and in my case my Quest wasn't affected by the tranny recall.

How hard do I work my Quest, that's a relative question. Harder than some, not as hard as others. I don't use it everyday on a farm or to plow snow like alot of Quest/Traxter owners do, but I ride it pretty hard on the trails and load it up really good for camping.

I personally think the XT package is the only way to go, I can't remember what the exact difference in price is between the 650 & 650XT, but when I purchased mine in September, the difference was about the same as the cost of adding a winch to the 650, and with the XT package you get the winch, HD bumpers and chrome rims. I personally don't really like the yellow/gray color scheme of the XT, but the value of the XT package made me overlook the color for the added benefits that come with the XT package.

If you get a Quest, I would suggest you get a couple accessories right away - the fender protectors and the center console bag. The fender protectors really do help protect the plastic (especially on narrow trails) and the center console bag looks great (totally changes the look of the Quest) and is very functional and conventient for storing items that you want close at hand. I've got pictures of all these items on my Quest if you want to see them, just let me know and I'm email them to you.

Feel free to contact me via email if you have any further questions (you can find my email by clicking on my profile).

Cheers,

CV

 

Forgot to say

WELCOME TO CALGARY!!!!

 

Thanks! How's the trail riding around here? I've spent the last 6 yrs in Whitehorse and you'd be hard pressed to find any trials better anywhere. I spend some time up by Water Valley,AB and often see lots of folks hauling their bikes off to the Forestry trunk road.

Any advice on great places to ride?

On the Quest side - I took a Quest 650 and Rubicon out for a test ride in Whitehorse last fall. Seemed like a nice ride. I'm a big guy and found this bike quite comfortable for potiential long distance. How has your tranny been holding up? Any belt issues? I can't quite put my finger on why I like the Quest so much - it is heavier than most and just as expensive. I'm hoping Bombardier will come to the plate with a great cash deal to make the choice easier (given the beating the Quest took in the recent Big Bore shoot outs - I personnaly value owners advice more). The 3yr warranty for $149 looks attractive too.

Thanks again for the info.

 

The trail riding is good - there are three main area's in the Calgary area - McLean Creek, Waiporous (inc. burnt timber, fallen timber, etc.) and Crowsnest/Pincher Creek. I like McLean because I can drive there, unload and be on the trail in 35 minutes. You can pretty much ride anywhere along the forestry Truck road though and I hope to explore some of those area's this summer. By far my favorite place to ride is the TJ Cache, Valemount, McBride region of Central BC - great trails there. You can see some of my riding pictures here: http://members.shaw.ca/canadianviking/

The Quest has been great, though you can't go wrong with the Rubi either (in fact, that was my final choice also - Quest vs. Rubi). I'm a big guy also and I find the Quest to be extremely comfortable. I like to go backcountry camping with the quad and the Quest is ideal for this because it can carry such a huge load. I've usually got 250+ lbs of gear on the Quest plus myself and she handles great.

I have not had any problems with the belt or tranny, but as I mentioned above there has been a recall for a low gear tranny problem. Bombardier has/is fixing any affected units and if you buy one now you won't have any problems. The build quality on these units is amazing - they truely are built like a tank.

I wouldn't wait for Bombardier to lower the price much on the Quest - I think the $149.00 3 year warrenty is about the best deal they are going to give. I wish they had that offer when I purchased mine - it would be nice piece of mind to have knowing you have a 3 year bumper to bumper warrenty. There are some very active Quest/Traxter forums out there, including atv time and high lifter. Those sites seem to be more utility oriented and have many more Quest/Traxter owners. Send me an email if you want the addresses for those two forums.

I actually think the Quest did really well in the March ATV Magazine bog bore shootout - it won a couple catagories and placed better than anyone expected (except us Quest owners) in a couple others. It didn't fare as well in the Dirt Wheels shootout last year, but they seem more oriented to sport quads.

What do you ride now? maybe we can hook up for a ride and you can try my Quest on actual trail conditions.

Cheers,

 

Just read the ATV Mag big-bore shoot-out last night - I stand corrected. Personally I thought the Quest came in second, based on the article text. Interesting HP ratings - Quest came in just below the top-rated Prairie 650!

For me, quality and reliability rank high on the desirability list, so thanks for the owner endorsment. I currently don't own a bike. Used to rent up North, but that was getting old after a few years so last fall started getting serious about shopping. I'm planning on heading over to Bow Cycle and Blackfoot to get the skinny on if Rincon will make its way to Canada this year. If it does, I'll wait for a look otherwise will probably buy this summer.

Thanks for the trail recommendations - looking forward to exploring my own backyard. Also will check out the other forums - this one does seem a bit lame regarding the Quest. I still head to Whitehorse for work every few months and every year we plan trip in to the backwoods. This year is the last few weeks of June - fishing, camping, and (of course) trail riding. I'll see if I can rent a demo Quest from the dealer (honda & bombardier) for a real-world trial. Will let you know when a decision is made, but either way thanks for the great info.

 

Hey guys hows it going. Viking knows me, I bought my XT 650 quest in october and i thought it was a hell of a buy with all the goodies it had. I had the tranny problem of the shifter sticking in low range and it happened to 2 machines the first one was before they knew what was going on with them, prior to that happening to the first one the valve cover gasket blew out, needless to say I worked a deal with the dealer and got a new one for a couple extra bucks. at 80 miles the damn thing jammed in low just like the first one. I was pissed but the dealer and Bombardier worked with me and now the damn thing is just a monster. I move snow with it here at my hobby farm and it moves snow with a 60" blade like a possessed mule. I'm going to run it in the ATV pull next weekend at the local fairgrounds. I may be the only one there with a quest but I expect to see a few sportsman 700's there and am looking forward to kicking some polaris *** in the pulls. I'll let you know if i smoke the damn thing.....hope i dont! Hey Viking send me the addy for the other web sites with utility stuff on them. Later..ColdNCruel

 

Glad to hear that you guys are enjoying your Quest 650. Being a former Traxter 500 owner, I can testified to the quality and reliability of these machines.
Canadian Viking: ATV camping is something I am getting into myself. Are you tenting or are you using an ATV Camping Trailer? I am presently using a homemade trailer (4'x8') that I pull behind my ATV and using this as a home base for my fishing and hunting activities. Great way to get to remote areas!