Kind of hard for a 850 popo or a 660 to keep up with the smaller quads on our trails. Real tight woods that us smaller guys rip threw the tree lined turns and rocks and the larger quads have to slow down to not hit anything. Has nothing to do with rider skill has everything to do with size of quad. One of the guys wont run his 700 grizz on these trails cause of it so he runs his old blaster instead. Like I said the popo will blow everyone away anywhere but in the woods. Some of the trails here are barely wide enough for my 450 with the offset wheels even so my wheels are beat to crap from them already.

 

On the trails we ride a 350 grizzly will keep up to a 850XP. At 25 mph you going to hit something and get hurt. A 660 Grizzy does 65mph easy,if you can beat that your on a road not a trail,might as well be in your truck.

As for snow and Ice, the slowest entry sled made will blow that fastest ATV made away. Thats why I park the ATV all winter long.

 

The original question was about the best utility quad for fast trail riding, wasn't it? I would have to say it is one of these two ...


I've owned most of the better fast utility ATVs; Scrambler 500, Sportsman 500 HO, Sportsman 850, Wolverine 350, Grizzly 660 and 700, Rincon 650, Prairie 650 and 700, V-Force (KFX) 700, Arctic Cat Thunder Cat 1000. None of them work as well as either of the Can Am ATVs in the picture. The Rincon has one major item lacking -- power. The Grizzly also lacks the same major item -- power. The Arctic Cat is perhaps the worst handling big bore ATV you can buy, and has mediocre suspension at best, but does have good power.

The Renegade is really more of a sport 4x4 than a utility ATV. So that means the 2011 Outlander 800 X xc wins. It feels almost exaclty like a Renegade when you ride it. It has all of the good features of the Renegade 800, like separate front and rear braking, front sway bar, fully adjustable KYB suspension, Renegade trailing arms, etc. And it has all of the good utility features of the Outlander, like racks, storage space, good mud protection, a better digital dash, and even a better front bumper.

 

On one supertight section up here I would take my Prairie 300 over my XP.. everyone is in low doing 5 mph or less. Just so tight and overgrown, it's all you can do, and the XP is just too big for it. So I do see your point there.

 

First of all, I totally agree with the sleds vs quads thing..

Second, the trail system we ride in WNY, for about half of it a Recon 250 could keep up with a Raptor 700 or an 850XP, heck we have a guy with an old Honda Big Red that keeps up in that section, untill we hit the mud. The other half is basically two lane wide abandoned rail beds, so it's a nice mix of technical and fast. But to do the whole loop start to finish (not going around the muddy trenches and not waiting for everyone to catch up here and there), there's only two quads catching an 850. Can Am makes one, and AC makes the other. Oh, and the guy on the Thundercat is going to need a back brace after... jeez those things ride rough.

I'm not saying it's always a competative ride... that run is once a year. Since I got my 850, I've finished first or second (to another 850) The guy on the Outty 650 came in third last year, and the guy on the 660 finished behind a SP 500HO and a Prairie 360. Yup, a 360. BUT-we usually ride in a pack, and we go as fast as the slowest guy with us can go comfortably. Not leisurely, but not wide open either. We all have fun, and we pull each other out of holes, and we tease each other. It's a good time.

 

id say a bf 750 with radials and elka's would be perfect

 

Elka's now your talking. I have a set of stage 2 on the 450 and the first thing I noticed was I was able to run the 450 just a little faster through certain trails I was unable to before. Here's a link to a review I did on them. Elka Stage 2 Review

 

Alot of this discussion revolves around what a "trail" is. If you can do 50mph it's a road - not a trail. In north/central PA we ride a trail network and, other than the ROADS, my son on his 2wd 250cc Recon keeps up and when the going gets going my 700 Grizzly smokes the gang on their 800 Polaris machines.

For most trails that I am familiar with, horsepower is a factor and a relatively minor one compared to rider skill/ability, weight, handling, tires and such. If I were riding on dirst roads the Rincon would be fine but it leaves a lot to be desired in the technnical sections.

 

Get a Brute Force 650 SRA and put some real tires on it.

 

SRA over an IRS for the trail...

better grab a heat pack for your back and a bottle of motrin-

SRA will throw the bike all over the place with evey bump- unlike an IRS which allows each side to adjust accordingly over obsticals- SRA's are great for flat tracks, motocross and sand- not for trails.