Hi, I'm new to the forum. I have typically rode a dirtbike and sled for the last 15 years but I am now looking to get into quadding and need some advice on what quad to buy. I'm not new to riding quads, but I just don't know what type of quad is best for what I want to do with it.

The type of riding I will be doing with the quad is mainly trails, occasional mud but no major mud-bogging, and some altitude riding. 100km a day would be a typical length of ride. I would like to get a standard size 4x4 quad, but then add on a 2-up seat as my wife and I would like to ride together.

I'm looking for advice as to what model of quad is best suited for this setup and riding style, as well as what size engine I need for 2 person riding.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

With 2 people I'd go with a 500cc and up. The BEST setup for 2 people is a dedicated 2-up quad. Some states don't let you ride 2-up on a single rider machine. Not sure which ones though. If you look at 2-up machines it limits you to; CanAm Outlander, Arctic Cat, or the Polaris Sportsman Touring or Sporstman X2. The first 3 are very similar. Per CC CanAm usually has the power advantage, Sportsman the most comfortable ride and most on board storage. The Polaris Sportsman X2 is a quad with a dump bed that has a hidden seat that you can pull up for the passenger. I have one and love it. The driver backrest becomes the passenger seat bottom and the passenger backrest comes up out of the bed. Takes about 10 seconds, literally. It's not quite as comfortable a passenger seat as the other three though. All the major brands make good machines these days. Most have a 500-550 all the way up to the Arctic Cat 1000. If you can take them all for a ride and see what you like or dislike. Hondas are super reliable. I wouldn't use one personally here in New England because of deep waterholes and mudholes where the limited slip front end could leave you stuck. And I think all but Kawasaki has models that have power steering.

 

If you are going to 2-up, I would seriously look into the 2-up quads. They are much safer on hills and off cambers since all the rider weight is in front of the rear axle, while on a single wuad the passengers weight will be over or behind the axle. Also the passenger accommodations are much better with a dedicated machine. On the flip side, any chance she would ride her own

 

Quad's are 2wd and there are none that I know of that are a 2 up bike. The only 2 up bikes your going to find are all 4wd ATV's or side by side UTV's.

Make sure you look at the laws of the state your in to see if it is legal to 2 up an ATV. Example here in California its illegal to 2 up on a quad or ATV, people still do it but its a hefty fine if you get caught.

 

If your going to double ride but don,t want a stretched 2 up ATV at least get a Full size ATV, Example: a Suzuki 450 King Quad has a large roomy full size frame,but a 450 Yamaha Grizzly has a smaller mid size frame. On Mine, a full size ATV, the passenger is totally on the back of the seat but on the mid size ATV they have to sit on a portion of the back rack. Not fun.

For ride comfort try to get a ATV with IRS suspension not SRA.
In sled terms

IRS= slide rail comfort. SRA= Boogie wheel comfort.