I am 46 years old and 270# and have been riding ATVs for years. My son and I have had a Big Red 3 wheeler, an '01 Rancher 350 2x4 and an '06 Foreman 500 ES 4x4 but am looking to buy a new ATV. As you can see, I am a Honda man. However, after reading about many of the other brands and also the lack of excitement towards the 2012 Foreman, I am interested in hearing opinions on the "best" ATV for what I want and need. I mainly only hunt off the ATV and have started trail riding a good bit at a local public trail. I am not a daredevil and I like comfort and durability. I am not opposed to a 2011 Foreman as it is like my 2006 for the most part. I like the price of the Foreman so a Can Am is out of the question. I look forward to hearing from any of you.

 

ditch the honda-
you'll miss out on a lot of features being a brand loyaltist.

for comfort and features- (since can-am is out) go with a polaris sportsman, suzuki king quad or yamaha grizzly with the eps.

if you search the brand forums- you'll find pro's & cons for each one. But all of'em are "better" then a honda in power, comfort & features in my personal opinion.

and welcome to the site

 

Suzuki King Quad best bang for yor Buck (Any motor size) Has what you want in a ATV, True AWD lockers, IRS,Low range,and EFI. and more power. A 500 Forman has 27hp while a 500 KQ has 35hp at least. No rear drum brakes like on a Honda also.

 

rode my buds new 750 axi kq- nice bike- good power, but the polaris xp is about the same price (maybe a little more) and gives a better ride, better steering, twin cylinder (100cc's more) and the awd with adc is super nice...

 

A 750 KQ retail MSRP is less than a XP850 2011 Suzuki KingQuad® 750AXi ATVs

They sell for $1000 less before taxes here.

A Outlander 500 with much less hp cost almost the same as a 750 KQ. 2011 Suzuki KingQuad® 750AXi ATVs

 

Ask the question on which brand is "the best" in an open forum and you are gonna get all kinds of answers. Those kinds of opinions are like elbows - nearly everyone has at least two....

 

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Anyway, that ^ is supposed to say " Honda ",
i recommend Honda relibilty .

Honda all tha way

 

For reliability-
I recommend Yamaha, Can-am, Polaris, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki & AC.

Since in the past 6-7 years every brand is pretty reliable- there are no numbers to support one is more so then any other...

 

EXACTLY!!
I'm going to tell you to get a Yamaha Grizzly 550, because I am a Yamaha guy. I've never had troubles with them, aftermarket parts are easy to find, etc.
That said, I live in the land of Polaris and Arctic Cat and everyone I know owns one or the other and I've ridden just about everything. They all have their ups and downs.
It kind of depends also on a few other things -
Do you do your own maintenance? If not, then don't buy one where the closest dealer is 300 miles away.
Do you need a workhorse or a trail bike? Don't spend the money on a 700 if you only need a 550. (I personally wouldn't own something under 500cc... I've never heard anyone say "Dang, I wish I didn't have the extra horsepower") And don't short yourself on cc's and then spend your life wishing you had more.

I would make sure that any new bike I was buying had - FULL Diff lock, EFI, Power Steering, Independent rear suspension, and front and rear disc brakes.

After that, it's all in the deal you get.

 

Depending on what size you need, if you need a 600 or 700 class get a honda rincon or a kawasaki brute force, 400 or 300 get a kawasaki prarie or a honda rancher, for 250 get a honda recon or a kawasaki bayou... as you can see i am a honda and kawasaki fan