Given the weight difference I would hope the Yamaha is faster.

 

In 2012 Kymco made some major changes in how business is done here in the US. I can't speak for their scooters other than they are the largest manufacturer of cvt drive vehicles in the world. They have made big changes in their atv and UTV program, they have won the GNCC championship twice and have turned a corner to become the manufacturer with the least issues per vehicle in that atv/utv class. Now before 2012 I can't say....heard some good and some bad but after that year it has been nothing but good and has the other manufacturers worried with their market share. Look at how many utv's have become availiable to compete with them in the past 2 years. If your machines are prior to 2012 then I can sympathize with your findings but after that year there has been extremely little to complain about. I have owned both Yamaha and Kawasaki in the past and they were great machines, owned them for 16 yrs without any issues, and there is where I started looking. The more I looked, the more I found where things had been really cheapened up, build quality had begin to suffer, assembly quality was showing its ugly head. That is when I started researching other brands.
I was really looking at a Polaris until I had an opportunity to see one in the service area of a dealership without the body on it, wow..I was shocked at the poor quality of the welds on the frame and the thin material of the frame. I didn't like cast aluminum hubs either so that sent me looking elsewhere. Anyway do give the newer machines a good look and you can easily see who is cutting corners and who is striving to make a better product...how long this will last is anybodies guess, but for now Kymco appears to be on top.

 

Don't get me wrong, the 2012 Maxxer is a good machine, just not up to the standards of the slightly older Yamaha. I'll take a look at some of the newer models in person if I get the chance but it appears that the Maxxer is the same as it was in 2012. Same 34hp engine and it appears to be the same chassis and suspension.

Also, can you lead to me where I can find # of ATV issues per # produced? I've been doing tons of ATV research for the last 2 years and I have yet to run into any information like that.

 

The yamaha is only 50 pounds lighter but on paper it makes 6 horsepower less. still, it's faster.

 

I can see that a lot of our opinions are based on how we use our machines.
I always thought my Praire 300 was an awesome machine and many felt like it was a dog. My son-in-law had a wolverine and thought it was a dog yet many people like them. My conclusion is it depends on how you use and what you do with your machine. Some are faster in a straight out drag race but thru a trail course would end up last. My 450 UTV feels fast to me and will outrun my neighbors UTV's and a couple quads ..up to 30 mph then they fly past me, but it has an awesome holeshot. I guess my point to be made was the build quality and durability based on the Moab hill climb and GNCC races that Kymco has made a great showing. In the Moab hill race they were the only brand of UTV that made the entire run with NO mechanical issues. Each mfg had numerous machines entered so we can't say it was just one fluke. 10 years ago I would not have given a nickel for a Kymco, but in the past 3-4 years they have made great strides that has other mfgs worried.

 

For entry level utility utvs, the 450i appears to me to be at or near the top of the class. Granted its a small class with basically it, the Honda Pioneer 500, Polaris Ranger ETX and maybe if you want to put the new John Deere Gator 590i in there those it does cost a bit more so maybe not exactly in the same class though it has similar power to the 450i. The entry level Kawasaki Mules are extremely underpowered and are slow work only machines that nobody would want to take trail riding. The 450i easily outperforms the Pioneer 500 and Ranger ETX though for basically the same price. I'm sure the Gator 590i with its larger displacement engine would be a little quicker and faster but it does cost more.

 

How do you know what they outperform? There are no comparison tests with kymcos in any of the ATV/UTV literature, there are no videos of them competing against the competition on YouTube and most people have never even seen one in person. Type in a Kymco model on a YouTube search and youll find MAYBE 3-4 Videos of each model in TOTAL and most of them are Eastern Europeans

The 450 maxxer I have experience with wouldnt lead the 450 atv class in anything! GNCC championships? When? What about these reliability index's that Kymco supposedly leads also? Got a link?

 

As I said, I'm just comparing it to the Polaris Ranger ETX and Honda Pioneer 500, those are the only utility utvs in the same price range. The John Deere Gator 590i and Arctic Cat Prowler 500 are both about $1500 more. There are plenty of threads on other atv websites like this one talking about Kymco. No, I haven't seen them in any shootouts in magazines. I would like to see Dirt Trax Television, a youtube show I like to watch, test one as I do value their opinion. If the Kymco 450i, Polaris Ranger ETX and Honda Pioneer 500 were my 3 choices, I'd pick the Kymco 450i out of those 3. The Polaris and Honda are both much slower, they both barely top 40 mph while the Kymco does 49 mph stock and its much quicker than either of them as well, a nice asset to have. None of them have massive suspension travel but the Honda has less and the Polaris is about equal. The Honda most likely will be more reliable but a rough ride from an underpowered engine will make you want to trade it in before it wears out anyway. The Honda doesn't even have a bed on it, you only get an oversized rear rack. If you want a bed, you have to buy one as an accessory and it costs about $400 or make your own or mount a toolbox. The Kymco will probably at least equal the Polaris in reliabity while being more powerful and fun to drive.

 

I was skeptical of Kymco like anybody else when they first hit the US market but now that they have been out for awhile and have a lot of great reviews, I can't say I really see any faults in them at all. I've never actually had the chance to ride one so my opinion may be useless but I think the company has proved themselves of being a worthy competitor.

With that said, I think you're being a little bit too critical of the pioneer 500 in comparison to its competition Greg. Sure the pioneer is about 4-5 HP down on the others, but it's also about 100lbs lighter and has a more efficient transmission so when all else is considered, they are evenly powered. My 500 barely gets edged out by my neighbors rhino 660 in a 400ft drag. The Suspension could be better, but now that I have about 100hrs on it, it's certainly softened up. I certainly haven't gotten bored of it yet.

Buy what makes you happy and ride it. The bickering about what machine is the best, especially when all are about equal makes me suspect that the trails in some areas must still be closed...

 

Good point. I give the kymco a slight edge but they're all close.