Ok i've been looking at buying a quad for about 2 mounths now. What i have found is that in my area Flagstaff Az, and or Phoenix Az there are NO yamaha big bears used for sale. and there is only 1 honda foreman. so these must be good 4x4 unites.
on to my question.
i found a Rubicon 03 for 4700$. no 2-4 selecter. but honda reliabity.
or a brand new 06 yamaha big bear for 4900$. adjustable shocks. bigger gas tank. i ride at 7000 ft elavation and up. is the 400 cc big bear going to be enough for me. i hunt fish and want to take my wife for rides. and maybe put a snow plow on it. there is pro and cons with both.
Does anyoine have both???
most peopel you ask say Honda best on earth. well no sh*t. but i know yamaha makes a good one too.
it's very rocky trails here and not to much "deep" mud, but we do get snow. yes snow in AZ. last year it snowed almost 3 feet in one snow fall.
so PLEASE help me make up my mind.
thank you

HR

 

400 cc is plenty big enough to do what youre looking for.
The rubi is an automatic...the big bear is a manual shift...what do you preferr?
They both trend towards the utility side of sport/ute...is that what you want? Or would you rather have the soft smooth ride of an irs quad? or something with sportier acceleration and handling?
Do you need ground clearance ...because neither of these has alot. Neither has a locking front diff...if thats important. Sometimes in deep snow(when the differentials start draging), diff lock is all that will get it going and keep it going.

Have you looked into the bomb outlander? They make a two up version, and has a big advantage over the two youre looking at...a 5 year warentee.
Its also an automatic, and has a very good automaticly locking front diff. Im sure your wife would appreciate a 2up quad, with a soft irs suspension, for when shes on back.
If the current owner didnt take care of the quad...honda reliability doesnt mean much. That honda tranny is very expensive to fix or repair...you got to make sure the current owner took care of it.

 

ok so the ruby is at a dealership, i knwo that don't meen much but you never know. what is the matinance like for the honda auto tranny? i'm lookint at around 5-6 grand spending wise. the ONLY reason the yamaha looks good is i can get a plow for 69$ and i have a winch an old frind gave me it's a milemarker 2.5 it should be good enough.
how ogten do i have to servise the honda auto other than just changing engine oil.?

one more question.
would the Rancher 4x4 be ok for what i want.? do thay have anough low end to pull a 500 LB elk out of a canyon.? i think i like the foot shifter thing. and know i don't want a belt tranny.
i'm used to my dads arctic cat 250 2wd.
it's an OK machine but not what i want.

the web sight for where i'm looking at buying is
http://www.desertextreme.com/
please let me know what you think.

thank you again.
HR

 

The big thing on the rubi tranny, is regular oil changes and not running it low. Chances are , its good, and will be for years...but theres a reason it was sold. Asking the dealer why he came to own it...is an exercise in futility, they may tell the truth and they may repeat a story they heard.

The rancher would probably be ok, but itll be marginal. A 500 lbs elk may be a bit much for any quad, that doesnt have a low range. I think the rancher is still full time 4x4, no disconnect which allows for 2x4.

That winch can be installed on any quad...its just the mounts that are different.