My wife and I are getting ready to buy two atvs. We want a sport atv that can do wheelies, donuts, and small jumps, but also want a utility type to throw on some gear for extended day trips. Primarily sport/trail riding. Also prefer an auto or semi auto and to spend under$4500 each. Is there a hybrid out there?

We are considering two of the Honda trx 250's an adding a back rack. They have gotten awesome rider reviews as a sport quad. Any suggestions on this or other models?

Appeciate any help!

Thanks!

 

you're going to get a bunch of negatives from the people that are riding the bigger machines. if you are looking to ride real fast, go through deep, deep mud, climb extra steep hills, or climb steep hills real fast...this isn't the machine for you. if you ride with a 400 and up on any given straight you will hit 5th and won't even be close to catching up with them. if you ride with people that hit deep mud and hills and don't want to wait....this isn't the machine for you....

BUT if you are 1)a new rider or 2)some one who doesn't need to go real fast or tackle every hill without stopping or hit deep deep mud without stopping then this machine will work well for you. i have a 2002 250ex. i absolutely love this machine. i've driven the bigger ones i don't really like them because they are real heavy. this machine is pretty light. taking turns and in some mud your backend will slide, in 1st and 2nd you will easily pop wheelies, you can donut very easy as well. i went to an atv park in texas today, my riding partner had a polaris 400 4x4. everywhere he went i went, every hill he climbed i climbed as well, every jump he took i took it. there wasn't a place he went that i couldn't, didn't, or wouldn't go. these machines are very good machines.

now understand there is a very good chance that you will get tired of this machine in 6months to a year. as your get better you may want to keep up with the 400+ crowd. personally this machine does exactly what i want it to do. i actually have more fun having to work to get through mud and climb hills where as the 400+crowd takes it without stopping(there's no challenge in that). also i will add a back rack because i will take mine hunting as well.

all in all you can't go wrong with this bike...

 

Thanks for your detailed response. Your info helps confirm my initial thoughts. I was also looking at the Honda Rancher 350 and Polaris 330, but like you said they felt bulky/ heavy and I couldnt imagine even baby jumps. Although, Im sure they make for a more comfortable distance ride.

Would you agree if we ride 85-90% flat mountain trails (10-15% steep hills and mud) and dont need to go over 50mph that the 200ex will suit our needs fine?

Also, as a kid, my old atc 3- wheeler went everywhere in 2wd. Is 4wd important or used alot with those that have it?

Again, thanks for your help.

 

honestly the rancher or the polaris could take the jumps. most utilities aren't made for jumping so if your wanting to jump but want a bigger engine go with the 300ex. for the type of riding that you are doing you very well could away with just dealing with the 250ex, it really handles well in tight turns and such. i think keeping your 4 wheel drive on or not is really a personal decision. the guy i was riding with only put his on one time the entire time we were at the park, ironically i made it through the part where he used his 4weel drive.

i think you would be fine with the 250...again understand if you have an inkeling that you are going to want more speed and power i would suggest going with the 400. going 45-50mph is plenty fast for me so i don't need the extra muscle that the 400+ has. glad i was able to shed some light on your situation...

 

It is important to know what part of Calif. you are riding in???? Desert is way different from mountains, which is way different from Northern woods, etc.

The little EX is a sweet little machine! It is solid, reliable, and trouble free. It is based on the Recon utility (shaft drive and relatively high ground clearance), and it will do absolutely anything the Recon will do, but better because it is a hefty 50 pounds lighter. We have an 01 (the first one my dealer got in!) and a new 06. The 06 has a lot of refinements that have improved the machine over the older ones.

One thing, the stock tires are lame, and that is one thing you will want to change out right away! We are running the new ITP Trac Star radials on ITP T-9 rims, and the quad/tire combination is superb. The EX handles as agile as the little Blaster that I had when I was a beginner. Add a skid plate and bumper, and you are ready to go. In stock form, the quad is a little down on power, but if you vent the airbox lid and put on a UNI air filter and aftermarket muffler, you can get a fair bit of extra power out of it, when you are ready.

Being an adult entry level/intermediate kids machine and based on the Recon, it does have tight suspension. Not the best settup for bashing huge woops or getting big air, but it is adequate when you stay within its limits. The 250 will handle a lot of terrain that is very technical, as long as you don't reach the point where you are needing 4wd. One thing to consider though, is that you might quickly get "bored" on a 250??? Maybe consider something like a 250 for the wife, and a 400EX for yourself????

I also have a 4X4 Rancher and a bunch of bigger displacement sport quads. I ride the sports in the desert (where for the most part a big heavy utility is a handicap and not much fun at all!), and I reserve the Rancher for very technical riding only in the local mountains, Inyo's, and Sierras. (The Rancher is a superb snow machine!) You have to ask yourself how extreme the terrain and traction conditions will be, and make a decision based on that whether you will actually need a 4wd. Again, tell us where you will be riding, and that will give us a better clue about what you really need.

There is also a new emerging class of "hybrid" 4wd sporty quads! The best example is the Yamaha Wolverine. The Wolverine is still way to heavy for my taste, and nothing that calls itself "sporty" should ever have a fully automatic transmission, but it is technologically a step in the right direction. In addition, the Rancher is going to get a makeover for 07, so you might want to see what it is like? I am hopeing Honda had the insight to turn it into a light "hybrid" as well (????). I need to get another 4wd this fall, so I am holding out great hopes for the new Rancher!

 

Sounds Like you are the person I need to talk to.... owner of a rancher and a trx.

We would be riding in the sierra nevadas on forest service roads 5000-8000' elevation. Nothing agressive like rock climbing or cross country. Perhaps trailering them down to the Sac Valley/foothills in the winter time. I did not consider using a rancher in the snow, bec figured it would be very likely to get stuck, unless it was Spring time where it was patchy.

I had researched the Wolvy, and it got great rider reviews, but I thought it was too heavy as well. Additionally, it costs quite a bit more than the trx.

I agree with you about getting the 400ex for more power, but I was trying to avoid the manuel clutch and again save a few bucks. Also, If we are recreational riders only 6-10 times a year, the diff in power may not bother me
(I hope) compared to if we were avid riders, racing around with others.

I too read rumors of a redesigned rancher w/IRS and prob more improvments. Any idea when they may release the new model?

I thought the rancher felt bulky and heavy to do the type of sport riding originally discussed. Sounds like you disagree which may influence me to go with it instead of trx. Could you compare the two and tell me the pros and cons of each?

Also, what tranny/shifting does the rancher have?, Wheelies,donuts,small jumps, Snow without getting stuck alot?

Finally, if we got a trx with a rack, what are we going to miss/not be able to do compared to the rancher?

We are going to Reno today to sit on both and try to make a decision next week.

Your info is very helpful and appreciated!

 

Wow, lots of questions!

First off, my reason for recommending the 400EX isn't for more power or necessarily going faster, but for COMFORT. It has real sport quad suspension and handling, where the 250 shows its Recon heritage in this department. But still, the 250 is descent for a beginner. Learing to shift a fully manual hand clutch is easy, and the 400 has an engine that lugs down and does slow technical trail riding very well. Still, it is more expensive and may be more than you need at this point. One can certainly have a blast on a 250!

If you need racks and big fenders for mud protection, you may want to consider the Honda Recon??? It is similar to the 250EX, but unfortunately it is 50 pounds heavier.

Compared to the huge heavy big bore utilities, the Rancher is light and agile (200+ pounds LIGHTER than a huge Polaris monster for example). But compared to a light sport quad, even the little Rancher is a tank (150 pounds HEAVIER than the 250EX). My motto is to never ride any utility anywhere I can ride a sport quad, and that means 95% of the riding I do. The little 250 will do amazing things, that you wouldn't think a 2wd could ever do, but when the rocks get to big or there is snow, you just have to have a 4X4. So, you need to decide how extreme of conditions you want to tackle.

I have found the Rancher to be a superb snow machine. We have great fun towing the kids on their toboggans, behind it. It is light weight, and I run a very slick plastic Maier skid plate that acts like a huge ski, so it floats along rather than hanging up on the frame. That along with ITP Holeshot ATR tires, which are excellent snow tires.

Both the Rancher and 250 have autoclutch transmissions. When you pull up or down on the shift lever, it disengages the clutch, then when you let it go it reengages it. (Probably best to avoid the electronic ES shifting on the Rancher, as folks have lots of problems with these.) The 06 and later 250 also has the "sport clutch" where you can use a had clutch or not, as you wish.

Some important safety info.: http://forums.atvconnection.com/mess...rd1=autoclutch

 

Now when you say(extended day trips) how much gear are you planning on carrying? I think you should give some consideration to the 300EX, as it can do everything you are looking for and still be within budget. You could get a recon or 250EX also, the recon offering racks and the EX offering sportier handling. If you don't mind learning to use a clutch though, the 300 is probably the best choice for what you want it to do. Of course, the sport clutch on the newer 250EX's could help you learn to shift the 300[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

I love the 300EX on a tight fast trail, but it doesn't have the ground clearance that the 250 has so it isn't as good for highly technical trail riding. I have always felt the 300 was overpriced. The 300 certainly has more comfy suspension, but it too needs to have the balooney stock tires replaced right off. And, if they aren't looking for a fully manual clutch, well............

 

I don't think the 300 is overpriced compared to say, the 350 Raptor. I don't have any seat time personally on a 250EX, but have ridden with them on several occasions. They seem rather, um, bouncy with a full size adult male from what I have seen. Still very capable of making it up decent size hills and all, but it may not be the best quad for jumping, wheelies, and donuts. From what ryeguy1 is looking for the atv to do, he might be better off, and still within budget, getting at least one machine with a little more edge now rather than upgrade next year. ryeguy, please don't think I am against the 250 either. I am sure I will own one or something else in the class someday for the kids[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]