Just wondering i know the honda is efi but the big bear is a work horse and has i.r.s. Wich one is flat out better for all round purposes.

 

Big bear is slow , its not even the work horse it once was after they removed the low range option it once had, I would get the Rancher .

 

I was actually going to get a 07 big bear till I started looking at the Rancher. I did alot of research on both of them and got to do alot of riding on a 06 foreman and 06 big bear to see which would suit my riding style. If you do alot of trail riding then the IRS is not what you want. Plus the gearing of the big bear just feels too low compared to the honda. If your doing alot of mudding, then the big bear is what you need. A must upgrade for the rancher is to get 25" tires put on , the stock 24's can leave you short-handed in some situations.

 

Back in April I bought a Rancher 420FM which I've been working pretty hard on our place, and I've also done some trail riding with it. This machine is more than versatile, it has an eager disposition and has been able to perform every task I've put to it so far. Next year we'll see how it likes towing a field mower.

 

irs is not good for trail riding. are u ok. Its the best for trail riding

 

IRS isolates the rider better from the rough terrain and provides much more ground clerance. Both of these advantages are nice to have while trail riding.

 

Both are great choices. Big Bear IS slow on the open road. My '02 tops out around 75km/h. Everywhere else it's nearly unstoppable. I don't know what the Honda tops out at. If the Honda had IRS, Diff-lock and better rear brake set-up (3 things the '07 Yamaha has) it would easily be the better choice.

All I know is that there are some machines that you just can't go wrong purchasing. The just keep rolling along...
Yamaha Big Bear - 20+ years in production
Honda Foreman/Fourtrax
Suzuki LT80
Honda TRX90
Polaris Scrambler (maybe)

 

Let's compare item for item:
Ride: I might be getting older (only 35) but the IRS & ground clearance is huge! I got a different machine because I wanted both. I was getting stuck with my Honda in places other machines could walk over. That goes to the Big Bear. If you haven't ridden an IRS machine, ride one before you make your decision

Reliability: They are both bullet proof machines so that's a tie in my book.

Performance: That goes to the Rancher. The rancher is EFI, liquid cooled and a lot faster. My 2004 rancher could reach 52 mph. My Big Bear couldn't do 40 mph.

Mud/Off Road: Big Bear has the front diff. You can go true 4x4 & not 3 wheel drive. This goes to the Big Bear.

What is the price difference??

If you can get IRS, Diff. locker for $1000 less than the Honda buy it!! If they are the same price I honestly don't know which I would buy. You can't go wrong with either.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: HondaFinn

Let's compare item for item:

Ride: I might be getting older (only 35) but the IRS & ground clearance is huge! I got a different machine because I wanted both. I was getting stuck with my Honda in places other machines could walk over. That goes to the Big Bear. If you haven't ridden an IRS machine, ride one before you make your decision



Reliability: They are both bullet proof machines so that's a tie in my book.



Performance: That goes to the Rancher. The rancher is EFI, liquid cooled and a lot faster. My 2004 rancher could reach 52 mph. My Big Bear couldn't do 40 mph.



Mud/Off Road: Big Bear has the front diff. You can go true 4x4 & not 3 wheel drive. This goes to the Big Bear.



What is the price difference??



If you can get IRS, Diff. locker for $1000 less than the Honda buy it!! If they are the same price I honestly don't know which I would buy. You can't go wrong with either.</end quote></div>

When I bought my 420, I looked at the Big Bear, it was 7 or 800 hundred higher than the Honda.

 

Normally I wouldn't mention Arctic Cat, but.....
They have a 366cc coming out for 2008, and it's cheap!
only 10cc less than the AC400, but 100lbs lighter and $1000 - $1500 US less coin!
IRS
10" ground clearance
Automatic
Not sure about EFI, but I don't think so...

Don't know how it will compare to the other "400s", but it sure seems to kick but on their own 400!!