Opinions on mid bore ATV's.
I sold off my Polaris 500 and Ranger 800 to pay off some bills a while back. I've diligently been saving and now have a $7500 spending limit. I'm looking for a mid bore Sport Utility ATV. I'm looking for opinions.

I enjoyed my Sportsman 500, but they are gone in favor of the 570 with EFI, a new mill that is "untested", so I'm hesitant. I don't like buying 1st (or even 2nd year new models). I'd like to have EFI and power steering (don't knock it until you try it).

I'm currently looking at the Honda Foreman and Foreman Rubicon, but prefer IRS and EFI, which neither one have in combination. I looked at the Rancher IRS, but too small. I need a full sized quad.

I've also looked at the sportsman 550, Grizzly 550 but are expensive for what you get. Yamaha 450 is carbed, but can get EPS but is too small.

Kawasaki no longer has the 650. BF 750 is over 10k!

Suzuki model is also up there in price, but none at the local dealer for me to look at, only the 750 axi. Again, too much.

I don't have arctic cat or Can-Am locally.

So I keep coming back to either the Honda foreman ES EPS and forgo IRS, polaris 570 with an unproven mill, Polaris 800EFI with no PS, or ?

Above all I want reliability. I'm not overly concerned with top speed. The new 2014 Foreman now has a locking front diff. I'd really like to have a 2" receiver if possible, but a 1-1/4" will work.

It seems no one makes the perfect quad for me. What does everyone suggest. I'm open to suggestion and am not brand loyal with ATVs.

The Foreman isn't perfect, but I feel it will do what I need it too and be reliable. I'm also interested in the Rubicon, but there's more to go wrong.

Opinions?

 

Shifting gears, straight axle ride and a 28hp OHV motor sure will be a shocker vs your old SP500.
My friends have carbed 500 Foremans and they start and go great at any time for the last 5 years.
The noticeable real world difference between efi and carb is nill once warmed up and running.
The Noticable ride comfort difference between IRS and SRA is with you the entire life you own it.
Plus the new Foreman has that rear drum mechanical Brake again.

The 550 eps Grizzly only M.S.R.P. at $8,699.00 vs the Foremans $7,799.00 or $8,049.00 with E.S and all its horror stories.(You can read the hundreds of E.S post here if you do a search)
For $900 you get.(non es foremane) or $600 if E.S

OHC 36hp vs OHV 28hp
low range
hydraulic rear disk brake
IRS comfort and ground clearance.
CVT full Auto no foot or thumb shifting.
larger gas tank.
more suspension travel and dual rear shocks . The foreman has a cost saving single shock now like a Rancher. The pre 2012 Foreman always had two.

The Sportsman 400 H.O (455) has more power and comfort and it,s MSRP is $5,699.00.
The 500 Suzuki KQ with EPS should cost less then the grizzly and $500 more then a foreman,if not then your Suzuki dealer is just a guy to stay away from.

If I was buying feature loaded mid bore it would be a toss up between the 550 Grizzly or 500 KQ. I,d let the Yamaha and Suzuki dealer battle it out for my money.

 

If it helps you at all, Polaris has had the 570 in a RZR that is 50" wide for a couple years now. I haven't heard of any problems with them personally and the 50" wide RZRs are really popular. Same engine as the new Sportsman 570. We rented two RZRs for my son and my buddy's son to use out on the Paiute Trail in Utah. They ran without a hiccup in elevations from 5500 ft. to over 10,000 ft. The boys had a great time with them other than wishing they had a little more power. They were also pretty good on gas considering the heights we were riding that rob power from any engine.

 

Rubicon has low range,and the ES shifting is actually pretty reliable. Rubicon is 33.5 hp, with either es or full auto at the flick of a switch. I bought my 11 late in the year for 7500 otd.

 

The Rubicon is higher end then the foreman with its versatile tranny.
But the Foreman will have diff lock this year which can be handy.

 

I love Honda's but I'm not going to buy another utility machine from them till they utilize a CVT tranny. Allways in the right gear (so to speak).
The Honda utility's shift which means a slight shift time. If you're on a hill or pulling a heavy load, it sorts sucks.
The dealers reply to me has been:: the rubicon has a auto tranny. But it still has the momentary loss of momentum when auto shifting.
This is just my opinion.

My buddy had (he passed away) a 450 Wolverine. I was impressed with the suspension and motor power. He was a big guy.
You must be 7' and 400+ pounds.. j/k
Good luck on your decision.

 

I love Honda's but I'm not going to buy another utility machine from them till they utilize a CVT tranny. Allways in the right gear (so to speak).
The Honda utility's shift which means a slight shift time. If you're on a hill or pulling a heavy load, it sorts sucks.
The dealers reply to me has been:: the rubicon has a auto tranny. But it still has the momentary loss of momentum when auto shifting.
This is just my opinion.

My buddy had (he passed away) a 450 Wolverine. I was impressed with the suspension and motor power. He was a big guy.
You must be 7' and 400+ pounds.. j/k
Good luck on your decision.

 

Most all CVT have a low range option and pull hard .
A 350 or 400 with low range can pull harder and has a higher towing rating then a 680 Rincon.

 

Good points. If you put a CVT in low you're not likely to ever burn a belt doing chores or towing. Will either get you moving or dig 4 holes in the ground.

I drove a Honda Rincon and a Honda Rancher IRS with power steering back in August. I HATED the Rincon. Had a 3 speed automatic that never seemed to be in the right gear. Also, the first gear was in no way comparable to any CVT automatic I've been on. We were in a valley in Utah that had two track quad width trails with ruts and rocks. Very technical. With every other machine I've been on I could let the engine do the braking. With the Rincon the 1st gear let you go way too fast for the conditions. Would let the quad roll down at 15-20 mph. Had to use the brakes all the time.

The Rancher was a ton better. It had a 5 speed. Although it was similar to the Rincon in that it never seemed to be in the right gear, it had a much better 1st gear than the Rincon. I was able to safely descend steep hills in 1st or 2nd on that machine. Still, I did the shifting to avoid the harsh shifts and the constant fight to keep it in the right gear.

 

Shifting gears sucks after awhile. I had the foot shift 350 Yamaha Big Bear and 450 Foreman and now I would never go back to that.
My straight axle 350 Grizzly has a higher tow rating then the 680 Rincon 1,100lbs vs 850lbs and the CVT 350 Grizzly does not even have a low range.