Looking to buy a second 4 wheeler. Current one loaned to son and grandsons.(Artic Cat 300 4x4)

I need to stay at low end pricing.

Honda Recon, Kawasaki Bayou 220 or Artic Cat 250?

Anyone have any actual experience with comparison to help me decide?

 

AC 250 or the Recon, they are superior to the Bayou. I would go with the AC

 

Tony,
I did extensive reseach on every bike in this class. The Recon hands down was the obvious choice after all the reading I had done on all the 250 class. But I still went out and drove The Beartracker,250 Cat,Trailboss,& finally the Recon last. There was no comparison. I bought the Recon for my wife and a Rancher for me. Do yourself a favor and do all the reading you can and also test drive them. In the end Im sure you will be the proud owner of a Honda. Bye the way it really is the only way to go.

Hogmaster
01 Rancher 4x4ES
01 Recon

 

i would also get the recon because it handles better is lighter it is just the best 250 class atv i drove a artic cat 250 i didnt like it all handled bad was really really slow and it was very heavy

 

I have not rode the other two atvs but we just bought a new 2001 Recon and so far I couldn't be happier with it. It steers light and tight and the 229cc motor has decent acceleration and low-end power for it's size. Plus you get Honda's great reliability (I'm hoping ) in a proven and mechanically simple design. Good luck with whatever you decide to get.

 

The bayou 220 has only single a-arm front suspension and the arctic cat is a tank, but very reliable. The Recon would be my first choice (and was). Plus every test report I have ever read says it is one of the best overall quads on the market. We love ours.

01 Rancher 350 FE1
01 Recon

 

Personnally I have owned a Recon, and a friend has a Bayou. I had to help her get unstuck from the mud, and I couldn't believe how awful her quad was! It only has single a-arm suspension in the front, and it doesn't handle very well. It was like comparing a cadillac with a chevy. Buy the Recon. Oh, and the AC are nice, but way too expensive.

 

RECON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I bought 2 AC 250's brand new in 2000 and had nothing but trouble with both of them, they are heavey and are a pain when you get one stuck due to most of the 550 pounds being in the back, also I found myself constantly worrying about something going wrong (tore 4 boots even with the gaurds on) and it started the ruin the fun of riding. So when an opportunity arose I traded down to a 99 recon with low miles and haven't regreted it yet, it may not ride as good as the AC (IRS) but its simple design if far more reliable and fun to ride, as for the other machine (girlfriends) it has just been put up for sale.