I am considering an ATV, never owned one but have ridden friends that have Sportman 500 and Yamaha Kodiak. I am considering a Rubicon and a SPortsman 500 HO. Seems like after all of the research they both appear to be great machines and I don't think I'll be disappointed either way. Have owned serveral Honda motorcycles and all have been extremely reliable, so I have a place for a Honda in my heart. Trouble is, I can get the Sportsman for about $800 less and have to seriously consider it. Without stiring any heated debates, I would like to knwo what you guys think since you no doubt have more experience that I do. What am I missing or are both machines great and it comes down to personal preference and also price at some point? Thanks for helping with this, your comments are appreciated!

 

I like both quads I guess it depends on what kind of riding you are going to be doing.The Sportsman will go better in the mud and has a better ride than the Ruby plus it has disc brakes 2or4 wheel drive and I mean true 4 wheel drive.The Rubicon doesnt have these features.I bought a Ruby and a Rancher thinking that they had a new frontend that put the power to the wheel that was getting the most traction it doesnt work like it was advertised.All in all you should be happy with either one.

 

Sportsman: 731 lbs.
Rubicon: 600
And the Sportsman 500 looks like a maitnence nightmare. Have you seen how complicated that engine is?

 

Actually, the Sportsman is easy to work on. The drive belt can be changed in about 30 minutes and the rest is no more difficult than any other bike. The 4WD system works very well and they'll mud as good or better than any bike out there.

 

If you want a silky smooth auto go with the Honda.

 

I rode a Ruby a couple weeks ago for the first time. A guy we ride with bought one. The first thing I did when he pulled up with it was look at, or should I say, look for, the screws that hold the shifter **** on. I read in here that they come up missing pretty quick. Sure enough, they were gone. I told the new owner about it, he was quite ticked off. Anyway, the first thing I noticed was how cold blooded it was, as most Hondas are. It took forever to warm up. I was really impressed at how smooth the tranny was, and the front end was light as a feather, it steered really easy. It was fun to ride and seemed to have a good bit of power.

On the dislike side, I didn't like how the footpegs force your feet back too far, but I'm sure you could either move them forward, or get used to it. I also think that Honda should have made the quad with selectable drive, ie: go from 2 to 4 wheel drive. If they did this, I would seriously consider selling the Kodiak, and get a Rubicon. The drum brakes also need to go. I've seen too many quads with drum brakes, that have nothing but problems with water and mud entering the units. I think Honda made a great unit, but I would never buy another full time 4 wheel drive quad again.

 

is that all that you can think of to put down the H.O. with? I know you can make up something better than that!

 

The SP is heaver but because the motor is so much stronger it still will still kick the Rubicons butt.The SP rides smoother,can be put in 2wd,has more ground clearance,has disk brakes,has more power,has a much longer riding range and is $800 less.Not much of a choice there.

 

rdarins, personal preference should certainly play a roll in your decision. My preference was to choose dependability over capability. Mind you now, I'm older and not interested in "kicking butt" ........I prefer riding the ATV that requires the least maintenance.

 

Here is how I would rate them:

Ride: Polaris 10 Rubicon 9
Torgue: 8 9
Acceleration: 9 8
Top end: 10 9
4x4 system: 10 8
Engine: 9 8
Tranny: 8 10
Brakes: 9 8
Hauling: 9 10
Racks: 8 9
Stability: 8 9
Off Chamber: 9 8
Ground Clear: 10 9
Looks: 9 9
Weight: 8 9
Dependability 9 9
Matinance: 8 9
Price: 9 8
Trade in Val: 8 10
Overall: EVEN EVEN

Point is the Polaris Don't kick the Rubicon's butt or vice versa. IT's what you want in a quad and what situations you are using it in. Good luck you can't go wrong with either.