From Alaska and home on leave right now, currently stationed in Bahrain. Wife gave me the green light to get a wheeler when I get back, so now its time to figure out what I want in the next 4 months. Utility all the way, but other than that, I have no idea. Hopefully I will get some idea's here on what machines can take a beating and keep on scootin.


Nate

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

Well, there are 2wd and 4wd utility machines ranging from 250cc to 1000cc. If you're from Alaska I'd recommend a good 4wd or AWD machine. Everyone but Honda makes a 4x4 that allows you to completely lock in all 4 wheels. Honda has a limited slip front only. I've been through some nasty mud and water holes where that little bit of extra traction barely got me through. The 4wd machines from the other makers come in sizes from 360cc to 1000cc. Polaris tends to be the most comfortable ride with the most on board storage options for carrying gear. CanAm tends to be fastest 4x4 per cc. Yamaha makes great all around machines. Kawasaki only has 3 models but they're pretty good. Suzuki tends to be best bang for your dollar in a good all around machine. I don't know much about Arctic Cats. Also, all but Kawasaki have models with power steering now. And, if you want your wife to come on rides but she doesn't want to drive a quad you can get a 2 person machine. These are made by either Can Am, Polaris, and Arctit Cat. If you can narrow it down some as to where you plan on riding and under what conditions it might help us to head you in the right direction.

 

Thanks for the response!! Should have narrowed it down from the get go. Will get a 4x just because of the mess you can encounter up here. Rainy summers and spring break-ups tend to leave a lot of mud all over. Never owned a atv, but had Suzuki RM's and they never let me down. Primary use will be exploring/trail riding in the summer looking for good spots to take moose/cariboo down. My wife and I will probably end up buying at least 5 acres of land, so the wheeler will get its use hauling this and that around.

I really don't need to buy a new current year model, but not opposed to buying new older year model. Great deals can be had up here on used wheelers where people bought them, took the depreciation hit on the wheeler, and put less then a few hundred miles on them.

My biggest deciding factor will be reliability, will keep this wheeler for years to come, and just like any other machine, better maintenance will bring more life out of it. The kid in me wants to get a 700cc but the adult in me says a 500 will do anything I ask of it.

 

Welcome! The 550 class machine are pretty impressive for there class of cc size!

 

welcome from one brother in arms to another, and good luck!

 

Welcome