Nick here. Just joined. In search of some recommendations and knowledge.

I owned a beat up Honda TRX250(i think thats what it was called) a few years back, but do not currently own. I would like to get a set of quads for my family. Now I do not know much about the industry, and what is out there. I have researched the different models and would only ride with name brands(Yamaha, Honda, Polaris, arctic, can, Suzuki, Kawasaki). I would like to get one trail quad, like a grizzly, and 1 with a bit more fun factor to it. The other one I was attracted to was the Can-am renegade. Specifically the x xc version.

I dont know how a quad competes with b and c quad. And have no idea how the can stacks up against a raptor, or how a grizzly compares to a outlander, sportsman, etc. I obviously need some help hehe

Im sure it would help if i disclosed what I'm interested in riding. I am not into the mudding scene. But i would primarily use these for the trails.

 

Most of todays quads are well made and all have their pros and cons. A good place to search is in the individual model specific brands and see how many complaints each one has. The most important thing is to actually sit on and test ride any machine you might be interested in. Each one has its little difference that might make it less comfortable or more comfortable to a certain person. Nothing worse than taking a long ride on a very uncomfortable machine!!. Ergonomics can play a big role on how well you like a machine. With todays high output utility machines the "fun"factor can be there without getting into a sport quad, but hey that is all your choice. NOBODY can tell you which machine you need, that is all your decision but without actually riding one, you will never be sure. If a dealer won't allow a test ride then go someplace else, yes you may have to do some driving to find the right machine at the right price. Good luck and keep us posted. Oh by the way....welcome aboard!!

 

The ergonomics is not something i considered.

 

Yamaha Grizzly and Suzuki King Quad very reliable quads that are single cylinder. Tend to have more of a pulling power than top end like the twin cylinder machines have. Good all around machines.
Kawasaki makes the Brute Force. Twin cylinder 750 cc. Lots of fun and good all around machine that is a good bit more exciting than the two above.
Honda also makes very reliable machines. They are not as exciting a ride as those above and others I'll mention. Don't have a lot of the features of the others too.
Can-Am and Polaris are constantly competing with each other. A Can-Am 650 will beat a King Quad 750 or Yamaha Grizzly 700 in a race. Can-Am is a fast twin that is decent for work too. Lots of features. They also have an 850 that has crazy power and a 1000 that has even more. My 650 has gotten up to 68 mph on GPS a couple times. The 1000 is probably up to 80 or so. The Renegade is a little bit lighter handling than the Outlander. Son had a 500 cc that has been upped to a 570 if I remember correctly. Can also get the 850 and 1000 in the Renegade. Stab the throttle on a Can-Am 850 or 1000 and the front end will come up. The acceleration is immediate when you hit the throttle. Takes some getting used to.
Polaris has the Sportsman in a 570, 850, and 1000. 570 is a single cylinder and the bigger engines are inline twins. Very smooth power delivery. Hit is a bit higher on the RPM's than the Can-Ams. Polaris also makes the Scrambler that has either the 850 or 1000. Son's Scrambler XP1000 is a hoot to ride. Will wheelie easily and I've even got the front end to come up when it's already at a good pace. Very powerful and very fun. Scrambler comes with a small rack on the back and an area in the front that you can tie things down. Can-Am Renegade doesn't come with any racks but you can get one for the rear. Polaris is the most comfortable riding machine out there as far as the 4wd utility machines go. And, Polaris tends to have the most on-board storage too.

 

How deep are your pockets? I'm a Dodge guy,I can't chose between the Hellcat or the Demon, but my wallet says keep driving my 05 Magnum with 350,000 miles. Damned wallet. They are all good, btw. Try out a bunch, your butt will tell you.

 

Welcome to the forums.

Nice thing about going to a dealer and sitting on them is, it's free. After that, well yeah then it gets expensive. But you know how it fits you.

Are you considering buying new or used? You could save some money going used, and still get a good quad.

 

I have narrowed down my 1st quad by the grizzly, outlander, and the sportsman. I like the grizzly aside from the complaints on the lack of power relative to the others. And i have heard complaints of reliability issues with both the sportsman and outlander. But not sure if these are actually substantiated or just people bashing the other brand like the "chevy vs ford" argument.(you know chevy owners claim ford trucks are POS and vice versa). So I would love to get an unbiased review/opinion.

My other quad i would like to be a untamed beast that gives me that extra rush. I used to have a couple R1's so I know i could handle the extra power of a liter quad. I have zereod in on the renegade, but open to others.

And I would rather buy new so I know that the machine was properly maintained and not neglected/abused before I took ownership.

 

The Renegade 1000 and Polaris Scrambler 1000 are great if you want auto and 4x4, very fast machines. All three of these machines will top 80 mph. Even the 850cc versions of both are quite fast and cost a little less.

 

I am not a fan of the scrambler looks.

How come yamaha doesnt offer something that compares to the renegade. Seems the yamaha raptor and yzf450 are stripped down versions concentrating purely on racing. Am i wrong? I have always been into yamahas, but they dont come with guages. And having a guage is something i am looking for. Guess thats why i really like the renegade.

 

Yamaha had the Wolverine 450 4x4 a few years ago, I owned one myself. It was a great trail quad but didn't even have as much power as the 500cc versions of both the Scrambler and Renegade. 50 mph top speed stock. It wasn't even as fast as the Kodiak 450 utility quad with the same engine. The Wolverine had no low range so I'm guessing it was geared a bit lower to compensate and that hurt top end speed. They could have put the 700cc single in it and it would have been much faster. It only lasted for 5 model years, 2006-2010. It was much smaller and lighter than the Scrambler and Renegade, it did have that going for it. It just needed more power.