I was looking for an ATV for the wife and I was hoping to get a Kawi so that I can use it as a bargaining tool when I buy my BF. Does anyone have any experience with a Bayou 250? I've seen one at the local Kawi shop and it looks like it would be the right size for my wife. She's 4'11" so a youth ATV is too small, but a regular size one is a bit too big. I hope that I could swing a $10k OTD price for the BF and the Bayou. Thanks.

Brian

 

I'd look into a prairie 360, they are really nice and has diff lock. Does she need a 4x4?? Maybe you could look into a sport atv in a 250 size.
I know my wife wanted a quad, i had a grizzly at the time so we looked at the bruin and she really liked it. Then she saw the raptor and fell in love with the styling. no way was i buying her a raptor. a buddy of mine got me into sport quads and i bought a 2002 Banshee (for myself) and let her use the grizz. She learned how to drive the banshee and didn't want to drive the automatic grizzly anymore.

said it was too big and hard to steer. she never rode that banshee hard but she liked the smaller size and the easier steering. I bought myself the quadzilla because i lost my sport quad (banshee)to my wife.

BTW, sold the banshee and the grizz...no more Yamaha's in my garage, thank you[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

I had one, and was very happy to unload it. Motor and tranny were good, but thats about all.
Bayous are on the utility side of sort/ ute. They arent much fun on the trail. The suspension is limited, and the single a arm front is the worst possible configuration. The front end is very weak and will bend out of shape in just normal use. They arent very comfortable, and if she rides someone elses quad, shell never want to ride the bayou again.
There are alot better choices out there, but id pass on the 250 bayou, and never look back. The ozark and honda 250 are much better choices.
I know alot of people will have heartburn over this, sorry, but the one i had sucked.

 

My brother had a brand new one for his wife a few years ago, it always felt like it wanted to dump you off the ATV when you turned, on a hard surface slow speed turn, one of the tires would come off the ground.. It was hard to trun on the trails, I wouldn’t recommend one

 

Bayou 300 4x4 is better, but you wont get both out the door for 10 grand.

 

We started out, with me on a 300 Prairie, & my wife on a 220 Bayou... when the 650 Prairie came out, I just had to have one... I sold the 220 to a buddy, & moved my wife up to my old 300 Prairie... ( understand, that she is 5'2", & was always a tomboy ), but she was mad at me for quite a while... she really liked the Bayou's lighter steering, & shifting the quad, & the size fit her better... she has gotten used to the 300, & it's better mud protection... but after she rode my 650, she's wanted one of those...

if you could bite the bullet, a 360 Prairie ( better than our ol' 300, because of 2 X 4 / 4 x4 selectable, makes the steering lighter, better, easier to use shifter, starts in gear, better, variable locking front diff, better rear brakes ), or a 700 Prairie would be good choices for her... but, if she has a little tomboy in her, & doesn't mind getting muddy ( the little bayou has very poor mud shielding for the rider, when compared to the Prairies or the Brute ), & likes to shift, taking into account her smaller size, she will likely love the 250...

however, there are several smaller ( entry level quads ) of other brands that are every bit as good or better than the little Bayou, if you dealer handles more than just Kawasaki, ( like most do ), perhaps you can work out a deal on something else, as well...

it is probably best, to let her drive a few, to find out what she's most comfortable on ( even though, I'm sure all you can think about right now is the Brute )

 

Well it depends on the riding. My wife and I do mostly sand dunes together and I had her riding my Kodiak 400 while I rode the V.

She is 5.7 and 120 lbs so I though the V would just be too much for her.

Well I was wrong. She rode it last trip and said it was the most fun she ever had at the dunes. And that she would never ride that slow green 4X4 again.

 

Knowing the wife, I don't think that there is going to be much "tearing it up" if you know what I mean. She's not an aggressive rider. Her ideal ride would be putting along a fireroad looking at the scenery. So 4x4 is not needed but automatic is. The most important thing would be stability. She needs something that she feels she can handle and feel confident on. Oh, and I was trying to keep the price less than $3k so that if it spends 95% of the time in the garage, I won't be wasting too much money. Any ideas?

Brian

 

outlander 330 ho..fast comfy and light..

 

You can see what we have in my sig. If she can ride the Bayou she will love the Prairie. Our kids and granddaugter all prefer the Prairie for trails and fun rides. The Bayou is fine for just putting around the farm.