Hey Guys,

I have the opportunity to buy either a Brute force 650 4x4 or the 650 4x4I. I do not currently own an ATV though have used them for several years while working, etc. Mostly on Honda ATV's.

I am a hunter first and foremost. I do most hunting in various regions of Alberta, Canada. Mostly in the forestry and in the mountains. I will be recreational riding as well on some weekends, but no mud-bogging or anything like that, just trail riding, touring, etc.

I have watched a few videos on the differences between the IRS model and the straight axle models, just curious what the benefits would be of either and which would suit my needs better.

My wife would ride with me occasionally while hunting and on trails, and she would ride it alone the odd time. Not sure if that makes a difference or not....

Price difference is $450.

 

IRS for me. You get much better ground clearance and the ride is much better as well. If you are in the woods you are most certainly going to encounter running over logs and the extra clearance is great. I would opt for the power steering if you can too, it is awesome.

 

i would go with the irs like cody700 he is right and plus there is only a 450 price difference.

 

Go for the IRS, plain and simple. =)

 

Thanks guys....I THINK I'll be getting the IRS model, depends if they have it in stock or not. Kinda a one-time shot here. If not, I'll take the straight axle one for the price anyways, but lookin forward to either!

 

I guess what I'm really lookin forward to is finding out the differences I'll notice with this quad and a Honda Foreman 500. I have rode Honda throughout most of my life, with the occassional Bombardier and Yamaha thrown in. I would say 98% Honda though, so I'm interested to see what its like.

Rode an 03 Prairie and loved the features.....

 

I have a 2002 prairie 650 with a solid axle and I have only ridden a grizzly with IRS. This is what I have to say. As a fellow hunter, that probably pushes there machine a little to hard at times. I have to say that IRS sucks. I pull trailers, use sprayers, seeders, carry gear etc and the irs makes the atv seem very top heavy and leans alot in corners and if you hook a heavy load on the back the *** sags alot worse than a solid. the solid axle gives you a more stable platform it seems. I honestly can say that i have not ever worried about ground clearance, its just never been an issue. You point the atv where you want to go and hit the gas.

This is just my first hand experience. take it or leave it.

 

Thanks for the post Saltine.

I ended up missing the Brute Forces as they went too quick. Had to move on to a Can-Am as the stock that I'm buying from has some seriously reduced prices and they were selling too fast...lol

So....looks like I'll be the new owner of a Can-Am 500EFI or possibly the Max 400EFI, depending on what happens.

 

Well whatever you buy, congrats on the atv. Now go out and put the first scratch on it.

 

IRS vs. SRA is one thing that I am mulling over as well.

I've been a car guy all my life and have some thoughts on the subject.

The reason that IRS makes the quad feel top heavy is because the weight transfer during turns. When you turn left, all of the weight transfers to the right side. Because IRS allows the right side to compress without pulling up the left side, the quad will lean to the right. With an SRA, when the right side compresses, it pulls up the rear left as well, helping to keep the quad flat. And, adding to the top heavy feel is probably a truly higher center of gravity. You have two shock mounts, shock and springs up high. You also have the rear dif up higher.

SRA is great for keeping the vehicle flat through turns, but becomes burdensome when handling rough uneven terrain. Same reason it is great for fast turns is why it is bad for rough stuff - when one side goes up, so does the other, even if it shouldn't!!

The racing answer to this conundrum is the anti-roll bar or sway bar if you prefer. This is a bar mounted to both A-arms and the chassis. It works by pulling up one side some when the other goes up. The advantage of this is a compromise between IRS and SRA. The lighter, more flexible the anti-roll bar, the less effect is has.

Guys the run jeeps off road often un-hook the anti-roll bar for rock crawling and rough off-road, then hook it back up when they head back onto the road.

It would be nice if quad manufacturers would start giving the option of adding an anti-roll bar(s) to the quads, or an aftermarket maker would jump in. And while I'm wishing, make them easy to hook-up or un-hook quickly, without tools.

Sorry for the long post!