Why are some of you so loyal to only one brand of atv?

Have you had some bad experience with certain manufacturers?

Have you had some bad experiences with certain dealers who represent those manufacturers?

Are you just that happy with your current brand that you don't want to risk buying from someone else?

Do you have a problem with Japanese products in general?

Do you have a problem with American products in general?

Are you just going by things that you've heard?

Personally I don't care what sticker or nameplate is on the machine I ride, as long as I'm having fun.

Not that it's any of my business what you like or why you like it, it just irks me to see posts where people refuse to believe that the latest machine could possibly be better than their current ride just because it's made by that "other" company. I'm not saying that the newest machines are always better, but to condemn a machine, just because it's made by someone other than the maker of your current ride just doesn't make sense to me.

My guess is that "most" (not all) of those who proclaim loyalty to only one brand have little to no experience with any other brands.

Loyalty? Or just plain ignorance?

 

Personally I have no loyalty. If Kawasaki is the first to offer a two stroke 250, I will probably be there.

 

Good question!

I was prejudiced against Polaris & Sea Doo coming from the personnal water craft world. I looked into Polaris, tho, not real hard, because the dealer was a jerk. My past experience was with Yamaha (motorcycles) & Kawasaki (jet skis). I am looking into snowmobiles & Polaris has a GOOD reputation for quality in sleds. So I might purchase one.

What am I getting at? I believe some, if not all off the items on the original post has some affect on our decision making process.

Brand loyal? The only brand is the dollar & who gives me the most "bang for the buck"!

 

Hey Sqooze, personally, I grew up riding Yamaha dirt bikes and Honda 3 wheelers. (all 2 strokers)Between my friends and I, we had all the brands and they all performed very well. My last bike was a Honda XR650L which I purchased new. About eight months later, the engine casing cracked. I went straight to Honda and they said "oh well".

Now don't get me wrong, Honda's are very good but Honda will never see any of my money ever again.
I'm sure they won't go down the tubes or lose any sleep because it either. ha! ha!

I can honestly say that I like them all with the exception of the Polaris machines.
Let me rephrase that, I like the way they look but Polaris really needs to get up on thier reliability issue's. I know alot of very unhappy Polaris owners and I must say that that really turns me off.

Also, in one of the posts out there somebody mentioned "Customer Service" / "Customer Relations". I don't know about the dealers in your area but all of the dealers within a 50 mile radius of me won't give you the time of day to buy parts, let alone an atv. They would all rather talk to someone on the phone instead of helping a customer with cash in hand. That really fries my *** but that's another story.

Anyway, the Arctic Cat dealers I've dealt with have done everything except take me and the Mrs. to dinner, which goes a very very long way in my book. I've often wondered if the people at Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki etc. even know or care about the way that thier dealers handle customers.
It doesn't cost anything to be nice but if you're rude, it might cost you alot...

Have a great day!! )

 

I have had 4 ATC/ATV's. All honda's. I'm not sure why but I wouldn't buy anything else!
ERIC

 

To me personally, I see no point to brand loyalty.
I will always get the machine that suits my needs best.

 

retro, I appreciate your honesty.
Don't take this the wrong way as I mean you no disrespect, but I have to ask a hypothetical question:

You are in the market for a new sports quad (your 250R, as great as it is, is just getting too old and you don't feel like putting anymore money into a 13 year old machine).
Kawasaki comes out with a production KX250 2-stroke quad that is faster and handles better than the 250R when it was in production (remember, this is a hypothetical question) and it meets california emmision standards. It's cost is reasonable in comparison to other sports quads (Raptor - 400ex). It's fit, finish, and reliability are 2nd to none.

Assuming (yes, I know what happens when you assume, so please spare me) that all of the above statements are fact and not speculation, are you saying that you would not consider buying it because it is not a Honda?

BTW - I can see from the pictures at your website that your machine ('s) are nowhere near getting too old.
Very nice looking machines.

 

Well, Here is my input on this subject. I grew up with Polaris almost my entire life. But my first ATV was a 1984 Suzuki 125.
Of all the years Polaris has been in our family (since 1992), we have not had any problems with them. (that hard to believe cosidering some posts you may see here). So it was natural for me to choose Polaris when I was ready to buy. Would I rather have a Raptor or 400EX over my Trail Blazer? Probably. But this is where the next part of this equation comes in. Bang for your buck. I did not want to spend much, so the Trail Blazer was right on the mark for me.
Although I am partial to Polaris, I am not a brand loyal extremist, I would ride any other machine, and be very happy with it. And all my replies to posts are non-bias, no matter what bike that person rides.

 

I think the questio is outdated and obsurd. If I like yamaha, then that's what I like. If I like whatever, there I am. It's simply about someone's makeup; who they are. If I go to a gas station, and whoever works there helps me out in a way that is above what they have to do, and they do it just to help me, I'll be much more loyal to their business than anyone else.
Same applies, if I like the quad I'm getting from my current dealer, and the business actually seems to care about my problems, and hellps me solve them, then I'll buy from them.
I hear all the talk about hondas, but I personally like yamaha better myself. The 400ex is great though! So what am I saying? Who the hell knows! But I think it's this. The reason someone is brand loyal is because that's the way that person lives and believes: find a good product or service and stick with it. You can gripe and complain, but that's the way some people are.

HEHEHE...

Later,

Jason

 

Sqooze, hypotheticaly speaking(for MX purposes), I guess I would pick something like that up. If (knock on wood) my R dies, I would have to repair it due to the ammount of money I have stuck into it. If the Kawi was "Race Ready", then I would have to think a little harder! Kawasaki is about the only other brand(other than Cannondale, maybe)that I would even think about buying. Does this answer your question????? I only have 1 complete machine right now. The others had to be sold to bef up the R. The only other thing I have right now is an 86 ATC 250R parts bike.
ERIC