ya i know 20 guys who have a ploraris. i'm even trying to get my dad to get one, and wife. why do i ride a blaster after those coments. i wanted 2 stroke. light fast. and fun. ya its low and rocks are big. but it was cheap and i don't mind the matienence. but on all honesty dude get what u want. did u try the grizzly 660 i have some buds with the 700's

 

i was looking at maybe trying to go smaller my first time out. im looking at the new hawkeye 4x4 or the trail boss 330. anyone have experience with these new machines? or sohuld i stick with the 450 or 500 ho efi. Tim

 

i would stick with the sportsman 500

 

I have no personnal experience with the Hawkeye but after reading some post on here about it, I don't think I would buy one. At least not until they fix all the problems it has. I think you should stick with the 500HO, it is a proven engine. If you like the Trailboss but want the power of the 500, you should maybe consider the Scrambler. Your not going to be able to do much utility type work with a Scrambler but if you are considering a Trailboss then maybe you don't need it for that. The Trailboss has been around awhile as well. My mother in law has a Magnum 330. I believe it's basically the same machine minus the storage and what not. It has been a reliable machine but is really lacking in the power department. I think if you went with a smaller quad you would be looking to upgrade very soon. A 500 is a good starting point as it has plenty of power but isn't too much power for a beginner. They all have a **** somewhere where you can turn down the throttle if that is a concern.

 

yeah the Scrambler 500 4x4 is fast than sportsman but you can do more muddin with the sportsman and it has more GC.

 

sounds like im down to three choices- the yamaha grizzly 450, kq 450 efi, or the polaris 500efi.

 

How much do you weigh? How tall are you? What type of terrain do you like to ride? What will you be using it for?

If you answer those 4 questions i guarentee you i could give you the answer of which machine will suit you best.

However, i will give you my opinion.. The KQ450 is a first year machine. I would not buy it just for that reason. It will have problems, and i dont know for sure, but i've driven a Vinson and an Eiger, and if the power is in between there (which it should be) then the 500H.O. EFI will definatly have the power advantage, a much better ride, more ground clearance, just as good, if not better 4wd system, EFI and the list goes on and on..

As far as the Grizzly/Kodiak 450 goes, i know for a fact its lacking in the power/ground clearance area. While it will get the job done, it definatly wont hang with the Sportsman 500 H.O. EFI. I really think you should go with Polaris out of these three. The bugs should be worked out for '07, and on top of that, if you want to get the deluxe model 500, you will get Polaris' new ADC(active descent control) which is their new TRUE 4 Wheel Engine Breaking. Good luck with your decision.

 

im 5'11" and 240lbs. itll mostly be used for trail riding- whatever it is we have in iowa and maybe taking it to mo when we visit family and riding with the kids. then id like to use it for plowing snow- maybe making money by plowing snow for other people, deer hunting, riding in creeks, maybe doing food plots. so... 90% fun and 10% work. thats what id use the atv for. so far i appreciate everyones help. the atv wont be abused and will be maintained. now i have a problem. i work a very anti-polaris person. he was telling me that the single lever braking system is very dangerous when going down steep, slippery hills. he's told me that he's seen people roll their polaris atv's because of this. is this true? is the single brake lever set-up that dangerous? he also told me that he knew a couple that recently bought two brand new polaris atvs', 600 and 800, took then to wv for a week of riding and they broke down. with him knocking polaris all of the time, it sorta gives me second thoughts about going with polaris. thanks...Tim

 

based on your input, I'd recommend you go test ride the Sportsman 700...

 

For what you are going to be spending go with the 500HO.. I wouldnt go any smaller.. I had a Bayou 300. It was a good machine but I wouldnt go back to anything less than a 500. With my 500 I can hang with the 700 and 800's just fine. Yeah I wish I would have went a bigger engine but the way I looked at it is i am not going to be going down a trail at 70mph.. I have had mine up to 60-61 mph on the Montana flats, and frankly that was way too damn fast. Going down trails I average between 15 and 30. And the 500 does just fine.

The 500 has the Fuji heavy duty motor in it. Proven to be bulletproof and been in the machines for what 10 years? Some correct me if im wrong. I have 600 miles on mine and no problems, friend has over 1200 on his 2005 and no problems, other friend has a 500 also and he has about 500 miles on his.. He has put his thru hell and back, and the bike looks like it too. No problems from his either.

As far as sport vs utility. I'd choose utility anyday. Have seen quads plowing sidewalks after the county plows go by, they push the snow off like it was nothing.

Brake levers. I havent had a problem yet. Have went down some steep stuff, just keep it under control.

As far as your friend knocking the Polaris. Any quad is going to have problems at some time or another. Do you research, ride em, search the forums here. Ask questions like your doing. Oh yeah and get a new friend [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] Just kidding.

I didnt take dropping 6 grand on a toy lightly. Heck my wife was mad that I spend more on the quad than her car. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
I felt comfortable in choosing what I did. Any regrets, no. Do the above and follow your gut. RIde the quads and get a good dealer. I bugged the hell out of mine before i got it. They were totally cool with it. So far they have treated me right.