Looking to buy my first quad, and have it narrowed down to these 2 but I am having a hard time deciding. Hoping to get some experienced opinions...

I will use it mostly for trail riding, hunting, fishing, etc... but will also use it to plow my driveway and do some "playing" (buddies have Wolverine and Scrambler 500). I have shortly test ridden both, and here's where I'm at:

Both are $6700 out the door.

500 HO: very smooth ride, adequate power, everyone says the IRS is the way to go, but to me it felt less stable and more tippy than the Rubicon. Was looking at getting green (for hunting), but the Polaris green is ugly, to say the least. Although it weighs 100# more, I didn't really notice it. I liked being able to run in 2wd and roost the backend. Not enough room to test top end, I'm guessing around 60mph?

Rubicon: accelerates VERY quickly, I loved the tranny - especially being able to pick a gear and stay in it, this seems handy for towing and climbing. Felt very stable, almost untippable. Also was very smooth eventho no IRS. My one drawback is it doesn't have a 2wd mode for playing around, although in 4wd steering was light. Nice green color. Top speed 65mph???

I'm torn. Maybe I should be looking at the Grizzly? I don't think I can get that for $6700.

 

I rode both machines on trails in Colorado in Aug. Both ran fine. The Ruby was too harsh for me. I don't like steel racks and the drum brakes are poor. The trans worked fine but I'd worry about reliability with 6 sensors and a computer. It sometimes would not start when in gear because of the rev limiter. When in neutral it started right up. Overall I much prefered the smoother ride, the composite racks, the demand 4wd, the better seat, and much simpler controls of the Polaris. The buttons on the left grip are very confusing and the starter button is way too low and hard to reach. The composite racks work much better than steel and are comfortable to sit on.

 

polaris is 60mph while the Ruby is more like 55mph. In rocks, the polaris is way more safer than the ruby. I prefer the Sportsman, but i'm a little biased[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

For reliability go with the Rubicon although you will be lucky to see 55 mph and it rides pretty rough, not true 4 x 4 and drums suck.

The 500 HO has an awsome ride, excellent power, will go at least 60 mph, and has true locking 4 x 4. I have a few friends who bought them and they love them when they are working properly but seem to have some reliability issues, but hey you gotta pay to play.

How come you arent considering one of the new big bores like a Kawi 650 or Grizz 660?
IF you did consider these two, the Kawi is the most stable and in my opinion the more reliable of the two.
The Grizz has almost as much power as the Kawi and rides much smoother but seems to have cooling issues(boiling gas in the carb on hot days) and weak cv's.
Good luck in your decision.

 

I am a Rubicon owner after trying both last year. In its defense, the drums may suck but I never use them. The tranny provides excellent engine braking and superior acceleration off the line.

Hands down the sportman has a faster top end. My will run 54 if I am luckey. The IRS has a better ride and is better in the deep stuff. The Rubicon has a more bumpy ride but is VERY stable with a lower center of gravity.

Honda lighter and steers lighter. Sportmans true 4wd.

Reliability? Put the legendary Polaris (depends on who you ask) record against a unknown tranny in the honda. I must admit for the first time in my life I purchased a extended warranty because of the tranny. But to date no problems with mine and it just works to smooth. My only complaint about it is that I cannot take it out of 4wd to mess around.

So ask yourself, what are you going to do with the quad. Each has its strengths.

Later

 

Can you hold on just a little longer? As soon as the 700s hit the floor, the 500 HOs will go cheaper, trust me. They are about $6300 here, out the door, with a winch. $6700 is all that, plus the 4 year extended warranty. Almost every day you see one dealer or another with a new lowball price.

As for the HO vs. Ruby debate, I will sum it up as briefly as I can.

Quality of both is excellent, and I doubt one is much better than the other will be BUT the HO will take more maintanence. If you don't mind greasing things, the HO will suit you fine. Also, it has more CV boots to care for. Not a big deal unless you don't notice one tearing and drive it that way long enough to ruin the joint.

If you want smoother ride, more power, higher speed, and more towing capacity, go with the HO.

If you want somehting where you just poke the starter button and drive, other than an occasional oil change, go with the Ruby.
The Ruby is definately 'enough' machine.
Not as smooth as the HO, but for most people smooth enough.
Not as fast, but usually fast enough.
Can't haul/tow quite as much, but will work hard enough.
(Get the pattern here)
However, you will be getting a low-maintanence mahine with a much better resale value with the Ruby.

Personally, I would get the HO, and drive it until the wheels fell off, so resale doesn't mean much to me.

 

The Griz is worth a look. I think the IRS is the way to go. I really like my 500 HO and would buy it again! I had a 1993 Trail Boss 250 that I owned for 8 years that I liked also and it was bullet proof. The Rubicon is a good machine but the ride and performance is not par with the Sportsman.

 

Thanks for all the input. I think I maybe need to take another ride on the HO before I decide - I'm thinking I mistook the plushness of the suspension as feeling unstable and tippy. Obviously Honday agrees that IRS is the way to go, as the new Rincon will have it. I just don't want to wait that long.

I will have to also try the Grizzly and Prairie 650. I just don't think I can get either of those for less than $7000 out the door. Dealerships in the Denver area don't seem to deal that much; which is weird given the state of the economy. Maybe I'll check out the Suzuki Vinson also (it's less $, but no IRS).

 

I would check out those new arctic cats with the irs too. I don't know if they are out yet, but they look pretty impressive on paper.

 

Actually, I've never ridden a Sportsman. I did ride a friends Rubicon. I really liked the Honda's transmission, it worked real well. I couldn't believe how easy it steered, I was quite impressed. Honda seems to have the best reputation for reliability, and Hondas are lower maintenance than Polaris.
That being said, the Rubicon rode like a lawnmower. It was a lot rougher than my Xpedition. As far as maintenance goes... I was raised by a farmer. I don't trust anything I can't grease!
I think either machine would do the job, it just depends what features you want.