i am a first time atv buyer and would like to know what you all think about the 600 class. I want it for work but mostly for play: trails, rock hills . So what would be the best for all around what i want. Work would be plowing snow and possbly plowinfg dirt but mostly play. Please give help. I am mostly looking at the grizzly 660, the rincon 650, and the arctic cat 650.

 

You really can't go wrong with any of the 600-700cc machines. Here is a general breakdown of a few that I know about.

1. Kawasaki 700priarie: 697cc v-twin (most HP and torque out there), straight axial, multi-sealed rear disk breaks (not exposed to the elements), locking front diff., automatic with H/L/N/R.

2. Artic Cat 650: 633cc v-twin (kawa 650prairie motor- 2nd most HP and torque), IRS, locking front diff., automatic with H/L/N/R.

3. Yamaha Griz: 660cc single (very responsive: 3rd in HP and torque), IRS, locking front diff., automatic with H/L/N/R/P.

4. Polaris 700 EFI: 683cc parallel twin (nice low end grunt- 4th in HP and torque), IRS (probably the best ride out there, bar none), automatic with H/L/N/R/P.

5. Honda Rincon: 649cc (single- nice power curve-5th in HP and torque), IRS (very nice ride-probably 2nd to polaris in comfort), hydrostatic automatic tranny (the best tranny out there, but lacks a low range.

6. Polaris 600: 597cc parallel twin (nice low end grund - 6th in HP and torque), IRS (same as 700 ride), automatic with H/L/N/R/P.

7. The Suzuki twin peaks is the same as the kawasaki 700prairie.

These are just a few stats on these machines. Before I bought mine, I checked out off of these and made a spread sheet of the facts. Mine came down to wanting the most powerful and torquey machine, which is the kawasaki 700prairie. The polaris 700 EFI was very good to with the best ride of all. The response was fairly good as well. The griz road great too and responded very well. I rode my aunts honda rincon and is was like a mazda mittia car. It rode great and had ample power to do what she needed it to do. The artic cat 650 with the 633cc kawa v-twin motor is very nice. A lot of power and a very nice ride along with industry leading ground clearance of 13". It was a toss-up between the artic cat 650 and the kawa 700prairie. At the time, there was not artic cat dealer near me, so I went with the 700prairie, but now there is a new artic cat dealer in town. I am considering getting the AC650 to go along with my 700prairie.

GOOD LUCK....you really can't go wrong with any of these machines.

 

Any of the bikes mentioned above are great choices. Who's the best dealer should be the question. I've dealt with the same dealer, Trailside Sports for many years. number #1 in my area in Northern Ontario. he sells both Yamaha and Suzuki. I like the Grizzly the best for the locking front dif and the park feature. plus the color of the 04 LE models is the best.

 

You are so true....it helps when you have a great dealer who doesn't BS you around. Glad you found a dealer like that. Hopefully this guy can find one also. To often people go the the 1st dealer the come to and that dealer BS's them so much that they buy their quad.

Buy the way.....have you done any mods to your griz????

 

My bad Rackman......I see your pics of your griz and they look awsome.

 

No changes to motor other than a billet exhaust tip. hopefully a clutch kit soon to help turn the mudlites

 

700vtwin gave you some great advice decide what is most important to you for your riding style. Since your new to ATVs you might want to see what others are riding in the area were you plan on riding. I decided on the Prairie because it was the fastest and most fun to ride hard. There are times I wish it rode as cushy as a Polaris mostly while on long rides with family and kids when we go with friends and their families. Those trips tend to be under 20 miles per hour most the time. The Prairie feels and rides better at speeds above 30 than it does just putting around. I have to behave like a kid and ride wheelies and spin doughnuts so the Prairie does that better than the others.

 

Your first atv????? Anyone of thes quads can kill you in an instant. They all have the power to put you on your back at any given time. Have you thought about starting a lil smaller and then when yer ready for the bi bores you can sell yours to your new friends who will be wanting to get into atving and youll have a riding buddy.

 

Starting out at the top of the Utility ATV food chain is no problem if you are a disciplined rider. Heck, I started out with a Grizzly 600 and didn’t have any problems at all. Of course I’ve had many years of dirt biking experience before that. What matters most though is disciplined control. Treat the machine with respect and finesse the throttle (rather than giving it all or nothing) while you are learning to ride and you will do fine. In return you will end up with a machine that is a real workhorse and plenty of power in reserve, plus you may end up saving some money in the long run because you wouldn’t be facing the dilemma of starting out with a smaller unit and later upgrading to a larger unit should you end up wanting more power. 700vtwinman did a good job on his description summary of the popular models. Pick the ones that interest you and then go sit on each one to see how they feel to you and test ride them if possible, then make your choice based upon what is important to you…

 

Eiger2 man has a good point. If this is your 1st quad ever, you might want to look at something in the 400cc range. But, it really doesn't matter what you get, you have to respect the machine and what it can and can't do. Weather you get a big bore, mid bore, or small bore machine, chose what you want and have fun, but be careful. We all enjoy our machines, but some of us enjoy walking and want to walk in the future so we respect the machine. Good luck and let us know what you decide. Just to let you know, I started out on a honda recon 250 and it was a good entry level quad, although I probably could have started with something in the 400cc range. After two years with the recon, I bought the 700 prairie and WOW.......massive difference. I have to be careful sometimes because the power can push me around a turn faster that I want. Just my thoughts. Good Luck!