When I bought my 700, most of my sport-minded friends went, "why!?!"

I never really was into jumping or doing tricks, I like speed so I bought the Raptor first, but wanted to play in the mud (I got older, but didn't grow up), so I bought the 700.

This weekend we went riding and it has rained on and off for the past week here. My friends had to turn back on a couple of trails because of the mud (YFZ 450 and 400 EX). The 450 got stuck and I had to pull him out with the winch. After I went through the same mud twice, both my friends were jumping up and down like a bunch of 6 year olds wanting to ride the big 700. On the trails they took off, but we all caught up at the next big mud with them trying to tiptoe around it while watching me go through it.

I can see your point about the western states (I have friends there); I would probably spend more time on my Raptor there. However, here in NC we don't have too much wide open spaces. Most of the time the Raptor is in 1-3 gear, I only see 80 to and from the trailhead. It's nice to ride a utility and not have to worry about bottoming out on old rutted trails and hillclimbs. Usually, I go up the hillclimbs first and then help friends on sport quads if they get hung on a rut on the way up, the winch is nice in this case. 75% of our riding is in the woods trails and you can bet that there was somebody on a utility that made them first. We strap the saws and pruners to the back of the utilities and do maintenace during the summer (and camp while we're at it). You can't do that on the Raptor.

Also, I'm not as worn out after a day of riding on the 700 as I am on a smaller, and lighter Raptor. Thank God for IRS.

 

My problem with utes isn't that they are 4X4's, but that they are BIG AND HEAVY! Someday, there will be a REAL "sport ute"! A 4X4, but with great handling and that doesn't weigh 600+ lbs. For now, the Wolverine is the closest anybody can get. (Cue for you Polaris owners to claim that your bikes are the REAL sport utes!) Rumor is that Honda is working on a new 250, that is 4X4 and light. With new engine technology, dirt bikers are getting 30+ hp. out of little 250's, so this isn't the impossible dream!

All things considered, a sport bike is way SAFER than a big, heavy ute. Off cambers that will challenge a narrow, top heavy ute, are a breeze on a sport bike. If you roll a bike, which would you rather have on top of you??? A 350 lb. sport bike with soft fenders, or a 600+ lb. monster, with racks??? But for me, there are places where a sport bike just won't go, so I own some utes, but the ones I choose are on the LIGHT AND SMALL SIDE. In addition we aren't in the snow that much, and mud is non-existent, so I can usually get away with (lighter!), 2X4 utes.

 

I don't mind that my 4x4 is big and heavy. That's what I want. I do a lot work with mine that a smaller and lighter 4x4 just wouldn't be able to do or if it could do it, it might be too taxing for the machine. As for the safety issue of bigger and heavier quads it still comes back to the rider and what the rider was doing. If the rider is taking chases and gets hurt in the process it's not the quads fault that the rider was injurer or worse. It's a machine and you have to respect it and know your limits when you ride. If you want to take chances don't blame the big heavy quad when you get hurt.

As for sport bikes yeah when I was a kid that's what I wanted and that's what I rode. But to me it's not practical anymore. Yeah I guess I grew up and the sport bike part grew out me you could say. Sport bikes are a good looking machines I will say but I'll take my Utility not sport utility over sport any day of the week. Yes it's heavy, it's real heavy but it does what it's designed to do and going fast, jumping and pulling off wild tricks is not it's thing nor mine for that matter.

 

I'll be raceing my Griz in a moto cross on the 4th, I'll let you know how it went. I've been practicing and except for the fact that I can't jump and have to take it farley easy in the woops, I'm just as fast as most others on the track.

By the way, I traded the Raptor for the Griz and think it's the best deal I ever made. Utility quads have come a log way since the old reliable Honda Fourtrax of the mid 90's. Don't knock what you haven't tried.

60 miles of trails with rocks creeks hills bumps and whatever else mother nature can throw at you is a lot funner than going up and down a sand hill, but, to each hi or her own.

 

No need for those of us within the ATV sport to further divide into rival camps! Why don't we all just have fun on quads?
A bunch of us paramedics with utes go on a ride every year in the back country. One of the guys had a friend with a Warrior who came along one year. Nice fellow. Boy did he have to work, though! Some of the rougher trails and more or less creek beds with huge rocks on a steep uphill I didn't think he was going to make it. He'd be hanging up high centered on his back sprocket guard and disk guard, working his clutch and stalling, scrambling off the quad sometimes to push and wrestle with it... Made a guy feel guilty to just pick a line and crawl along like nothing at all while he worked his bag off fighting with that thing. On the flat road pieces he'd fly along but when it got harder he was in real trouble. We had to give him a push and tow a few times. He made it, though. A real trooper. Happily the place we were going camping was a remote hot springs where others had installed some tubs years ago. We all had a good scotch inspired soak, which he needed more than anybody.

 

I've had both sports and utes and I can say that you are all right in saying these are two different animals. You can't compair these so why try? It's like all those people who want to say my Honda is better than your Suzuki...come on now. When you are on the trails the name on your bike makes no difference as long as you are having fun. Why are other people always trying to bring everyone else down by saying their quad is better than yours? I say who cares and get to riding! I'm sure we all did a lot of research and bought what we thought was the best for our riding style. This is like saying that my sports car is better than your Jeep. Right now I live in Alaska and there is no way I would own a sport quad but let me tell you if I move to California I'll be one of the first to pick me up a new 2x4.

My brother who lives in Kentucky just bought a Raptor because he got a super deal. He took it out on the trail the other day and said that he couldn't even get out of third gear! I can't fault him for buying it because he got a super deal but he will more than likely sell it because he just can't ride it where he lives. What's the point of having a machine like that if you don't have the room to open it up? He's never owned a ute but I'm sure if he would just try one of the newer ones he would love them.

Like I said before I've road both sports and utes and I have to say there is nothing more satisfying than tackling extreme trails with boulders, rivers, mud pits, and mountains. If I had to pick between the two I would buy the sportiest 4x4 I could find and call it a day. But since we don't have to settle for just one ATV then why have this conversation at all. Why don't we all just get back to what we all love to do...RIDING!

 

Holy $h*t did you ever stir a wasp nest...I guess that was your point.

I agree with you somewhat; my 700 lb. Polaris Sportsman doesn't belong on the dunes. I didn't buy it for the dunes and I won't be seen at the dunes. However, I hate to see a loud a$$, obnoxious sport bike in the mountains - they just don't belong on rocky trails and in mud. It's apple and oranges.

I guess to each his own.

Mr. Tommy - right on!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

sport. 4+4..will that is what a scrambler is. i dono im just saying. i love my scrambler i got 2+4 to 4+4. with a flick of a switch. i can roost like crazy when i want, wheelie as far as the eye can see and go mudding with the best..........what more could you want?... when you can do it all and do it will.

 

85 mph on a quad? Now THAT'S scary! 85 in a car is getting on the scary side these days, and that's with a cage (of sorts) surrounding you. And it's exactly this 85 mph stuff that's going to help kill our fun sport (besides killing those DOING it!). And the manufacturers will keep building these things faster and faster because we keep buying them. All of a sudden we'll wake up one morning and the fed will have passed some law (while we were virtually and literally asleep) totally outlawing ATV's except on private property - YOUR property. And if you don't think it can happen, see how many new "three wheeler" ATV's you can find on the showroom floor.

And this is not an argument for or against any type of ATV. This is ATV's in general. ALL of us. We gotta be 'nice' to the others out there using the dunes, the woods, the deserts, everything. "They're" after us! We 'gunners' at least have the NRA, but we 'ATV'ers' really have no one.

I'm gettin' scared that my weekend fun may someday be gone, or as near to gone as they can make it.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

MrTommy,

Wrecking on the dunes at 85mph is just fine. Sport bikes only weigh 5lbs and sand doesn't hurt when you wreck (it's like a pillow). Don't worry, natural selection is taking over.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] By the way, nice point.