Me and a buddie venture up to Spider Lake pretty often, you should tag along next time, its a blast! He has an sp 700, so we can give him crap the whole time, like i do when he bottoms out on logs and teeter totters for a while, after i already climbed over it!

 

That sounds like a great time, just give me a few weeks notice, and I would love to come. After moving here I have no place to ride [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] Count me in [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

What a can of worms can be opened when someone asks which quad is most fun to ride, I've never ridden a quad that wasn't fun to ride! Every individual has their own preference for the machine they own maybe price, maybe speed, maybe power, sometimes even just for appearance. Good luck making a decision though, the choices are endless.

 

my vote would be for the vinson 500 auto or manule, cant go wrong with this quad.
very well built fun to ride and it has enough power to take you were ever you want.
the 4x4 and handling is good also.

 

I agree that a locker would be nice, but I have learned that a limited slip works quite well if you ride properly and you have good tires. Other things to also look at when buying are dependability, maintenance issues, repair/breakdown histories, gas mileage and is it a first year model. I would never buy a first year run, especially since I ride by myself all of the time......you're a guinea pig for finding all of the problems, mistakes etc. Even the ATV I ended up buying had a rough 1st and 2nd year, but I bought it in its 5th year of production. I know I'll get responses to this but.....take a look at the King Quad,...great bike, but in its 1st year last year it has had its share of issues ranging from blown reverse to this and that.

With 26" mudlites with big lugs you can go through a lot of c r a p. I routinely go through very rough and muddy areas. I go through these fields and swampy areas where tons of trees have been cut and are lying all over the place......I can go up and over the many logs, rocks and obstacles with no problems. Maybe not as well as lets say an Artcic Cat but I can still do it.........I was amazed at what you can get get through and over with limited slip.

When I was shopping for an ATV last August, a locker was at the top of my list for features I wanted in an ATV. After shopping around, a lot of reading and a few test drives, I ended up getting a limited slip with a solid rear solid axle.....a Vinson 5speed.

For me I found that alot of bikes I sat on just didn't feel right or the seating position was awkward ( lean too far forward, cramped etc ), or they had a bad rap for maintenance issues, breakdowns etc. Once I sat on the Vinson, everything felt right....great seating position, etc.....plus a good track record, execpt for 2002 and 2003 issues and frame problems. I rented one for a day and I was sold. I tried both a friends Auto and a 5speed and liked the 5 speed better ( plus $600 cheaper )

With the mudlites I can go through some really nasty stuff, just not in the same comfort as a Polaris or Arctic Cat. It just means I have to go slower in the really rough stuff. I havnt really had a clearance issue yet. I also only have 600 lbs stuck in the mud not 720 + . And if I do get stuck, I have this wonderful thing called a winch.

In moderately bumpy woods trails you can really pick up the pace and push the Vinson for a fast paced ride and it handles superbly on tight windy trails.....the 5 speed makes it even more fun.........if thats what you like......I do.

I read somewhere on this forum where someone said to buy what matches 90% of your riding. If you don't spend a lot of time in the mud or really rough areas than a locking diff or indepedant suspension wont really matter. If you live for going where no man has gone before, than get that kind of atv.....if your going out for rides and go through occasional rough stuff and muck you dont need the best of the best.

I found that for me, my ATV gets me through the rough stuff great, has a big fun factor, and was easy on my pocket book. My friend bought a grizzly....I bought a Vinson and a $2000 14 ft trailer for thee same price.....and I use a hell of a lot less gas.

 

Some of the most fun I ever had on an ATV was on my old Blaster, we would boondock with them and just have a ball...but my buddies also had Blasters and Warriors.


If your gonna ride with friends then perhaps get a bike to match them, be a lot more fun that way. You don't always gotta have a better bike than your buddies, some of the fun is detracted when you look down on them

 

You guys makin plans without me again?! Buggers.


My vote for all-around machine would probably be the Cat 400. Biased? You betcha. I own a cat and I love it.

 

Hey, you can come! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Yay! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]