Actually it is more expensive. For example, the Arctic Cat 500 manual is $300 cheaper then the 500 auto.

 

Lazyness is not why I bought a belt driven ATV.......all the big bore ATV's are AUTO's so I didn't have a choice.

 

I'm not sure they are any more expensive to make I think the mark up is simply the convenience factor just like all the auto makers, an auto. is $1,000 more on any vehicle you buy and I have my doubts it actually cost THAT much more to make.

I know any auto dealer will tell you demand for auto over manual is like 4-1. I had my Nissan Frontier 5 sp in the paper for two weeks, I sold it on the last day the ad ran. If it were an automatic I'd have sold it within three days.

My DS 650 is a 5 speed and there is a bit of a learning curve in learning to ride, I would NEVER let someone whithout a LOT of experience even think of riding it. On the flipside, I let my g/f ride my 800 and she's only ridden three times before(yikes!) she did just fine but I swear if I could have had an eye in the back of my head for a few hours THAT would of been it.

 

It's obvious that motoF150 has never spent a day on a belt drive. I used to hear all the same crap from a couple guys I work with (honda and ford guys, no doubt)... That is until we all finally got together on a big ride. Now they're saying that if they wanted a quad for trail riding only, they'd own a belt driven. It's kinda funny, because as far as I know, that's all they do. For working, they put a low gear on most belt driven quads. And what about climbing vertical hills? Since when was a hill anything but up and down?? -Yet far from vertical. It's just like the boys on straight axle quads. They've got all the answers about feeling tippy in a turn, or how you can't rock your way out of a mudhole because the IRS has to much give... All crap! Yeah, the Irs feels different... why wouldn't it? Once you're used to it, it's all good. I've owned a few quads over the years and I wouldn't have anything but an IRS belt driven. For the most part, you CAN abuse them and they will hold up. You can push anything to hard. And oh yeah, people are to lazy to shift gears? My work truck is a 5 speed. I don't even think anything about it. It's just part of driving, although maybe that's getting outdated for a quad. 2 strokes were once popular too. Things are changing...

Now on with the thread question. Personally, I've always liked yamaha. I have owned something from every Japanese brand(quads and/or dirtbikes) and never changed my mind about yamaha. Hondas are good for a farmer. If you wanna trail ride your ute, buy something else. Polaris, well, it's your money. Them and Bombardier are the only belts I've ever seen slip when nobody else had a problem. How many polaris's have you seen with a big hole burnt in the side plastic below the seat? I've seen a few. And those awful plastic racks, and ugly *** headlights, I could go on, but having said that, the polaris's seem to go really good in mud etc. Bombardiers are just to dang expensive for the crap you get. I know some people are gonna be pissed, just my opinion here. Come talk to us in a couple years and we'll see who's still holding up. Arctic cat, I liked until I started noticing several of them running hot, and they always seem to have something rattling or making noise or a warning light on or something. -Expensive too. Kaw and Suzi seem like good dependable bikes as far as I've seen. All in all, I like the yamaha for dependability, performance, $$value and useability. And by performance I don't mean drag racing down the road in front of your house.

 

I've got an 06 sportsman and had water over the seat (for a couple sec) and no slipping. An older sportsman would have most likely slipped. I've seen a couple bf750's slip when they are hitting a big hole at high speeds, but you are asking for trouble if you hit the water that fast. Most all are designed to be sealed tight except for the intake and exhaust vents for the cvt housing. Yes, they can develop leaks but the overall dependabilty as been great with both my quads. I use to question cvt quads until I bought my first one. Now I wouldn't have another manual shift if my life depended on it (sarcastic of course). As far as AC growing and breaking records I can totally agree on that. But the fact remains that 85% of the market share is owned by the 3 big companies. In no order ( it varies each quarter) Yamaha, Polaris, and Honda Have been heading the pack. Suzuki is gaining very fast as they as of last quarter were the biggest movers. AC and Kawi are growing at great rates but just as every company has and are still fighting this, The overall popularity seems to always fall dead in front of a great quad just because of the name on the side. The big ATV giant (honda) has lost market share for the last while now. It seems they have been the least willing to step up to the plate with the innovations that draws customer appeal. There bullett proof machines of the past are starting to go away and are having way more issues than ever before. If Polaris is not careful, they to can get stuck in this catogory. They have been the innovative leader for a long time but when patents run out and nothing new is showing up other than plastic and new graphics people will start to loose interest in there product. I hope I havn't ticked anyone off and if so I will apologize in advance. Just trying to give my 2 cents

 

I agree with what you said ncriderforks. It would be nice to see Honda step up to the plate and make somthing in the 500 to 600cc and as far as Polaris goes...well....i am not a real big fan of them. Shure they make a big ATV, but plastic racks and bumpers, how is that gonna protect or hold up to anything. and as far as the belt sliping thing, i have had my Grizz for almost a year and the belt has never sliped yet, whitch surprises me caus of a lot of the things i have to haule around.

 

Thanks for the feedback, I'm just the oppisite on the racks though, For my use the racks are great for the ability to tie things off and the large flat surface makes it easier for me to hang on to stuff. But, for each there own. Guess that's why its so nice that most all brands are now very close to each other in overall reliability. You can about pick anyone you want that fits your wants and needs and not worry too much about the decision you made.

 

Yeah that is true. The one thing i do like about Polaris and AC is the fact that they both have a 2" recever. I did buy one that bolts on the hitch on an ATV but the setup i have there is to much sticking out and when i put a verry heavy load on it it bends. I am thinking about buying the 2" recever that Yamaha makes to replace the hitch on their ATVs.

 

hmmm I've got a good idea for that 2" reciever.........

 

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