I'm not too knowledgable on ATVs...much more on bikes.

I was wanting to know in the utility ATV market if there is one dominant ATV?

In the motocross market it would likely be the Honda CRF450R. It has won the majority of the past several years of magazine reviews and it is most prevalent bike at the track. Whether you are a Honda fan or not....I think they sell the most units (I don't have the actual numbers but that is my best guess).

Is there a utility ATV equivalent?

Thanks

 

Well... strickly sales... I would say the Grizzly 660/700... It's not the fastest... It's not the most powerful... it's not the softest ride out there... But it ranks high in most categories, and adding all of it's features together... It's tops.

That being said... with utility quads... you generally will be happy with any of them as long as they meet all of your needs and wants...

 

I'll be a little biased but I'd have to say Can-Am. While they are not perfect their Rotax motors are much more powerful than the competition - Can-Am 500's and 650's will out power others 700 to 800cc machines.

Down side is price - in the smaller versions (400cc's and 500cc's) the price of the Can-Am's is significantly higher than other brands in the same class. Once you get to the larger sizes the prices even out a bit, especially if you price out the standard equipment you get with the XT option package.

Pretty sure in utility bike racing circles that Can-Am and Artic Cat are the top dogs. The new AC Thundercat should be a big factor.

Jaybee

 

If you are going by total number of units sold, Honda claims over one million Ranchers have been sold worldwide.

 

There is no top dog in utility ATVs because Honda has aimed at a different target than all the other manufacturers. In open dirt bike competition all the companies have evolved into exactly the same clone except perhaps KTM with a non linkage rear end but otherwise they are all nearly the same.
So with ATVs the buyer needs to decide what is most important feature and go from there. The Honda is best for rider that wants ability to start up and run trouble free for the most years over all else. Get a Rancher or Foreman and you could have the best. For the buyer that wants acceleration above all else then you need to pick between AC or CA and you could have the best for your needs. For the rider that wants a reliable and decent performing FULL FEATURED quad then go for Yam or Suzi. Several AC and KAWI models are also full featured and very good. Polaris is ranked near top by many and near bottom by a few. Kawi is generally the most bang for the buck.
Honda, CA, and Polaris all lack features considered valuable by many riders.

 

Hi there, I would go with a rancher 420. It does great even through mud. I have had mine since July and I love it!! Good luck

 

Get a Honda ,trouble free happy yawning.

Polaris (2007)

Hawkeye 300=17
trailblazer 330=19 hp
Phoenix 200=13 hp
sportsman 450=29.7 hp
Sportsman 500 Ho (carB) 34.5hp
Sportsman 500 EFI/x2/Scrambler 500=36 hp
Predator 500 = 48 HP
Outlaw 500 = 48.6 HP
700 EFI= 44 HP
800 EFI/ 800x2 = 50.2 HP

Honda (2007)

250ex = 16.8 HP
300 EX= 17.1 HP
400 ex= 34.2 hp
500 (fm and fe) =26.9 hp
680 (rincon) =38.5 hp

Bomb (2007)

400 = 28.9 hp
500 = 39 hp
650 = 55.3 hp
800 = 61.6 hp

AC (2007)

400 = 24.8
400 DVX = 36.6
500 = 32.0
650 H1 = 39.3
700 EFI = 41.4

KAWASAKI (2007)

KLF 250A7 = 17 HP
750 (PRARIE AND BRUTE)=50.1 hp
360 = 21 hp
700 = 48.7 hp

Yamaha (2006)

450 Kodiak = 26 Hp
350 bruin = 21.3 hp
350 raptor = 26.8 hp
yfz 450 = 38.6 hp
700r = 47 hp
660 = 40.9 hp

suzuki ( 2006)
250 = 17.3 hp (2007)
400 eiger = 22 hp (2007)
a500f=32.4
f500f=33.6
700 efi is listed as 65 hp, However I'm assuming that a typo based on all the other numbers

 

there is no top dog, because they can be used for so many things. Different designs do better in different situations.

Personally, I love my Arctic Cat, because my farm is rough as a cob, lots of steep hills and rocks. The Cat is a real crawler and pulls a trailer load of firewood like a mule. But it doesn't have the snappy high speed trail handling that some people like. Doesn't bother me - if you're going over 20mph on my trails, it means you're about to smack a tree.

Some have independent rear suspension (better ground clearance, smoother ride), some have a live axle (better hard trail handling) Hondas have been popular on farms as they're very reliable, but a stock Rancher isn't as good as others when the ground gets rough. Grizzly, like others said, doesn't do any one thing better than the rest, but is a nice, balanced package.

Just depends on what you want.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: mdf24

I was wanting to know in the utility ATV market if there is one dominant ATV?

Thanks</end quote></div>

Dominant is a matter of perspective... depending on what you want to do with it ... and what you personally own!

Can Am makes one of the most refined machines on the market but you pay DEARLY for it. My buddy has an Outlander 650XT and it one sweet machine.... but I smoke it on tight trails. He smokes me on bumpy railroad tracks... Both are equal in the mud bog. I prefer my manual locking differential, he likes his Visco-Lock.

Honda is not well respected in the Big-Bore Utility ATV market. They are least likely to be found in the mud-bogs.... instead, you'll find a majority of them are Brute Force's, Can Ams and King Quads and Grizzley's and Polaris'....

When my buddy and I have gone riding, we most often run into Brute Force's and Can Am's.

 

Around here, its mostly Arctic Cats, and Honda's. However last time I was out I seen one group of people with about 10 Can-Ams. I am the only one with a Brute that I know of around here.