good choice, the 500 has plenty of power and the ride is phenominal, very plush and handles well!

 

Grizzly 450
Grizzly 550

Those are the most versitile machines in it's weight class.

 

that only proves, "Good things come to those who wait!" Great deal on a very good machine!

I was lucky enough to run across a similar deal on our '06 300 Hawkeye...it was a raffle prize with 9 miles on the speedo...$3500 OTD! Wife loves it!

 

The Grizzly 550 is the best 500 cc class atv on the market without a doubt with the Polaris Sportsman 550 XP coming in 2nd for performance wise. Grizzly 450's will have almsot everything you want as well except FI and EPS but really the Grizzly 550 is one of the best machines on the market peroid.


The Kingquad 550 is also fantastic and very close to the competition if only it had a little more ground clearance. These all come in EPS and are great choices but I doubt the Sportsman 550 XP is very reliable and probably needs alot of of maintaining. The Kingquad 450 is also an amazing machine. You can get Kingquad 400's for dirt cheap ...like $4,000 brand new...old technology but reliable with a reasonable price and very good basics.

The Honda Rubicon is way to overpriced and has old technology for the most part other than the transmission and digital instruments and GPS if you get that one. Oh and power steering. But way to expensive, straight axle, no diff lock, weaker engine....not worth it. The Rancher 420 is a fantastic machine though and has power steering. The only thing the Rancher 420 does not have is a diff lock.


The Can Am 500 is good and has plenty of power. Very good machine.

Arctic Cat 500's are good and have everything you would want except power steering and their stock tires kinda look like crap to me.


For me the list would go like this taking everything into consideration including price. These are what the best buys would be in my opinion.


1. Grizzly 550 perferabely with EPS.
2. KingQuad 550 perferabely with EPS.
3. Kingquad 450 perferabely with EPS or Grizzly 450.
4. Honda Rancher 420 4x4 FI EPS

Sportsman would of made it but Polaris has the worst repair record.

 

and you came up with this info all on your own or do you actually have something to back it up!?

 

I have a 2000 Kodiak 400 for 4 years and love it and have not found it underpowered for all the chores i put upon it including plowing & pulling up to 6000 lb vehix behind it. the tires loose traction first. i'll remedy that soon. crossy