The 2000-ish 500s that my neighbors have have had a few issues. The windshields were a pain to get on and off, and the plastic split easily. They don't even use the windshields anymore. The throttle cables also aren't so great on them. One one of the ATVs, it went through a phase where you'd try to adjust the throttle, but at the slightest rotation of the cable adjuster up by the throttle, it would either rev too high, or threaten to stall. That's been fixed, but now on the other one, the engine revs up when you turn the handlebars too far. And if you throw it in to four wheel drive, it takes several pushes and pulls of the lever and jabs at the throttle to pull it back out.

Other than those and the engines being very hard to start (although an accidental tank of diesel solved that problem), they are very solid machines from what I've seen and very fun to ride; smooth ride, nice soft seat (again compared to my sport quads), ergonomic. They're ridden really hard, high speed down our dirt road with plenty of rocks, roots, holes, ruts, and mud, and they haven't had any chassis issues. And, compared to my sport quads, they're huge and powerful, therefore they are commonly referred to as "The Tanks".

 

they just look "cheap" the rubbermaid plastic they use for levers and such is one good example

 

I just gave away a 1987 Kawaski Bayou 300 to my neighbor- That quad went through just about everything. I swore I'd always own a Kawasaki -I'm tellin ya I went through every conceivable type of trail. It never let me down. The only down side - It wore me out --The way you sit on the seat or the height compared to the angle/width of the bars...It just wasnt comfortable over all. Fatigue was an issue.

Well, I swore I'd always buy a Kawasaki untill I rode that 2003 Eiger.- It's very comfortable for trail-riding and it's awesome for speed riding. It's tons more stable than the Bayou too. Today I rode 16 miles round trip to buddies place. He's got a Polaris. We did a little tooling around and then I rode on back to the house. No biggie - It's the ride back that's the point here.

It's exactly 8.6 miles one way - 95% GRAVEL ROAD. I rode the ENTIRE way back at about 40-45MPH! It took me 15-16 minutes max!! - The EIGER and it's 'footprint' felt very comfortable at that speed for that distance on the unstable gravel road. - Not once did I get that 'flimsey' feel. The stability rocks.

With the exception of twice when I made two hard 90's I stayed in 5th gear the entire way! It has the torque on the bottom end and all the way through the throttle- in the middle of the ride you have to pull a few steep hills that are pretty long too I never missed a beat. It pulled every hill the entire wat back with grand authority. The top end is there for sure but, even better, it's got the 'umph' in every gear to back it up.

When I got back to the house - I didnt feel like I had been 'beaten up' either.

The Eiger - It's awesome all around and it wont break the bank.

 

If you want the best ride buy a quad with four wheel independant suspension.

 

yepp, you're right....i just picked up a 08' Arctic Cat 700 efi.....this thing is ridonkulous.....12" of ground clearance with 10" of play in the independent suspension.....I just got back from a 6 hour ride....I was blown away by what this thing goes over and through

 

My favorite is still my Suzuki Vinson 500...it was the largest displacement available with a manual shift (auto clutch) and being able to choose gears was and still is important to me. Disc brakes on both ends, low range transmission, it had a solid rear axle but still has a very comfortable ride and handles very nimbly for a 4WD..power slides are not a problem. The downside is that it didn't have locking front differential or EFI.

I also have a 650 Arctic Cat TRV that is a great ride with no problems other than a bit of rear suspension sag

 

I picked up the 2010 550 Sportsman XP and I love the ride and handling you get with the transverse-mounted engine, thinner seat (in the front where it counts riding for 8 hours) and power steering. I spent a couple hours throwing it around in the woods today and it still amazes me how easy it is to whip it through the tight twisty stuff. It's not lacking in horsepower or speed, either.

 

Having owned a full size atv from every major brand worth owning here are my 2 cents.

My first choice would be a Can-Am Outlander, preferably 650 or 800 so you get the double a-arms rather than the strut up front. I currently own a 650 XT (non power steering and non visko-lok QE). Prior to owning the Outlander I would have said hands down Polaris, but no longer. The Polaris has a pretty smooth ride, plush seat, and is an overall decent machine. My in-laws get a new Polaris every year and sell one every year, and every year they have problems of some sort. The Sportsman is the best selling ATV because they are cheap, and with a cheap price comes cheap build quality. When I test drove the Outlander I was blown away at how smooth it rode. The suspension handles the bumps without a hiccup, the seat is plush, the power is smooth and managable, yet the torque to throw you about off the machine is there when you need it, the build quality in my opinion is extremely great. The ACs are not really trail machines, but more of an off-road machine, which they really don't shine at either. Having owned ACs for the better part of my life I know from experience. They are cumbersome on the trail, sit too high and are more tippy than other brands riding aggressively on the trail. The Suzuki and Kawasaki engines in the ACs suck hard, which also means the Suzuki and Kawasaki engines in Suzukis and Kawasakis suck hard. The diff lock on the Can-Ams and Polaris are easily the best. Followed by Yamaha and AC and lastly by Suzuki and Kawi. I don't feel Honda is a 4x4 machine so I don't include them, as they don't even have a fully locking front differential yet. If I wasn't going to buy a Can-Am I would get a Yamaha. They have a smooth ride, plush seat, and great built quality, but just don't have the power and capability that Can-Am offers. Can-Am hands down winner, followed by Yamaha, AC, Polaris, and nobody.

Commence flaming...

 

Mostly right except the suzuki engines are all set their 500cc liquid is INDESTRUCtABLE!!!!!!

Not counting Honda because no diff lock??... I have owned diff lock quads..never used it one time except to make sure it was still working right when I sold them.

 

Another reason to avoid Honda is the lack of IRS on all of their quads with the exception of the Rincon, which only has 10".

If you look at the 600 class Can-Am isn't even as overpriced as most assume.

Honda Rincon 675 - $8799

Can-Am Outlander 650 - $8599

Arctic Cat 700 - $8699

Polaris Sportsman 550 - $7499

Yamaha Grizzly 700 - $8899

Suzuki King Quad 750 - $8199

Kawasaki Brute Force 650i - $8099