I've got a 1997 honda fourtrax 4wd, and never a moments trouble. It has hunted hard with me every year since I purchased it in July of 1996. Everything I have owned made by Honda has been ultra reliable. To me, that outweighs the fun factor when your 10 miles from any pavement. Are the newer hondas not as reliable as they used to be?

 

Might be better to post that question right in the Honda forum. You'll probably get more responses.

 

From what I hear that 650 Kawi motor is bullet proof compared to the 750. Must of just been bad luck.
I would say the griz 700 is going to be your reliable machine out of the two and chances are it will bush, plow, and work harder then a brute. I always think of Brutes as play machines, Lots of power, tons of fun, but you pay to play.

 

In my experience they are not. Their reputation for reliability was earned, and rightfully so, back in the late 80s and early 90s. In my experience their newer machines do not live up to that reputation.

In my area what usually happens is that a farmer or hunter or somebody will finally wear out his old early 90s fourtrax or foreman and go out and replace it with a new Honda expecting the same sort of rock solid reliability and he ends up sorely disappointed. He trades if off shortly thereafter and buys either a Yamaha, Polaris or Can-Am.

Back in the early 90s Honda simply dominated ATVs in my area. You just didn't see anyone riding something else. It was a real event when something else showed up. Nowadays you still see a handful of the classic late 80s early 90s fourtrax and foremans running around but the older Hondas far outnumber the newer ones. You'll see somebody show up riding a new Honda once in a while but they'll generally end up trading it off pretty quickly.

In my area these days it is Yamaha, Polaris and Can-Am. You see a few Kawasakis, Arctic Cats and the occasional Suzuki with newer Hondas being the most rare. UTVs are really coming on strong too. Lots of Polaris and Yamaha side by sides. Big Ranger models in particular.

 

I think that the reliability issue is not so much that Honda's are not as reliable as they used to be but more that most other manufacturers have stepped up and are now on equal footing with Honda. Sure, sometimes a glitch will slip through testing on a new model and make for a "bad" quad - Suzuki almost screwed up the KQ700 with a bad bearing design and even Honda got some bad press with it's early electric shifting but overall the major manufacturers have been turning out some very reliable quads for the last 8 to 10 years.

 

My old 89 Yamaha Big Bear and 87 250 Moto4 was as reliable as any Honda. Those old atv were so basic they had to be reliable.

On the newer machines with computers and sensor running the EFI, Power steering, liquid cooling alone add fans and thermal temp sensors , rads and water pumps. Then there's, digital instrument panels,hydraulic brakes, twin cylinder motors and selectable 2wd/4wd/diff lockers, you have to expect more issues to pop up then the old days.

 

I wouldn't have even given it any thought when it comes time to replace my old fourtrax. You betcha I'll do some research now. That is.... If I ever need to replace it. LOL
I'm new to this site but I can see that there are a lot of helpful people here.
Thanks guys

 

Get a Can-Am Outlander 650. It has the most hp under 800 cc's and will hang with 700s and 750s no problem. I do everything you do (work in the bush, plow and have fun), and then some, and the 650 has never let me down.

Can-Am Outlander 800R - 71 hp
Can-Am Outlander 650 - -60 hp
Kawasaki Brute Force 750 - 49.8 hp
Suzuki King Quad 750 - 49.6 hp
Yamaha Grizzly 700 - 45.6 hp
Arctic Cat 700 - 44 hp
Honda Rincon 700 - 38.5 hp

In the <800 class there is no better quad, in my opinion, than the Outlander. It is sporty yet nimble, has terrific off-road characteristics, has manageable power throughout the power band, and makes a great work horse too. The Outlander 650 has >10 hp over every <800cc quad. I love mine and wouldn't go back to any previous brand I have owned.

 

If it has to be the Kawi or the Yamaha though, go with the Yamaha. The Ultramatic transmission is great, their 4WD is pretty decent, the wide-arc A-arms are nice, and it has great power. I had a Kawi engine in my AC 650 V2 and it was nothing but problems.