which 4wheeler?
and what is your fav. thing about them?

the honda Rubicon ?

the susuki quadrunner 500

the susuki quadmaster 500

or last one honda 45ES

any Polaris i don't want cause they are horrible for what we do here cause it is bad in the water and are breaking down for people here...

not the Grizzly cause it breaks down on my friend and is only AIR cooled !!!!

no artic cats cause we don't have them

and no kaw. cause they are breaking down for my friends!


honda's or susuki's please but i am open minded

i want a big 4wheeler

 

Maxout--I will agree that although I had very few problems with my Hondas (Between me and my kid I bought close to 20) I tried Polaris. Like all manufacturers they are continually upgrading their products. I wanted at least 500cc's, water cooling, and a lot of ground clearance. Honda did not and of yet still has'nt released the Rubicon. I bought a Sportsman 500. Great ground clearance, suspension and a simple automatic to boot. Most of my friends ride Polaris and we have not had any problems like I read on the Polaris post. Also I have been through a lot of water with no belt slippage. Maybe you need to ride some of those bikes and not rule them out without giving them at least a test ride. Locking the all wheel drive button and putting the tranny in the low side is awsome. I don't try to go places I would'nt go on my Honda 300 4x4 but I go more comfortably and don't have to hit them as hard.

Gardner10

 

Hey Maxout,

I have a Grizzly and love it. It may be air cooled, but so is the Honda 450. And my guess is the "45"ES you mentioned is underpowered. lol

Second, SuZZZZZZZZuki makes a Quadmaster and Quadrunner 500, haven't heard of SuSSSSSSuki. Mark them off your list too.

It looks like by process of elimination that leaves the Honda Rubicon. I hope you are patient, have plenty of money, and get your name in on the list early.

 

Maxout,
I am on my 2nd ATV and would say you need to consider what type of riding you have in mind. Alot of units do well just following the leader slowly through the woods, but when the pressure is on, is when the weakness shows up like belt slippage/noise chain drives eating dirt and not lasting long, etc .
For me, I prefer the Traxter for a couple reasons,
Engine-water cooled great Rotax engine,
Step thru, this is great for old fat folks.
Easy steering, feels like a 2 wheel drive when running normal speeds,
Works great for pushing/pulling or retreiving, guess this due to the heavy weight and that I added 84lbs to front storage box.

Anyway most important issue is the type of useage you have in mind.
What ever you get, enjoy it and dont pay too much attention to all critics.

Smile

 

I think you should go with the HONDA RUBICON because it will ilimante all compatition and honda rulls [GO HONDA]

 

Sorry Lovinhonda, got to do it:

you wrote: I think you should go with the HONDA RUBICON because it will (eliminate) ilimante all compatition and honda (rules) rulls [GO HONDA].

But I do agree with you.

 

I have a Suzuki Quadrunner 500 - very nice, powerful machine. Water cooled, 500 cc, four wheel drive, high low range. They are excellent machines, and I feel they have an edge on the honda. There are a number of reasons for this: The suzuki has a bigger engine, tighter turning radius, high low range, is water cooled and has a far more effective limited slip differential in the front end. I am comparing my Suzuki to a Foreman 450 S that I have ridden extensively at work. The Suzuki is quieter too - the honda creaks and groans at every hill or bump you go over. To be fair, the honda has a hell of a track record. I have a Honda ATC 250ES that was built in 1985 that cannot be hurt. We have a real farm, and countless people have learned to drive atv on that thing. It was at dealership recently for a go-through and although it has been abused and tourtured extensively the engine and tranny are in "excellent shape". The honda has a proven track record, and is slightly more comfortable, but also costs a good deal more. Good luck whatever you choose, but you wont be sorry with the "susuki".

 

Well all the quads you mention are fine. You just need to decide on the way you want to use it.
When it comes to reliability nothing compares to the Hondas. I ride approximatly 2500 to 3000 miles per year on my 450s, without a single breakdown. I have owned or ridden most every brand at some time and there are good and bad points in each one. There are no belt drive models I would ever consider for the WET riding our group does.
But if you are more interested in normal trailriding with occasional water crossings and mud, most any of them will do. BUT if you really prefer to ride rather than maintain your quad I would stick to one in the Honda line.
Being a mechanic by profession I get enough wrench time at work so I dont want to spend my free time working on my wheeler.
Another thing to consider is resale value. I am sure someone will have comments about individual stories they have about this or that quad but when it comes time to sell or trade up nothing holds its value like a HONDA.

Good Luck on what ever you choose.

 

I would vote for the Suzuki 500quadrunner. It's manual shift, high/low range, reliable, and very powerful. Suzuki doesn't advertise much hence they're not very popular but, in my view, they're an awesome machine. I test drove and read about every large bore ATV on the market, particularly the manual shifters and, admitedly, Suzuki wasn't even in contention at first. While looking at the Polaris 425 and the Yamaha Big Bear one day, I noticed a few Suzukis near-by and asked the saleman about them. That started a month long search regarding statistics and forum reads and, to make a proverbial long story short, I bought the 500 quadrunner (2000 model). It has proven itself well since.
tb

 

Hondas are excellent machines,but I think you might ought to look at Kawasaki's.they are excellent trouble free machines.I have a 95 400 with 27 vampires and it is an admirable machine.The one you need to look at is the rumored Kaw 650 thats supposed to be out in a few more months.I have been running 5 years on the same plug and never had to replace any parts ,plus I am liquid cooled.I will tell you that Ga. clay is rough on Atv's.Also you need to pay attention to center of gravity and weight distrubution if you are going to climb hills.