hi i had the same problem you did choosing between the beartracker and recon im 13 and am gonna buy the recon. its the best in its class its dependable as hell i know cause my freind has one and the had a shoot out in one of the atv magazines i forgot the name of it though. it was between the beartrackerm, recon, bayou220 and the trailblazer. the recon blew them all away it was also rated a five star machine in the november issue of4 wheel atv action. trust me get the recon you wont regret it

 

I don't know much about the Beartracker (never rode one). But I did own a Recon. It was a solid machine but definitely cold natured. Even in the summer it was a pain warming that thing up. Otherwise, the only difference I'm aware of between the two is that the Yamaha has disc brakes (the brakes on my recon had to be adjusted after every ride).

 

Well my recon was very cold natured when i first got it, but now it starts the first push of the button and i can start it and be out of my garage before i choked my blaster and got it runnin. As for the brakes my front brakes came broke but i got them fixed and can power brake easily now. L8TA

 

Well, the beartracker is better from what I have seen. My cousin has one and it is tough as heck. Its been through everything imaginable. Wrecked every way imaginable(flipped-FORWARD AND BACKWARDS, rolled, ran head on into a huge pine tree-LOL,stood on end) and it cranks right up everytime. No probs. All we do is beat the racks back into shape with a sledge hammer-hehe. We went camping and rode with a recon and the beartracker tore it up. Better jump off line in a race, didnt bog down as easy(we had an old suzuki that had to be push started and the recon bogged a little trying to push it). Overall, the beartracker is a better machine. Now it has disk brakes so that makes it even better. GET THE BEARTRACKER!! You wont be disapointed

98 Big Bear 4X4(many mods)
99 Grizz(pretty much stock)
http://www.bigbadbears.gotoo.com

 

 

The Recon will do more than 38.....it does 45

 

The Recon has a stronger front end for crash protection. It has dual A-arms in front. The seat is softer and wider on the Recon. Yes the Recon is cold natured and it has drum brakes, but the brakes stop me just fine. Air filter access is easier on the Beartracker but the Recon seems to have a better filter system. Reverse on the Beartracker is a very old design, the Recon is much more user friendly. Beartracker comes with a hitch where it is an option on the Honda. The Beartracker requires more shifting to keep it going. The Beartracker has a more upright seating position which to me makes it feel more unstable. The Recon is harder to steer and its throttle is harder to push which can make very long rides more tiring then the Beartracker. Stock tires are much better on the Recon. I think the Bear is just a silght bit faster. Both are good machines, but neither are great. After riding at Attica today I really wish we had bought something else. Neither machine is all that fun in the sand and jumps compaired to the 300/400EX, Raptor, Banshee and Scrambler group. And neither machine can keep up with the big boys like Formans and Sportsmans and such in the mud. Don't get me wrong both are good beginner machines, but if I were a 14 year old kid I think I would want somthing with a little more oomph. But to finally get around to answering your question, I would pick the Recon over the Beartracker from the experience that I have with both.

 

Pensykodiak,

Yeah its a pain to find a dealer that will let you take a quad on a test ride. Our local Polaris dealer told me I could purchase the quad & then If I didn't like it bring it back. I thought yeah right, this guy must think I am an idiot. We found another Polaris dealer that lets us take a test ride.

My wife didn't like the ride or the size of the Polaris. Also, she made the comment that the Bayou felt small. My wife is only 5'4". Not brand bashing just stating her thoughts.

Good luck on your choice

 

Thanks to everyone for the great posts. I'll try to get a test drive on both and make my decision. They both seem to be pretty good quads.

Al

 

Hey Pensykodiak~
It appears you have made up your mind on these 2 machines, but I would like to inform you a little about the Polaris 325 Trailboss. I would definitely consider this machine for any 14 year old son. This machine is very user friendly being an automatic, single lever brakes, reverse, and electric start. It is a 4 stroke and speed is comparable to either of the other 2 machines you're considering. I want to emphasize do NOT be afraid of Polaris reliability. They have made many improvements in the past few years so clutch belts or other problems are a very rare problem. The 325 can be picked up for about $3400 compared to almost $4000 for the other 2 machines. For the money, this machine is a very good buy. Yes, I am a biased towards Polaris, but once you experience the automatic tranny, you'll never want to shift again. Polaris makes great quads.