How much ATV is enough?

[YZ-80]

So it's time to add an ATV to the stable as my son is feeling his oats. We told him we'd meet him 1/2 way if he saved up, and have kind of targeted a Yamaha Kodiak 450 as the likely candidate. However, we currently have a Polaris 570 he's been riding around, and with a close to 25% HP advantage over the Yammie, I'm thinking it might be the way to go, as he can grow into it AND I am used to working on the Polaris and can standardize with maintenance.

Then he says: "Dad, let me have your 570 and you can get something bigger." What a fine young boy he is. So, I'm looking at the Grizzly 700 and the Polaris 850 and 1000 and I'm thinking, Do I need that much bike? The 570 meets my needs and is reliable, powerful and easy to work on. As a mid-size bike, it's maneuverable and nimble. Will I sacrifice this by going bigger? I'm interested to hear from guys that have 700+ cc bikes, particularly with regard to how much they like them and whether or not they feel they might have been better served staying in the mid-size displacement range and why. Thanks!

 

[Rhino Hunter]

The 700 Grizz is a great quad.

It has a Cadillac ride, top notch fit and finish, and proven reliability over the others. 700cc in a quad will feel like a rocket. I personally don't see the need for any more power in a quad. Now a side by side is another issue. Lol.

How much experience do you have riding quads? A 700 cc quad can get an inexperienced rider in trouble in the blink of an eye. An 850 or 1000 will do it even faster. I've rode motorcycles for 45+ years and quads for almost 30 and never found my Grizzly 660 lacking. It'll climb anything, has the best ride on the planet and it'll go 68 mph. And a 700 Grizz will be even faster.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[YZ-80]

How much experience do you have riding quads? A 700 cc quad can get an inexperienced rider in trouble in the blink of an eye. An 850 or 1000 will do it even faster. I've rode motorcycles for 45+ years and quads for almost 30 and never found my Grizzly 660 lacking. It'll climb anything, has the best ride on the planet and it'll go 68 mph. And a 700 Grizz will be even faster.

Good luck with your purchase.

Thanks. I'm pretty familiar with quads and have a fair amount of experience. I kind of subscribe to the axiom that it's what's between the ears (or lack thereof) that gets people into trouble in a power sports situation, more so than how big something is or how fast it will go. I've turned my son loose at 12 on the 570 after several hours of supervision and a heathy lecture on "stupid hurts". He knows that his riding privileges will be removed if he goes on trails that I have designated as "off limits", if he exceeds speed limits, or if I catch him on the bike without a helmet.

Anyway, thanks for your input on the Grizz 700. I may give it a look. My current Polaris is a 2014 and has been great but Polaris did have a rash of recalls in 2016 and 2017, so I was considering other brands.

 

[J E Custom]

Believe it or not, Bigger is not better unless you are working it.

What you will find is that for hunting, 350 to 450 is more than enough. Bigger only gives you more speed (Which you realy don't need especially in hilly or mountainous terrain. To much power, and the chance of an accident goes up. I have ridden and owned up to 650 cc machines and found that the first 300 that I owned was the best all round for my needs. We haul deer stands on a trailer behind our 4 wheeler's and the most important feature is a manual transmission.

The gearing and control is very important. We have pulled 2500 pounds up 15 to 20% grades and in 4 wheel drive and 1st or 2nd gear and it is no problem for the 400 to 500 cc engines.

I wont get into the brand of the 4 wheeler that I prefer, But the requirements for my type of terrain and use are as follows.

4X4
Manual transmissions
400 to 500 cc engine
And my prefer'd brand of ATV

The only place i have seen a need for more cc's in with the heavy side by sides that carry 4 or more people and are normally used for reasonable terrain and roads.

Just my opinion based on my experiences with everything from 90 CC's to 750 CC's.

J E CUSTOM

 

[adk hunter]

Two items a must for me are power steering and downhill engine braking. Someday I am going to put tracks on so I can use year round in the woods and getting into camp to check the roof...someday.

 

[YZ-80]

Believe it or not, Bigger is not better unless you are working it.

What you will find is that for hunting, 350 to 450 is more than enough. Bigger only gives you more speed (Which you realy don't need especially in hilly or mountainous terrain. To much power, and the chance of an accident goes up. I have ridden and owned up to 650 cc machines and found that the first 300 that I owned was the best all round for my needs. We haul deer stands on a trailer behind our 4 wheeler's and the most important feature is a manual transmission.

The gearing and control is very important. We have pulled 2500 pounds up 15 to 20% grades and in 4 wheel drive and 1st or 2nd gear and it is no problem for the 400 to 500 cc engines.

I wont get into the brand of the 4 wheeler that I prefer, But the requirements for my type of terrain and use are as follows.

4X4
Manual transmissions
400 to 500 cc engine
And my prefer'd brand of ATV

The only place i have seen a need for more cc's in with the heavy side by sides that carry 4 or more people and are normally used for reasonable terrain and roads.

Just my opinion based on my experiences with everything from 90 CC's to 750 CC's.

J E CUSTOM

Yes, this seems like sage advice. Looking back on it, my FIL had a 1985 Honda Fourtrax 250 (only 2 WD) and we always reminisce about how amazed we were with what that thing could do. We hauled a lot of deer out on it and never once got it stuck in the West/central PA mountains. My friends son brings his old Kawasaki Bayou over to my place sometimes (I think it's a 350) and it's a beast.

My use for the machine is primarily trail riding and hunting. Not a lot of heavy work but I do occasionally put a tow strap on to pull out reasonably sized logs and the 570 (with 1200 lb towing capacity) gets it done. It really rips around the trails too. I guess from what you're saying, that 450 Kodiak might be perfectly reasonable and the 570 would be about as big as I'd wanna go.

 

[KyCarl]

I have a Grizzly and I really like it! It goes anywhere you can hang on!
I have a snow blade and winch and it pulls the same trailer I haul it on.
Plenty of power! I say that more power is better mine is like 800 CC and I wish it was 1000! Put 2 guys 2 rifles and 2 dead deer on some wimpy 350-400 and see how those
logging roads go? Not speed..POWER!! I can drag a 400 anywhere I want!

 

[YZ-80]

I have a Grizzly and I really like it! It goes anywhere you can hang on!
I have a snow blade and winch and it pulls the same trailer I haul it on.
Plenty of power! I say that more power is better mine is like 800 CC and I wish it was 1000! Put 2 guys 2 rifles and 2 dead deer on some wimpy 350-400 and see how those
logging roads go? Not speed..POWER!! I can drag a 400 anywhere I want!

Wow! I can see where you'd need the extra power for the stuff you do.

With regard to 2 guys, 2 rifles and 2 deer on a 350-400 on the logging roads - Guilty as charged! It usually ain't pretty though, that's for sure!

 

[sea2summit]

Believe it or not, Bigger is not better unless you are working it.

What you will find is that for hunting, 350 to 450 is more than enough. Bigger only gives you more speed (Which you realy don't need especially in hilly or mountainous terrain. To much power, and the chance of an accident goes up. I have ridden and owned up to 650 cc machines and found that the first 300 that I owned was the best all round for my needs. We haul deer stands on a trailer behind our 4 wheeler's and the most important feature is a manual transmission.

The gearing and control is very important. We have pulled 2500 pounds up 15 to 20% grades and in 4 wheel drive and 1st or 2nd gear and it is no problem for the 400 to 500 cc engines.

I wont get into the brand of the 4 wheeler that I prefer, But the requirements for my type of terrain and use are as follows.

4X4
Manual transmissions
400 to 500 cc engine
And my prefer'd brand of ATV

The only place i have seen a need for more cc's in with the heavy side by sides that carry 4 or more people and are normally used for reasonable terrain and roads.

Just my opinion based on my experiences with everything from 90 CC's to 750 CC's.

J E CUSTOM

All this but missed one important part. When you get stuck do you want to be lifting the backend of a 250 out of a mud hole or a 700? My first was a Polaris 250 and my parents sold it when I went to college...I've never forgiven them for that and that was more than 20 years ago now

I've got an older 450 grizz now, I'm not a fan. The gearing is stupid low so you burn a lot of gas if your moving distance on trails. I'd pay good money for a manual version. I've always liked Polaris and my next quad would be from them, also have a six place ranger and it's great for around the property but I wouldn't want to be 20 miles back in the brush alone and stuck

 

[KyCarl]

With a good winch with a remote cord I have never been stuck!
I have a couple pulley blocks that I use to pull at different angles.
I pull my neighbors out of the ditch every winter. Just tie the ATV off so it
doesn't just drag it..My Griz has 2 ranges Low and High it will go 40 MPH in high?
4 wheel independent suspension Power steering Transmission lock out I love it
and use the heck out of it!

 

[J E Custom]

Yes, this seems like sage advice. Looking back on it, my FIL had a 1985 Honda Fourtrax 250 (only 2 WD) and we always reminisce about how amazed we were with what that thing could do. We hauled a lot of deer out on it and never once got it stuck in the West/central PA mountains. My friends son brings his old Kawasaki Bayou over to my place sometimes (I think it's a 350) and it's a beast.

My use for the machine is primarily trail riding and hunting. Not a lot of heavy work but I do occasionally put a tow strap on to pull out reasonably sized logs and the 570 (with 1200 lb towing capacity) gets it done. It really rips around the trails too. I guess from what you're saying, that 450 Kodiak might be perfectly reasonable and the 570 would be about as big as I'd wanna go.

Currently I have a 500 Honda and this thing is a monster when it comes to work. it is big and heavy, but can go places that I shouldn't.

The next one I get will be a 350 or 400, for many reasons. As it is I seldom use 4th or 5th gear because of the speed and don't think about needing any more.

In the mountains, I found that the best machine for getting arround and going places that other machines the 300 4 x 4 was cat like and was light enough to handle much like a dirt bike with 4 wheels.

If I had known then what I know now, I would still own the 300. The horse power bug bit me just like everyone else, but I have since found out what is realy necessary and practical.

J E CUSTOM

 

[hunter67wa]

Honda pioneer 500. Since I bought this I don't think I will ever own another quad!

 

[sea2summit]

With a good winch with a remote cord I have never been stuck!
I have a couple pulley blocks that I use to pull at different angles.
I pull my neighbors out of the ditch every winter. Just tie the ATV off so it
doesn't just drag it..My Griz has 2 ranges Low and High it will go 40 MPH in high?
4 wheel independent suspension Power steering Transmission lock out I love it
and use the heck out of it!

There are many places I go where there's not many suitable anchors for a winch within the length of a single line. Honestly never used one myself, just tow straps to someone else. Not attacking anyone's rig just providing my opinion. For me Polaris makes a better rig. Sounds like the OP has experience with both so up to him.

 

[KyCarl]

I carry a "rig" including earth anchors that screw in soft dirt. Straps..Chain..Rope
Heavy gloves.... Be Prepared..Not walking...I hunt places that I can't walk to anymore
It's been a blessing to me! I prefer to hunt alone and it allows me to.