ATV advice

[68formalGT]

Find out who has the best mechanic in your area and then buy what they sell. They all have their pluses and minuses but having a really good mechanic will keep you going.

 

[bowhunter123456789]

I have a Polaris Range 800 efi , parts are plentiful and moderately priced. I would not buy a used AtV from somebody in the country a, where is used and abused on a daily basis. Maintenance is usually lacking. Buy from somebody in the city that has to trailer it to rideq. Usually not used that often and kept clean .Look for signs of abuse like broken plastic , duct tape , zip ties. Most will have mileage and hrs built into the speedo system , service records or a maintenance book ,kept by an anal individual are a plus

 

[MoaFlat]

We use 2 Polaris 570HD UTEs for hunting big Red Deer & Goats and river fishing they run strong and easily handle the narrow high country gravel tracks. Always bags of grunt 44HP and we love the EBS rugged steep downhill tracks. Only problem we have is to damper our over confidence driving over quite rough patches that the Polaris makes it too easy, just remember 'Go Slower'.

 

[Dean2]

Here in Canada ATVs see some pretty tough conditions. From -50 to +100, swamp, sand, deep snow, water, ice and rocky steep country. They get used for hunting, plowing, farming, trapping, search and rescue plus a ton of other things The first choice for most non-sports riders is Honda. Great long term performance, well built and very capable at almost all tasks.

Sport riders prefer Yamaha then Suzuki and both also make a good reliable quad for hunting, trapping etc. Polaris are cheap and well optioned but they don't stand up well to severe duty and both them and Kawasaki are are real pain in the butt to work on.

Have owned Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki. I run a Honda currently and my brother runs a Yamaha. Price was no consideration in the choices, strictly picked for performance and reliability. Both of us are now over 60, walking out 20 miles is not a real attractive option.

 

[Dry Heat?]

Sounds like some Mud got into someone's brain. Polaris has never left me stranded. Get a Ranger or General and you won't have to get another quad later for the wife. I've owned 5 different Polaris rigs, 2 Rangers and 3 quads. Arizona is tough on machines. I Wouldn't buy anything else.

 

[rockwind]

hello all. Looking for used ATV advice. Not really in the market to buy a brand new ATV. Any recommendations on a good quality used ATV brand. My buddies all have Can Am and Polaris. Looking for something that won't break the bank. I know the new ones all have power steering heated grips EFI ect. Just want something that will handle most hunting and recreation jobs. Maybe in the $3000 - $4000 range???? Seems to be large range of prices on similarly equipped used brands of ATV. I understand this is a bit subjective but thx in advance for your help

Pete

I will give the good advice. Polaris or can am. The jap ones are great too. Get one with the factory second seat behind. Like outlander max, not for your wife but for extra room and wheelbase. Efi and power steering is a must. Spend the bucks for a super good batter and carry a good lithium jumpstarer like microstart or noco. Not the Costco version. 2

 

[Wolf76]

I have a Kawasaki brute force. Love having the IRS, FI, and ample power. Hondas are reliable and my 200s ATC from 1985 still runs good. Honda often lacks high end power, so it's a trade off. Polaris is cheaper and more popular for that reason.
I'll add that a back up pull start is often over looked. It has saved my butt a few times when ice fishing several miles of shore.

 

[Poppadoer]

FYI:I have a polaris 400 ranger since 2012 and haven't had a minutes problem with it.liked it so much I bought a 500 polaris 4wheeler and haven't had to replace nothing on either of them but a battery.Of course I use mine strictly for getting to my hunting spots.They are still kicking.I've owned Honda's before and they also are good atvs.Each to his own I say.Good luck.

 

[Almondgrower]

I run ATV's daily in our line of work . I have owned Polaris , bombardier, canam, Kawasaki, Suzuki , arctic cat, Yamaha and Honda . I would never have another polaris (they didn't hold up) , bom, canam, Arctic , dealerships are a bit limited here and parts availability and price are both a big problem . Suzuki and Kawasaki are middle of the road for me. We do all of the work here at my shop on everything ( except ecm programming if that is dealer only , thank goodness that has not been needed ....yet) I have a Honda rincon 650 that has 7500-8500 miles on it and I have done nothing but service and valve adjustment. The Honda and Yamaha's are the only ones I keep longer durations because NOTHING ever goes wrong with them . One thing that is a huge deal for hunting is having low range . My Honda does not so now the Yamaha is what goes on the hunting trips . Newer big Honda's may have it now , I'm not sure . Stick with a Yamaha or Honda and you will be happy you did . Just my opinion backed by a 20 year long side by side atv shootout .

 

[rockwind]

Take a long hard look at the Honda Pioneer 500's. With age comes the cage as we say on the pioneer forum.

My dad has a pioneer. The base model. It rides terrible imo. Dust sucks. I like atv personally

 

[MoaFlat]

We use 2 Polaris 570HD UTEs for hunting big Red Deer & Goats and river fishing they run strong and easily handle the narrow high country gravel tracks. Always bags of grunt 44HP and we love the EBS rugged steep downhill tracks. Only problem we have is to damper our over confidence driving over quite rough patches that the Polaris makes it too easy, just remember 'Go Slower'.

Forget to mention these machines are run in high country snow alpine areas of New Zealand. They are on the farm and are worked hard. We don't plow snow with them we usually drive over it, too much of it.

 

[karm]

2008 honda rancher 420 its the best out of the heard 16000 klm still just a great runner

 

[michael carlucci]

i have owned and used honda atvs since 1985 first a three wheeler and now a honda 4x4 rancher they always start right up it cost me 4000 last year used it requires more maintenance than the three wheeler but it works more and harder snow plowing and cultivating food plots

 

[Dry Heat?]

I too mechanic in the power sports industry. Polaris single handed keeps my lights on! Bushings, bearings and ball joints fail quickly on the Atv's and SxS's.

If your a no frills kind of guy that just needs a good runner look for a fourtrax 300 (1988-2000) rancher 350 (2000-2006) foreman 400's & 450's (1995-2003)

I've personally serviced foot shift ranchers with over 34k miles on them still running strong on stock tip ends!

If you want a little nicer then look into the foreman or rubicon 500's.

Steer clear of the 2001-2004 foreman rubicon 500's they had a bad run of Honda matic Transmission's that failed often and cost big $$$$ to fix.

Electric shift Honda's are reliable as long as they haven't been sunk or mud rode a lot. If you decide to go with a ES model invest in a good battery tender and steer clear of the mud holes!

I've literally had NONE of these problems with any of the Polaris quads or SxS I, or my family has owned. I have an 06 Ranger 700 that I've replaced the starter, the CV Boots and one CV joint in 13 years but just recently needed to change the fuel pump. The 05 700 quad I sold my brother when I bought my Ranger is still going strong without repair. My original 500 quad, which I gave to my dad for his 80th birthday in 02 is still ridden by my other brother. Of course, my 2017 1000 XPS Crew is running great
We keep em maintained but Arizona is tough on machinery of any type. I haven't been around a Polaris that wasn't dependable.