Picking a new ATV?

[JasG]

I know they have warnings out the ying yang about underage kids riding the full size ATVs, but, have any parents been prosecuted for their kids getting hurt badly on one?

Not that I know of, but I have seen where parents sued and won money when IMO they should not have.

The case that sticks out in my mind was in the late 1980's or early 90's on 60 minutes. Parents were video taping there 12 (?) jumping a honda 250 utility ATV. The rig fliped end over end and crushed the kids skull. He lived but was badly damaged. The owners manual back then had warnings about not jumping the machine, stickers on the plastic etc. My dad had a 1986 350 utility machine and there were several warnings through out the manual and on the machine. Machines that size are not suppose to have people under 16 at that time riding them.

They won.:confused2:

I felt bad for the kid, but they should not have won and his parents should have been punished if the story was true. I still remeber the footage of the ATV diving nose 1st into the drit and over on the kid.

 

[cdaigle430]

The Electric shift, and the insane prices Honda charges up here (more so the price) is the reason why I do not own one. That 420CC engine churns out gobs of torque for a small engine, and EFI too. Like pretty well every other Honda product, they are built to run many years with no issues either. Maybe someday...

550 XP is the biggest I will ever own, just no need for anything bigger.

THey are a little pricey but check this out, I owned a 2000 Foremen 450es, a Foremen 350ES and we put about 7,000 miles on each. When I sold them 4 years after I bout them I only lossed 2 grand off of what I paid brand new-never put a dime in them except for a winch. I have had my Honda Rincon since 2003, I have over 5k on her and to this date I have only replaced one thing-the battery. Even normal maintence consists of routine oil and oil filter changes, air filter cleaning ever so often valve adjustments, and exhaust spark arrester cleaning. I'm still on my original spark plug and there is nothing to grease. I do check my axle fluids and I need to flush my coolant next summer.

I plow, hunt, work, tow, and just love beating the crap outa this thing It might be a little pricey to buy but the cheapest to own in the long run.

 

[cdaigle430]

I have a Honda Rancher with ESP that I have owned 7 years and a Polaris 800 EFI Sportsman belt drive that I have owned 5 years. The ESP transmission on the Honda is by far the hardest to keep working. The ESP shifting depends on too many variables. I.E. battery condition and idle speed. Trouble shooting the ESP is a true nightmare. There are so many causes of failure to shift and the reasons why that takes many hours to trouble shoot. Belt drive is simple. The belt is either worn out, wet, or broken.

??? I'm sorry but do you really own a Honda with ESP? The ESP is actully a very simple system unlike my Rincon where there are many variables because it's fully automatic. However-they are still all bullet proof, of course, with everything in this world there are bound to be problems.

Never heard of anything about the idle speed causing issues and an ATV battery is typically good for about 4-5 years anyway. THERE IS 0 MAINTENANCE FOR THE HONDA ESP TRANSMISSION-PERIOD! Unlike the belt transmission....so don't start things that just arent true. Try and prove me wrong anyone?

 

[cdaigle430]

Belt change was alot cheaper than my buddies honda top end rebuild

Suzuki Vinson is suppost to be a good one

What the heck does a top end rebuild have to do with the ESP transmisison? A top end rebuild is the engine being rebuilt am I correct? Looks like folks are just trying make something out of nothing for the sake of being a brand fan. I'm not sticking up for Honda here because I'm a Honda Fan but it really disgusts me when people try and start things that just isn't true or factual.

 

[cdaigle430]

You mean that YOU can see no need for a 1000cc ATV, blah, blah, blah. Surely you don't profess to be able to gauge others' needs????

I really dont care what other people need, but as a long time avid and experienced ATVer I really dont see a need for an ATV with that many CCs. Some of the fastest racers are between 300 and 650 cc-Fact. Most trails allow you to safely ride at most 35mph so unless your towing something heavy or are in a SXS it's really just a waste. Of course I as I stated as well, you will need the extra HP for serious mudders or or mud compettiors and utility racers.

Think of this as like a sub compact tractor. Mine has 24 horse which is setup perfectly for the frame type. It's also set to lift a certain amount of wieght in the FEL. What happens if you take the same size machine and double the hp and increase the lift capacity by double?

ATV's are dangerouse to begin with but when you keep adding HP to a machine like that that weighs about 700lbs your at a critical point where your staring down into the abyss. I'm not telling anyone what they can or can not do-it's just my experience.

 

[foreman Etexas]

What the heck does a top end rebuild have to do with the ESP transmisison? A top end rebuild is the engine being rebuilt am I correct? Looks like folks are just trying make something out of nothing for the sake of being a brand fan. I'm not sticking up for Honda here because I'm a Honda Fan but it really disgusts me when people try and start things that just isn't true or factual.

Typical:laughing:

 

[foreman Etexas]

Belt drive transmissions are the cheapest to manufacturer and it requires no innovation from the manufacturer to make them. Also-they get you when it's time to replace the belt-and you will have to replace the belt at some point.

This way Polaris and others can compete by simply who makes the biggest motor. Some people need the extra horse power but most people just do trail riding and some work around the house. There really isnt a need for a 1000cc ATV, it's all about want and mine is bigger than yours-kinda like ***** envy eh?

You state (listed above) belt drives cheap,I say I will change out belt,not a problem.Now with your way cool ESP,your motor weak link,hope your good with small engines,just saying:thumbsup:

 

[DCTCJT]

I really dont care what other people need, but as a long time avid and experienced ATVer I really dont see a need for an ATV with that many CCs. Some of the fastest racers are between 300 and 650 cc-Fact. Most trails allow you to safely ride at most 35mph so unless your towing something heavy or are in a SXS it's really just a waste. Of course I as I stated as well, you will need the extra HP for serious mudders or or mud compettiors and utility racers.

Think of this as like a sub compact tractor. Mine has 24 horse which is setup perfectly for the frame type. It's also set to lift a certain amount of wieght in the FEL. What happens if you take the same size machine and double the hp and increase the lift capacity by double?

ATV's are dangerouse to begin with but when you keep adding HP to a machine like that that weighs about 700lbs your at a critical point where your staring down into the abyss. I'm not telling anyone what they can or can not do-it's just my experience.

For the most part, I agree. The old saying "you can't have too much power" is not necessary a good thing when it comes to ATV's. While any rider (experienced or not) can get himself/herself into a bad situation with any ATV, putting an extra 400 or 500 cc's under their butt with an extra 30 to 40 HP on the same ATV will just make bad things happen more often, and usually be more serious. With ATV's, many of the riders are inexperienced, or "young and crazy". I was there once, and remember what I did when I had a lot of extra "umph"... I was one of the lucky ones.

For work purposes, gearing and traction are what matters anyhow. I would rather have a good 500 or 600 class machine that is set up correctly, rather than a 900 or 1000 class machine that just sits there and spins it's tires.

With that said, if you are an experienced, sensible rider, and you need a big machine, and you know how to set it up for maximum traction, and plan to use it for HD work, then buy what you need. However, if you need that much ATV for work, maybe you need a tractor. :laughing:

 

[scesnick]

I am with cdaigle430,
With does a top end rebuild he to do with a tranny? I have owned 2 Honda 4wd quads since 1988. Why only two? Because that is all that was needed. Why buy another when the one you have is bullet proof and running just fine? Actually I didn't even need to by my second one but wifey wanted one to ride.

My 1988 Fourtrax 300 doesn't have a speedo but Iam willing to bet it has a minimun of 10,000 mile on it. As i siad before i actually had to weld the hubs onto the axle becuase the splines finally wore out!

I am not going to say tell anyone what to buy with their money. But, when you get sick and tired of your quad breaking down and or throwing mony at it to keep it running, you will eventully buy a Honda. I know many of my buddies that have done just that.....

 

[foreman Etexas]

I am with cdaigle430,
With does a top end rebuild he to do with a tranny? I have owned 2 Honda 4wd quads since 1988. Why only two? Because that is all that was needed. Why buy another when the one you have is bullet proof and running just fine? Actually I didn't even need to by my second one but wifey wanted one to ride.

My 1988 Fourtrax 300 doesn't have a speedo but Iam willing to bet it has a minimun of 10,000 mile on it. As i siad before i actually had to weld the hubs onto the axle becuase the splines finally wore out!

I am not going to say tell anyone what to buy with their money. But, when you get sick and tired of your quad breaking down and or throwing mony at it to keep it running, you will eventully buy a Honda. I know many of my buddies that have done just that.....

I know 3 hondas that have been to the shop(my Brute hasnt),none of them have had tranny problems,they have had only motor problems.Hondamatic maybe a great tranny but the motor that is attached to it,(im just going off what I seen from friends owning them)is not only under powered but hasnt held up for them. Im not saying that they dont have a good rep.(Honda)but Im not going to set here and say the Brute doesnt have belt issues when they do. There money gonna spend it how they wont,but I didnt say buy a Kawasaki over the Honda,just said what problems I know from each.Im not brand loyal cause I also own a Artic Cat and have owned Polaris....

 

[WilliamBos]

I plow, hunt, work, tow, and just love beating the crap outa this thing It might be a little pricey to buy but the cheapest to own in the long run.

I agree on the last sentence. After spending some time at dealerships, will go Grizzly. Will cost more upfront, but should coat less over the long haul.

 

[scesnick]

I know 3 hondas that have been to the shop(my Brute hasnt),none of them have had tranny problems,they have had only motor problems.Hondamatic maybe a great tranny but the motor that is attached to it,(im just going off what I seen from friends owning them)is not only under powered but hasnt held up for them. Im not saying that they dont have a good rep.(Honda)but Im not going to set here and say the Brute doesnt have belt issues when they do. There money gonna spend it how they wont,but I didnt say buy a Kawasaki over the Honda,just said what problems I know from each.Im not brand loyal cause I also own a Artic Cat and have owned Polaris....

Well, I plow our 2.5 mile driveway/road with my honda atleast 3times a week in the winter with mine.( unless it is too deep then I bust out the bigger equipment) It snows a ton where I live (we got 265" last winter) So, that is 5 miles at a minimum of plowing in one go. I have had the motor of my fan cooled Foreman almost glowing red hot more times than I can count and never had a bit of trouble ever.

Honda is not the way to go if you want the latest and greatest gadget on your quad. Or the most powerful V-twin speed mobile. But I know that every time I go out and hit the start button on my honda it will start time and time again and that is all i ask for.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Well, I plow our 2.5 mile driveway/road with my honda atleast 3times a week in the winter with mine.( unless it is too deep then I bust out the bigger equipment) It snows a ton where I live (we got 265" last winter) So, that is 5 miles at a minimum of plowing in one go. I have had the motor of my fan cooled Foreman almost glowing red hot more times than I can count and never had a bit of trouble ever.

Honda is not the way to go if you want the latest and greatest gadget on your quad. Or the most powerful V-twin speed mobile. But I know that every time I go out and hit the start button on my honda it will start time and time again and that is all i ask for.

Agree,my Kawasaki has been great machine for me also...But when someone claims that just cause its belt driven that its a lesser machine than the Honda I will never agree. I said earlier my parents own a Rincon,so I do ride one every now and then. You have to use the ESP over the auto mode cause the power is not there.I dont get anything from Kawasaki to say the brute is better than rincon,I have just been able to have ride time on both.If it had impressed me I would have bought one of them instead. I did own(from new) a 2000 praire 300 4x4 when I purchased new in 08 Bruteforce 650 I gave the praire to my brother and still runs the factory belt today.

 

[whistlepig]

??? I'm sorry but do you really own a Honda with ESP? The ESP is actully a very simple system unlike my Rincon where there are many variables because it's fully automatic. However-they are still all bullet proof, of course, with everything in this world there are bound to be problems.

Never heard of anything about the idle speed causing issues and an ATV battery is typically good for about 4-5 years anyway. THERE IS 0 MAINTENANCE FOR THE HONDA ESP TRANSMISSION-PERIOD! Unlike the belt transmission....so don't start things that just arent true. Try and prove me wrong anyone?

Yep. I have a 2000 Rancher with ESP. I also have the Honda factory manual for my 2000 Rancher with ESP. After reading the trouble shooting section in the Honda factory manual for the ESP on my 2000 Rancher the ESP just doesn't strike me as being very simple system.

 

[TripleR]

I have a 1987 Yamaha 225 Moto 4 that has been stone reliable. I can't shift it anymore so I bought a Rhino 660 and love it. I have power steering on it. I had a Polaris Sportsman 700 for a while and sold it to get a 700 Grizzly with EPS.

I don't let my grandchildren on the Grizzly, we have the 225 and a Kawasaki 300 Bayou for them.

As for belts, we have a 1990 Kawasaki Mule with the original belt.

Lots of people make good ATV's, just find the one you like best.

We really like our Grizzly, but if we had to chose one to keep, it would be the Rhino.

 

[donn12]

I have a 800 efi polaris and it is beast! I think with the bumpers and rack, winch etc it weighs close to 1000 lbs. it has the best ride by far of any ATV that I have tried. try out all the big ones and get the obe you like the best. I am thinking about upgrading to a 850XP with EPS at some point and I will also try out the Can AM 1000 so I have plenty of power to take my trash cans out to the street!

 

[plumbstraight]

I have an 05 rincon that has been good to me. The one thing that I would change if I had studied them all a bit more is I would have traded for a smaller engine to have the lower gearing. the rincon has plenty of power, but would sure like to have a low range in it.

 

[Shmudda]

I love it when these type of discussions take off on a forum.

Personally, for ME the Honda's are the only way to go. I have a 1993 TRX300FWD and a 1994 TRX200D 2wd machine. I just sold a 2001 TRX500FA Rubicon that had just under 4000 hard miles on it. I can say with the abuse I have put these machines thru I will never buy a machine from another manufacturer other then Honda. I like either the geared transmission or the hydrostatic transmission thats on the Rubicon. While the Honda's will not be the biggest in physical size or have the largest engine displacement, or be the fastest machine, I can tell you they are by far the most reliable machines out there. I have ridden many different machines since ATV's come out, and again my personal belief is to stay away from the gum band transmissions and stick with the tried and true gear or hydrostatic drives.

Take it for what it's worth, but thats my two cents!!!

Craig

 

[scesnick]

I love it when these type of discussions take off on a forum.

Personally, for ME the Honda's are the only way to go. I have a 1993 TRX300FWD and a 1994 TRX200D 2wd machine. I just sold a 2001 TRX500FA Rubicon that had just under 4000 hard miles on it. I can say with the abuse I have put these machines thru I will never buy a machine from another manufacturer other then Honda. I like either the geared transmission or the hydrostatic transmission thats on the Rubicon. While the Honda's will not be the biggest in physical size or have the largest engine displacement, or be the fastest machine, I can tell you they are by far the most reliable machines out there. I have ridden many different machines since ATV's come out, and again my personal belief is to stay away from the gum band transmissions and stick with the tried and true gear or hydrostatic drives.

Take it for what it's worth, but thats my two cents!!!

Craig

My thoughts exactly....

 

[hodge]

I love it when these type of discussions take off on a forum.

Personally, for ME the Honda's are the only way to go. I have a 1993 TRX300FWD and a 1994 TRX200D 2wd machine. I just sold a 2001 TRX500FA Rubicon that had just under 4000 hard miles on it. I can say with the abuse I have put these machines thru I will never buy a machine from another manufacturer other then Honda. I like either the geared transmission or the hydrostatic transmission thats on the Rubicon. While the Honda's will not be the biggest in physical size or have the largest engine displacement, or be the fastest machine, I can tell you they are by far the most reliable machines out there. I have ridden many different machines since ATV's come out, and again my personal belief is to stay away from the gum band transmissions and stick with the tried and true gear or hydrostatic drives.

Take it for what it's worth, but thats my two cents!!!

Craig

My 99 Honda has been solid and reliable. That being said, I know that most ATV's on the market today will fill your bill. I think the most important issues are;
1) Personal preference- you should ride them to see what feels the best
2) Service- the best atv on the market isn't much good if you don't have a dealer in reasonable distance. So, who is close to you, and do they have a good reputation?
3) Maintenance ease- I just did a full maintenance on an 08 Polaris 500, and installed a winch/snow plow. It doesn't belong to me, and after working on one, compared to my Honda, I wouldn't buy a Polaris. They are much more maintenance-intensive, and simply harder to work on. Someone else may disagree, and that is fine- this was my experience. Sooner or later, you will have to work on the machine- which ones are more friendly than others?