ATV advice

SCOUT5

I do not deal in this type of equipment. So I have no idea how many miles or hours are to be expected out of these machines. I know maintenance and type of use matter, like any other equipment. But I don't know the limits of expectations.

I am looking for a 4 wheeler for my son to ride around here on the place and something I could use occasionally while hunting etc. I am looking used because there is no way I can pony up for new right now.

For instance I see this add for a 2006 Polaris 700 sportsman 4x4 Priced at $2950: Mossy Oak camouflage Edition, just serviced...runs strong, 5700 miles, everything works like it should. Push button 4wd with fully automatic transmission and independent suspension,

The pictures look good, it has the front storage box and rear rack. the thing is I have not idea what they sell for or how much use the 5700 miles represents. This is not necessarily what I would go buy but it represents the market I'm looking in.

Any advice appreciated

jimdeere

That's a lot of miles on an atv. I have a 99 Honda Forman that I bought new. It's been on the ATV trails in WV many times. It has 1900 miles.

RobOz

That sounds like a good many miles. I don't ride every weekend so I am not an expert. My 2002 Honda Rancher has 2000 miles on it. Also, my Honda has been problem free.

spasmcreek

go for a brand that has a dealer close by with a GOOD reputation for service and parts

SCOUT5

What about Artic Cat brands? Found a 2006 650 V2 with 256 hours.

JimmyJack

That would be a good possibility. You probably dont need a 650, thats a lot of HP for just riding around. But all it costs is gas. Im of the opinion that 500 is good plenty, but you know HP sells. At that mileage idt should look like new?

grdad45

Speaking from experience, one word----HONDA. I have had three different 4 wheelers, and the Honda is the one that has given me the best service. I currently have a 2003 350cc Rancher I bought used in 2008. It has only needed tires, battery, and regular oil/filter changes. I use it at home and on my 7000 acre lease, so put a good amount of time and miles on it. I have pulled several Polaris, Arctic Cat, and Kawasaki's out of the woods with my "old" ATV, and it is still as strong as it was when I bought it for $2100 form a man going through a divorce. PS--never used ethanol gas in it.

JimmyJack

A lot of brands are very good, every one will brag about their own favorite. Kind of like guns and tractors Personally I dont believe in only one brand. Ive had 4 or 5 and some might have been a tad better than the other and that includes Honda. The last dealer I bought sold Honda, Polarus and Suzuki. He reccomended Suzuki and I bought one and it is great. Just as good as the Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha that I had. Id be more interested in the condition of the machine if I were buying one used.

Cling2myguns

Find a nice low mile Honda Rancher 420. 5700 miles is a LOT of miles on an ATV. My 4 year old Rancher has 700 or so.
I have owned products from all 4 Jap brands and find Honda to generally be the most reliable. I won't buy any that have a belt CVT. The Hondas have a regular transmission.

neacpa

5700 miles is a ton of miles on an ATV. I have a Honda Rubicon 500 and a Polaris HO 500 both. For the smoothness of the ride, the Polaris is much better. However, the steering is not quite as good and it is louder and not as fuel efficient. If I had to get another one, I would probably go with a Honda 420 in 4WD. Unless you are pulling a pretty good load or climbing steep terrain, a 420 would have plenty of power. Plus the smaller it is, the easier it is to maneuver in tight areas. Personally, for myself, I would not consider an ATV that is not 4WD. But your needs might be completely different from mine.

Bottom Gun

I?ve ridden Hondas ATVs for 20 yr and I use them a lot. My Foreman especially has seen a LOT of hard use.
I?ve had two Recon TRX250s in the past and presently own a 2001 TRX400 Foreman with well over 10,000 miles and a 2014 TRX680 Rincon with about 4500 miles.

I?ve never had a bit of trouble with any of them and have only had to replace batteries and tires. The two I own still perform just as well as they did when new.

My friends who ride Polaris haven?t been as lucky. Seems the average Polaris is high maintenance and in constant need of repair.

rufesnow

I've owned Yamaha and Honda quads, over the last 12 years. My original Yamaha, was still going strong at just under 10,000, when i cut it loose. It wasn't even new, when I bought it. Got it from a estate used.

I don't know about the new ones? But Polaris's don't have the greatest rep. From the folks around where I live. Who have a lot more experience in ATV's, than me. Unfortunately, Yamaha is now bout out of ATV's. They just make one engine size that they use in Quads, Side by Sides and Sportsers/racers.

Because of this. I agree with the other folks, and go with the Honda side by side. Likely it would cost you more, than the Polaris. But save you way more money and aggravation. Over the long run.

fugawe

Good advice above. From working on ATV's for decades I would say avoid Polaris. There is a reason that you don't see a lot of old(20+) Polaris's. They aren't built to last. I've worked on a lot of 35+ year old Jap ATV's. There are exceptions of course but that is the trend I've noticed.

hillbille

you need to take a good look at the seller as much as the atv, 5000 miles on backcountry gravel roads isn't much, 5000 buried in mudholes, hillclimbs and fast trail rides is a beating....

charliemeyer007

I generally like Yamaha. I just bought a 2002 Suzuki King Quad 300. The reason it has 2 H, 4 H, 4 L, 4 Super low, and can have a differential lock in super low. Plus it has a 5 speed regular gear box. I'm no longer interested in how fast I can go. I road one way back then and I was impressed enough to still want one after all these years.

I'm buying parts off ebay, with free shipping New starter $30, brain box $25, fuel pet cock $8, got a 384 page factory manual for $5.30 digital. New carb filter sock, oil filter and spark plug $12. lots of other parts like u-joints, CV joints, clutch kits at awesome prices. You have to watch, spark plugs at the local Autozone $1.86 each, on the ebay and other online parts places up to $7 each.

Okie743

HONDA OR YAMAHA and don't look back. 350 size engine area is all that is needed. Also you can easily find SERVICE manuals for the Hondas, usually free on line. The Yamaha's SERVICE manuals usually cost around $50. Whatever you get do get a service manual. Lots of good tips on how to work on the beast. (it will pay for itself with just one use)
Get a 4x4 for hunting or going through the woods. The 4x4's have lots less tendency to do a wheelie where as a rear wheel drive want s goes over backwards up a steep hill.. Raise up and come over backwards.

I've got a old model Yamaha Big Bear and a 1986 Honda Fourtrax and do all my own repairs using the service manuals.

Both have around 3000 miles. 5700 miles is a lot of miles on that late model one. It has lots of stuff that needs TLC that you cannot see but will when you start using the machine and ATV stuff is not cheap even the aftermarket. Honda and Yamaha are built for the long haul and even Aftermarket parts are not cheap.

The Yamaha Big Bear 350 4x4 is more user friendly going through thick hunting woods even though it's a larger machine, the Yamaha turns sharper and it more stable than the Honda Fourtrax.

My concern in your case is you mentioned a teenage son. When you put the pedal to the metal on a ATV you are asking for serious results. (just stop and think about yourself as a teenager and dad not around watching) I've seen and heard of some serious accidents on ATV's just going through the woods slow and thinking careful.

I built a small trailer 2 wheeled that I pull with these ATV's and the trailer is little more narrow than the cycle and has skid bars on the sides so as it will slid around trees, can haul deer out of the woods in the dark without it hanging up on trees and it's really handy for using around the place hauling small stuff instead of suing a pickup truck.

I've worked on few Polaris for friends and they suck big air. Just junk.

bpost

I rode thousands of miles on ATV's in Alaska.

Avoid the Polaris.
The Suzuki I had was very good and reliable.
The Yamaha was even better.
Getting older here in Ohio this spring I went to the Honda Pioneer side by side, it is AWESOME!
Easier to get on and off, hard top keeps me dry, windshield keeps me clean, brush is deflected from my face and body, excellent rider protection for WHEN the teen rolls it. The cool thing about the side by side is it takes more weight, easier to load and get in/onto, has auto or paddle shift. The 500CC motor has GUTS. it is easy to power up steep hills and can top out at almost 50 MPH on flat dirt roads. I am SO GLAD I got the side by side over the ride on type. I added a gun carrier and will add a work tub to the back when $$$ allows.

Pure bama

I have owned many ATV's, and the best I ever owned is the Suzuki King Quad 300....built like a tank,and more gears than you can believe....If you can find a used one with few miles, consider buying it...you want be sorry...I found a 2003 model for 1100.00 with 1900 miles..one owner older guy.

wolfpack

5700 miles is a lot. Myself I like the power and the ride on the Polaris Sportsman, but for durability and service two words, HONDA RANCHER.

Mobuck

The "Polaris system" will run 10K miles with only marginal repairs IF the use isn't full speed all the time or dogging along at walking speed most of the time. A machine with 5700 miles run at a 25 mph average only has 228 hours on the clock. If that 5700 was run at a 8 mph average, that's still only 700 hours. A vehicle with 80K that's averaged 40 mph has 2000 hours of run time as a comparison.
Polaris engines are long life units and I've never had an engine failure in 25 years of running on 7 ATV's and 4 UTV's. During some periods of that 25 years, we had 3 Polaris machines in use. I did a "downsizing" 3 years back and now run a single SxS UTV(mid-size 800CC mud rocket).
If you look at the Sportsman, take a small floor jack to lift the front and rear off the ground. With the suspension hanging w/o load, shake the wheels and look for slack in the pivots and such. If the A-arm bushings are worn, that's no big deal. Those are cheap and fairly easily replaced. The front "ball joints" are more work and cost and not something the backyard mechanic should start on. If the engine starts, idles, and accelerates smoothly w/o blue smoke, it's probably good.
The 06 Sportsman 500 4x4 I bought used in 08 or 09 had been used to tow a mini-dragster around the drag strip for 2 years but never gave me a bit of trouble until the instrument cluster went poop. Still that was maybe $200 for parts.

droptop

Why not if he's say, over 16. ATV's can be licensed for street use in South America BUT,,,, They will easily "flip" over when used on pavement.

Watched some really DUMB stunts by young drivers on YouTube.

SCOUT5

I really appreciate everyone sharing their experience and knowledge with me, you've been great help.

I've looked at a lot of used ads today and at new dealer sites as well. I didn't think I needed anything over 500cc and you all confirmed that. We have a local dealer about 15 miles from me that handles most brands, all the ones you all listed plus the can-am. Of course the local Bass-pro handles the new Tracker line.

One of the issues I'm having is there doesn't seem to be very many of these for sale locally, used ones that is. I wouldn't mind driving 100-200 miles to pick one up if it was a good machine at a decent price. But that is a long way to go to look at one that may or may not be worth the money.

tcattt

This may have already been covered

I have two Honda Foreman 500s, and A 1998 Suzuki King Quad. The Suzuki is used for tooling around

You want an ATV with direct shaft drive
Honda and Yamaha Big Bear (?), were the only ones still manufactured when I bought my last in 2013.
All of my have power steering and are fuel injected. These are must have features for our use.

We duck hunt in irrigated and flooded fields.
The Hondas are what most of the rice farmers use.

I only recommend Honda, I have seen other brands fail, the models with drive belts don' t last in the mud and water.

We have had Suzuki and Artic Cat direct drives provide good service.
Neither of these brands offer direct shaft drive now.

Buy Honda - No Regrets

spasmcreek

i have a kawaski prairie 360 2wd 4 wheeler that i am going to sell....has 115 hours on it and looks like new ....have a rav4 and a geo tracker for all weather use....stay warm or cool now and 4 wheel at a lot cheaper rate

DONDALINGER

I agree with a lot of the replies in this thread. 5700 miles on a ATV to me is equivalent to 250,000 miles on a car. I avoid buying high mileage vehicles. The seller is probably selling it due to the high miles and wants to cut it loose before something fails. Honda ATV's are time tested and very reliable. Suzuki makes a good quad as well. My brother has a Honda 300 4Trax that is over 30 years old (1988 model?) and still runs perfect. My other brother has the same one but its a 1989 and still running strong. Mine is a 2007 Honda and runs like new. My youngest brother recently bought a Honda Rancher 420. We are certainly partial to Honda (for good reasons). Honda recently came out with a side by side that is very narrow. Its called a pioneer and full cab with heat is available. May be worth a look.

Many of the ATV's now have CVT transmissions which use a rubber belt. These seem to be very durable, but I would opt for a shaft driven machine any day. I have owned CVT driven ATV's and if the belt ever gets wet, it will slip. Artic Cat is made by a Korean company called Kymco. I have worked on Kymco ATV's and they make a quality machine and has also made quads for Kawasaki and Yamaha.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. Don

Grunt2

My 2003 Arctic Cat 400 has over 30K miles on it... Always garaged and serviced often...The only expense has been filters, plugs and oil...plus a battery and tires...Still running great!

rufesnow

DONDALINGER wrote:

I agree with a lot of the replies in this thread. 5700 miles on a ATV to me is equivalent to 250,000 miles on a car. I avoid buying high mileage vehicles. The seller is probably selling it due to the high miles and wants to cut it loose before something fails. Honda ATV's are time tested and very reliable. Suzuki makes a good quad as well. My brother has a Honda 300 4Trax that is over 30 years old (1988 model?) and still runs perfect. My other brother has the same one but its a 1989 and still running strong. Mine is a 2007 Honda and runs like new. My youngest brother recently bought a Honda Rancher 420. We are certainly partial to Honda (for good reasons). Honda recently came out with a side by side that is very narrow. Its called a pioneer and full cab with heat is available. May be worth a look.

Many of the ATV's now have CVT transmissions which use a rubber belt. These seem to be very durable, but I would opt for a shaft driven machine any day. I have owned CVT driven ATV's and if the belt ever gets wet, it will slip. Artic Cat is made by a Korean company called Kymco. I have worked on Kymco ATV's and they make a quality machine and has also made quads for Kawasaki and Yamaha.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. Don

I almost bought a new KYMCO, quad, couple of years ago. Before I got the good deal, on the low mileage Rancher. Their highly though of, and as you say. Arctic Cat sells, one of the Kymco's under their name. Believe they come from Taiwan, rather then Korea though.

Mr. Perfect

SCOUT5 wrote:

I do not deal in this type of equipment. So I have no idea how many miles or hours are to be expected out of these machines. I know maintenance and type of use matter, like any other equipment. But I don't know the limits of expectations.

I am looking for a 4 wheeler for my son to ride around here on the place and something I could use occasionally while hunting etc. I am looking used because there is no way I can pony up for new right now.

For instance I see this add for a 2006 Polaris 700 sportsman 4x4 Priced at $2950: Mossy Oak camouflage Edition, just serviced...runs strong, 5700 miles, everything works like it should. Push button 4wd with fully automatic transmission and independent suspension,

The pictures look good, it has the front storage box and rear rack. the thing is I have not idea what they sell for or how much use the 5700 miles represents. This is not necessarily what I would go buy but it represents the market I'm looking in.

Any advice appreciated

If you like rattles and shakes and squeaky brakes Polaris is the way to go. If not, you may want to look at Honda or Yamaha. If you truly want to use it for hunting do not get less than 400cc.

DONDALINGER

rufesnow wrote:

I almost bought a new KYMCO, quad, couple of years ago. Before I got the good deal, on the low mileage Rancher. Their highly though of, and as you say. Arctic Cat sells, one of the Kymco's under their name. Believe they come from Taiwan, rather then Korea though.

You are correct, they are made in Taiwan. Seemed to me like a well built machine when I worked on the Kymco MXU 300. The valve adjuster had vibrated loose and fell down in the lower end of the engine. Luckily it didn't get caught in the timing chain. Once I got everything fixed and readjusted the valves, it ran like a scalded dog. I still think the Honda is a much better built machine.

Brookwood

Just putting my 2 cents in here more about side by side utv's, the Kubota diesel units are another good option if you are not into speed. A very fine workhorse that my small town uses for a lot of uses and have been using them for many years. I have found a few used models with low hours in my area priced fairly reasonable compared to new and when I get things together someday, that is what I'll be after.

SCOUT5

Brookwood wrote:

Just putting my 2 cents in here more about side by side utv's, the Kubota diesel units are another good option if you are not into speed. A very fine workhorse that my small town uses for a lot of uses and have been using them for many years. I have found a few used models with low hours in my area priced fairly reasonable compared to new and when I get things together someday, that is what I'll be after.

A friend of mine has one of those. It has a cab, heat, AC, and an audio system. But dang, the diesel engine is loud.