[GoombaJebboMT]

Thanks to my State Farm claim coming in from Hurricane Katrina...FINALLY, I am now able to replace certain things I lost/wanted. This being one of them. I have mostly been looking at the Suzuki KingQuad 700, looks like it is a baddass 4 wheeler, as well as the Honda Foreman, which also is a good ATV from word of mouth, and finally the Polaris Sportsman 700 EFI, this 4 wheeler as an AWESOME fall foliage camo job on it. I hear Suzuki has AWESOME customer service while Honda's is just crappy, and they give you the run-around unless you plan on buying something off the showroom floor. I was just wanting some opinions, on what you guys preferred. This ATV will primarily be utilized for woody areas/as well as wet and muddy areas up in the delta during hunting season, and occasional joyriding.

Any suggestions/input would be appreciated.

 

[nmanley]

Artic Cat build engines for several of the manufacturers. Also don't pass up looking at the CanAm. They put out a pretty darn good unit.

 

[Fox Delta]

I had one of the first 4 wheelers honda made back in the '80s and i put it thru WAY more than what it was designed for and it was awesome. Jumps so high that I cracked the wheels! I would buy a Honda or Yamaha. More than one person has told me to stay away from anything with an "automatic" type transmission (not auto clutch) regardless of who makes it.

 

[HBTITAN]

Yamaha YFM 700 or Polaris 700 EFI, also look at dealer network how far from the dealer are you. Any with EFI is a great advantage, no fuel problems like with a carb unit. I own 1 Honda,2 Yamahas,and a Can-am, love them all but it takes too long to get parts from Can-am here in california. even with a good dealership small things like an oil filter not in stock can make you regret your purchase.

 

[RemedyX]

Honda Rincon, it' s not the fastest but it will outlast any other atv. You just need to find a good dealer to deal with. Check here for pricing....southernhonda.com.

 

[Juday]

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm thinking about purchasing a new ATV. I have it narrowed down to the Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI Auto. 4x4 (maybe with EPS, still not sure) and the Arctic Cat 700 EFI Automatic (maybe the Diesel if I could find one...). These two seem to be the best to fill my needs of Utility ATVs. Now the question is, which one do I look harder at buying?:dunno:

 

[helomech]

I own a polaris 300 hawkeye, and it has been great. I don't really understand why people want the big bikes like the 700, unless you are really going to use it for hard farm work. My 300 gets me and a passenger and a deer through any terrain I have tried to put it through. My only regret with the hawkey is it is air cooled, and I don't really want to use it for pulling implements going slow through high grass. But for getting to a hunting spot or just riding around I don't think a 700 would do a better job.

 

[Juday]

I plan on using one for farm and heavy duty work. Food plots, driveway maintanence, winter duty, hunting, cutting down trees and brush, etc. That's why I'm opting for the 700 series. Granted, I would like to get a 700 series for a 300 series price...that would be nice.:lol:

 

[TallTexan]

The Honda will be in the woods while the others are in the shop. My 10 year old Foreman ES has never seen a shop. Today it looks and drive like brand new. It is a 450 which has enough power to climb a tree if the tires could hold on. Any more power than 450 not needed unless you are into racing. JMO

 

[P2000]

My buddy has the Suzuki 4X4 700 and he loves it. It won Quad of the year for 05' or 05' I can't remember.

 

[Seranin]

I second the comments regarding smaller engined atvs being adequate... for land surveying work our honda (can't remember if it's a foreman or rancher - but 4x4 & a 350cc engine i believe) has been able to carry 500 lbs of people and equipment up some steep slopes. Yeah, more power is nice, but sometimes agility & small size are important depending on terrain.

However...you lose room to stretch out with two people and i'm sure 0-40mph times are compromised :lol:

 

[jasonmotox]

just like Helomech said, unless you really need it dont waiste your money just to have the biggest there is. Not to mention the gas miledge to wont get.

I've got a Polaris 450 sportman and that thing is great. Automatic, push button 4wd, water cooled, 3 headlights, digital, best stock tires on a wheeler, lock and ride accessories, 4 wheel indpendant suspension and quiet. i heard alot of compliments on how comfortable the seat is, and thats important if you do alot of riding.

The only thing I would have rather have gotten was the 500 EFI Sportsman but they didnt have one in camo at the time and the 450 was right in my price range.

My grandfather tried to talk me into a honda, of course because its been around forever and the push button shifting is nice IMO. He changed his tune after 3 of us piled onto it and took it thru a narrow swamp trail full of cypress stumps and water up to the fenders. My little brother who weighed a whole 65lbs on the front rack, my 225lb grandfather driving, and my 200lb a55. barely hanging on the back! We high centered on the stumps a couple times but the motor never sounded like the load was a struggle.

I use mine to hunt, pull a set of disc, tow a 4x8 trailer( that it also rides in), joy ride, ect.

I did alot of talking to others before buying mine, make sure you do the same and you won't be dissapointed with your purchase.

 

[TallTexan]

Sounds like which ever one you choose will be a good choice. These things have been around so long that the bugs are pretty much worked out. [Too bad trucks have not done the same]. So , pick the one you like and it will probably be the best choice. Good luck!

 

[QUADS]

As of now.....
Can-Am for racing
Honda for everything else.
Artic cat is going to release a 1000cc ATV if you want to beat the Jones'

 

[Megw3788]

Can Am Outlander 800 is the by far the Baddest Utility 4 wheeler out right now ( speaking from experience). Here's a few pics of the abuse our 4 wheelers go through on a usual basis.

 

[PRJ]

Artic Cat build engines for several of the manufacturers. Also don't pass up looking at the CanAm. They put out a pretty darn good unit.

Artic Cat doesn't build any engines for the manufacturers. Their ATV engines come from Suzuki.

http://www.answers.com/topic/arctic-cat-inc?cat=biz-fin

As far as which ATV to buy. Pick the Honda. It won't leave you stranded and will never have to see the shop.

I would stray as far away from Polaris as possible.

 

[07cajuntitan]

I have had a Honda Rancher 350 4wd (not the ES version) since 2002 I think, and it has never given me a lick of trouble. I use the he** out of it before and during hunting season. I even pull a pirogue trailer with it on the WMA's pretty regularly. All I have ever done to it is change the oil & oil filter, and clean / recoat the air filter. I would recommend it to anyone.

 

[littlemike822]

Can Am Outlander 800 is the by far the Baddest Utility 4 wheeler out right now ( speaking from experience). Here's a few pics of the abuse our 4 wheelers go through on a usual basis.

Now that looks like some fun 4 -wheelin!!! We don't have places like that to play in out here in California :-(...

 

[Seranin]

Now that looks like some fun 4 -wheelin!!! We don't have places like that to play in out here in California :-(...

Yes...that's pretty impressive.

We do have places like that here in California...but you're right that we aren't allowed to play in them...at least not on public land :lookaroun

 

[helomech]

I would stray as far away from Polaris as possible.

I have lots of friends with polaris 4 wheelers, mine just made a year, but it already has over 700 miles on it with no trouble. My polaris hawkeye gets used almost everyday and the only thing I had to do to it was change the cv joint boot, because I ran over some debris that made a whole in it, and oil changes of course.