Poll: Most Reliable and Best Utility ATV " For My Described Use "

i have a 2006 Honda rancher 400at
its a great machine ive never had any issues with it starts right up even in very cold conditions
i do mostly trail riding

im now looking at a kawi brute force 750 4x4
and will let my old ladie ride the honda

 

We currently have two Grizzles...700 FI/EPS and 550 FI/EPS...great machines with no problems whatsoever!! Good luck with your choice!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV-p0rXJJyk&NR=1



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isjp43YJ48Q&feature=related

 

Honda is the best 4-wheeler for farm use. You can't kill them unless you ever go play in the mud and water it will turn into a mosquito fogger...

 

Brute is the best on the market IMO... I owned the 750i and that was the sweetest riding bike ever. Stock motor would spin 28" tires like it was the stock 26's

 

ya i have heard nothing but great things about them... hopefully i can find someone to buy my streetbike and pick one up

 

i have owned a lot of different brands over the years and have several friends in the motorcycle industry. From my experience when it comes to brands is that Honda is one of the most reliable and makes some bulletproof motors. Yamaha makes some high performance stuff, but sometimes not as reliable (but definitely a good brand). I don't have experience with the 4x4 quads so I would recommend looking into some past issues of ATV magazines and read the shootout articles. I think they will be your best resource because they will talk about all of the aspects including comfort (something no one has mentioned yet!). One of the other things that I look for when considering purchasing a toy vehicle is the availability of parts. If a manufacturer makes the same model for 6 years and shares some of the parts with other models then there is a good chance that parts will be easy to find and cheap... but if they only made it for 2 years and then re-designed the whole thing, it will be much harder to find parts and if you can get them they will most likely be more expensive.

 

For what you want a CVT Transmission is a bad choice. the more you work that quad the more that belt will slip. As the belt wears you will be putting a massive amount of strain and lugging on a cvt transmission. Get a real 5 speed transmission!

My dads arctic cat h1 has been extremely capable but the honda out performs every time.

this site has some good info
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/621/6028/Motorcycle-Article/2011-Honda-ATV-Models-First-Look.aspx

 

I have a 2010 Brute 750 and that thing is bad ass to say the least.

 

if i were you, i would buy an arctic cat. I have a 2007 650h1, and while its not the fastest atv speed wise, itll outpull, and out-do any other machine out there. the H1 engine is arctic cats OWN engine, made IN HOUSE in the USA, in MN at their hq. it comes stock with the 3.6 gears, and their belt-drive system is the same out of their sleds so its very reliable. Polaris is an ugly machine, and in my experiences, sucks all together. i have a buddy who has one, and i end up having to pull him back to the trailer more often than he rides the friggen thing. plus arctic cat has the highest ground clearance in class, and you can fit up to a 30" tire without a lift kit. the independent suspension is a must on any four wheeler, the H1's have that, plus if you buy one newer than 06 they come with a front diff locker to give you TRUE 4wd, and that instantly turns your rig into a tank. so, low gearing stock is good for pulling, the hemi engine in the H1's are built like brick shithouses, and the quad is just overall amazing with the arctic cat belt drive that is the same as in their snowmobiles which also have good reviews. but font mistake the H1 for the V2 and think oh its the same, bc its not. the v2's have big problems with the frames rotting out, no low end power, and its actually a kawasaki engine, and NOT the one from the brute force. its from the prairie. so dont get the v2, theyre junk. make sure its an H1.

 

I have an 03 Honda Rancher 350 with over 500 hours on it and its never skipped a beat. Ive changed the oil and air filter every so often and replaced the spark plug once. Its unbelievable how reliable its been and how easy it starts in low tempuratures even compared to efi models. Ive pulled neighbors cars out in the snow, pulled my boat around the yard and pulled a trailer full of split firewood with no problems at all. I have riden plenty of atvs and would never buy anything other than a Honda, I really dont see the necessity of an 800cc atv, my 350 has plenty of power. Also dont understand all the electronic bs on the newer model atvs, power steering, efi, ecm. Give me a carburated, manual transmission over that stuff any day because I dont want to ever take it back to the dealer once it leaves!

 

I have a Honda Foreman 450s(pic in my signature) never have a problem with it i did not cause, it has over 1k hours and 3k miles, only thing done to it was oil change, brakes, barrings alll because of mud, has a low first gear so pulling is not problem i've pulling my taco with it. It has part time 4x and i put a 3k lb winch which has never been used to pull it out yet. Honda Ride Red

 

Honda Power

 

Where I come from ATV's are more popular than cars, everybody owns one, The Honda is the most reliable, but they are s--l--o--w, underpowered and have very weak suspension.
Yamaha's seem to break down, but are cheap and easy to fix, but offer great engine power and toughness
Suzuki's are in my opnion the best ATV on the market, they offer the best perfomance with balance and handlng
Polaris in my opnion are the worst ATV's out there, major engine problems, cracked frames, belt drive slipping problems, and are considered the laughing stock of all ATV's

 

the Grizzly is a reliable bike. bought mine new in 2002. i'm not hard on it like i used to be, however it's first few years of life were tough to say the least. i still have it and my repair list over the last eight years has been short: 1 rear wheel bearing, 1 battery, 1 coolant hose (my bad--damned stick), 1 foot-floorboard (again, my bad ) and a set of brake pads. my buddy bought a Kawi 650 V-twin at the same time and his was in the shop 3 times in the first few months. the only incident where my bike has ever failed to fire was when the battery died at 6 years of age.

they have more than enough in the power department. mine is the 660cc carbureted model and i can stand it up easily...have not gotten to ride a FI model...must be tits.

 

I totally agree! The Yamaha Grizzly is one of the best, but the newest ones were redisigned and made cheaper, The 750 and 550 is on the exact same frame and nearly idendical in power, the most popular Yamaha around here is the manual shift Big Bear, thats a true do anything, go anywhere ATV.
I also agree about the Kawasaki Brute Force, they are totally junk and they are not that fast as everybody likes to think, they have faster acceleration, but the top end isn't fast.
ATV's is like a religion around here, lots of places to ride, poker runs every weekend, use for hunting, for hauling firewood from the woods, snow plowing and for the drunks that lost their drivers license that can still drive to the bars without going on the roads, on a typical Sunday afternoon you will see highway bars with 20 ATV's parked outside.
90% of the brands around here are Yamaha and Honda, I am one of the black sheep that owns a Suzuki King Quad 750, but the Polaris brand is looked down upon, Polaris is so bad that nobody wants to fix them, not even the Polaris Dealer will fix them!

 

I have a 05 Honda 400EX and recently purchased a 05 Yamaha Kodiak 450. I believe either one of these brands will be a good reliable machine when properly cared for. However, I like the 4x4 features of the Yamaha Grizzly lineup better than Honda's utilities. The Ultramatic tranny works really good and has great compression braking. The Grizzly also has push button 4x4, push button front locker, and High/Low range, features the Honda lineup don't offer. It was hard for me to buy the Yamaha because I've been a firm believer in Honda, but the Kodiak (Grizzly) seems to be a very solid machine.

 

I had a Grizzly and my buddy owns a Polaris 800 EFS. Both are great quads. What I would look for in a utility is independant front and rear suspension, fuel injected, and power steering. Nowadays I think most quads are comparable. It just comes down to price for me.

 

I can only recommend the Honda Foreman 4X4 because it's the only ATV that I have ever owned. I have owned mine for 6 years and have not had any problems whatsoever. I tow a heavy cart up and down steep inclines loaded with firewood and it does fine. My friends also have Foremans and I can't think of any problems. Just do the basic maintenance and they will run forever.

 

I highly recommend an Arctic Cat for the things you are looking to do with your ATV. I have one that I work, ride trails, hunt, mud, everything. Never had any problems with it. good ground clearance. 2 inch receiver for your trailer needs. Good rack system to mount hunting and working stuff. Also excellent power, 4x4 is excellent plus you get a very good locker that makes these things pull like you couldnt imagine. 4x4, low range, with the locker and you can pull a stuck truck out of a hole. I really enjoy mine and get alot of use out of it. Quality machine.

 

Honda all the way. I have a 420 Rancher 4x4 and have run it hard at times without a glitch. I've done several group trail rides and 90%of the ATV's have been Honda's. Now if you ask my sister in Montana she'll tell you Grizzly, which would be my second choice.