thinking about getting in the fun of atvs

I would say buy used. the markup on these things is crazy. you can get one a year or two old for alot cheaper

 

"kato i found the tread. go to page 2 scroll down to " atv in a short bed ". there is that thread to read and a guy name HAMMERDOG (halfway down on that thread) has another web link that might help you also. let me know how you make out cause i might be in the same boat as you this spring."

Thanks for the re-direct. Its reassuring seeing some of those big quads loaded up in the 5 foot beds. I'm going on the 23rd to pick the quad up, so i'll see when the time comes what sort of issues i will be facing.

Its going to be tight. The quad comes with a snow plow. So i think my best option will be to install the blade and back the quad into the bed.

I will be sure to take some photos to add to these threads.

As for the polaris bump, i am not qualified to give it. This will be the first quad for my father. My onnly experience with polaris was using one for work. It was the 500 sportsman. I really liked the independant rear suspension, and the torque that the v twin engine produced.

if you'd like i can give you a better opinion come spring after it has been used for a winter plowing the driveway and running around the wood lot.

Sorry to everyone else for the thread hi-jack

 

ya take some pics. the quad i was looking at measures 8 feet long. i have a 6 foot bed. and guys where talkin about having to upgrade the tailgate cable for that kind of weight on the gate. i may just say EFF IT and get myself a nice enclosed trailor. i only have a small shed to begin with. what the hell its only money right?????

 

got a grizzly 700 with fuel injection and power steering. it is a bad machine. the fuel injection is nice because you don't have to wait for it to warm up like one with a choke. power steering is awsome. it comes in handy if you have alot of weight on the machine. i plant alot of food plots with mine, steering it is a breeze with me and about 750 pounds of seed on it.

 

It sounds like you want to go with a utility quad probably a 500cc. Polaris is the only one i have experience with. Polaris makes great quads with a ton of power and can take you anywhere. They also have plenty of storage. The only problem that we have ever had have been with the transmissions and we have never had to do anything major to them they were just a little hard to shift into certain gears. This has been the only issue however and not a serious problem.

 

You can probably tell that all the major brands have fans and people that swear by them. The fact is that all the major manufactures of 4wheelers are good. I am a Yamaha fan myself. The Grizzly line of bikes are very good machines.


This is my Grizz 660, with custom winch bumper I built

 

thanks jeff. thats a nice lookin ride. are those factory tires? they look really good and bigger than what ive seen?????

 

Make sure its tied down good if its in the back of ur rig, I had mine in my 2nd gen taco and it rolled and busted out my back window. $500 mistake i wont let happen again

 

Sorry for late reply.... They are ITP 589's, 27/9X12 Front and 27/11X12 Rear. Not a bad tire for mud or snow.Check out www.4atvtires.com

 

I would suggest lookin at the Grizzly 550 fuel injected and power steering.
They don't make the 660 like I have any more but the fuel injected 700 that replaced it is a all-around perfect ATV.

 

I would say go big first if not your going to be looking for one down the road, imo. I plow, haul and use around the duck club all the time. It is truely a utility quad, and as someone said the fuel injection and power steering are nice. Good luck

 

X2. I would have bought this one, but i had a honda rincon that burned up
on me. at the time the 700 was all they made with power steering and fuel injection. the power steering is nice, but the fuel injection is well worth the extra money. it is just like a car, ones without this are like a lawn mower. you have to choke them, let them warm up for several minutes then go. if it is real cold outside it can take sometime until they are ready to ride. the two features i would look for, no matter which brand you choose are : fuel injection and rear independent suspension. it is worth the extra money for those 2 features.

 

I have been riding ATVs since 2004. When I first entered the hobby, I asked many people what type of ATV to purchase for my needs. My first ATV was a 2004 Yamaha Kodiak 400 4x4. Initially, when I started looking for an ATV I investigated all of the brands and sizes to see what would suite my needs and my budget.

I looked at Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Polaris. Polaris makes a nice machine, but the only problem is that I did not like the Polaris drive system. Suzuki and Kawasaki did not impress me. They did not seem to have the ground clearance that Polaris and Yamaha did. Then, when I looked at Honda they seemed very high priced when comparing feature for feature to the Yamaha.

When I first started looking, I simply thought I was going to purchase a 2 wheel drive model. After doing a little bit of research, I realized that 4 wheel drive is much more practical, especially if there is even the slightest chance of plowing with the ATV. It also improves the resale value. Where I live, we get lots of snow, so 2 wheel drive quads are hard to sell at blue book value.

After months of research I had it in my mind that I was purchasing a 2004 Yamaha Bruin 350 4x4 air cooled. My mind changed quickly when I went to the dealer and he let me drive both ATV's to see what I thought. He actually let me drive the Bruin 350, the Kodiak 400, and the Kodiak 450. Keep in mind that the Bruin 350 was like 349 cc and the Kodiak 400 was actually 401 cc, while the Kodiak 450 was only 421 cc. Let this be a lesson to check the actual specs because many people purchase quads and do not realize that the engine size is not always the exact cc's as the model might suggest. The model is for general comparison purposes.

After my test ride, I liked the Kodiak 400 4x4 the best. That machine was a great machine. It had no frills and tons of power. I am a big guy and with all of my gear, plus my body weight, I easily hauled 450+ lbs on that quad without a problem. I was still cruising along at 35-40 mph.

If you look at the newer Yamaha's you will notice that nearly all of them feature IRS (Independent Rear Suspension). This is a great feature. It allows for a much smoother ride. Personally, I feel that you need a little more throttle on a machine with IRS to get it going the same speed as a machine without, but it's worth it. That said, if I were looking to purchase a new ATv, I would look at the Grizzly 550 EFI 4x4 without power steering. This machine has the exact same frame as the 700, but runs from about 1200-1500 less in price. If the 550 is more than you are looking for, I would look at the Grizzly 450. All of the old Kodiak models are now called Grizzly's. Yamaha is capitalizing on the popularity of the original Grizzly 660.

After looking for months, I finally had it in my mind that I was going to purchase a Yamaha Bruin 350

 

thank you tractor. the grizzly 550 is at the top of my list. also good price for what your getting.