4Wheeler Recommendations?

We will continue thorough research on them. Thank you for steering us in that direction. We will certainly weigh our needs vs which tool is right for the job! Thank you!

 

i have that atv. mines a 2004 i think? it has over 1800 hours on it. never gave me any issues other than i had re jet the carb a few times but that was from my own doing

 

I'm actually glad the newer ones are EFI ha. My old carbed dual sports were always somewhat neglected when I was younger and of course I'd piss and moan when they weren't running well after Winter when it wasn't the bikes fault haha

 

You can't go wrong with a Yamaha.

 

What I like about the Yamaha's is the belt drive (no shifting), engine braking (almost no need to use the brake as they just slow down) and they are super reliable. I can stop on a very steep hill and take off slowly like a car. Honda is the only other make I would consider but I have not ridden one and I believe they have a no clutch shift.

 

I got a 450 Kodiak last fall. Put front and rear bumpers on it. Also added a rear light for backing up at night. I got it with a winch and I added a warn plow. Makes quick work of snow in the driveway. I've been happy with it.

 

I recently picked up a '99 Arctic Cat 500 4x4 with super low hours for similar purposes. I've done minimal maintenance to it, and it's been awesome to have around. Pretty dang similar to work on as my truck!

Good luck with your search. I looked for a good 4 months, and people kept selling them under me before I could get there to pick it up! But keep searching, and you're bound to find a great deal.

 

100% the right choice for this.

My first ATV was a Kodiak 450 IRS 4x4. This was in... 2006? 2005? Might have been 2004. What is time, anyways?

I've been in the quad world since 2004 or so. This has gone from entry-level ATVs to big-bores, and I've spent countless hours and miles around side-by-sides as well. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as reliable and dependable as a Yamaha ATV. Hondas, maybe. Maybe.

My Kodiak was a killer machine that was a good workhorse and a good trail toy as well. Light, nimble, and geared well for the local trails. Not a powerhouse by any means, but fun in a ride-as-hard-as-you-can-and-not-get-in-trouble kind of way. I will never cease to recommend a Yamaha. If they had given the Grizzly (or the now-defunct Wolverine ATV) more power, I'd own one and not a Polaris.

Yamaha ATVs are very similar to Toyota pickups. Maybe not the most exciting out there, but you can depend on it day-in and day-out. And, ultimately, the best time on an ATV is when it works. A Yamaha ATV almost always will.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve owned a lot of dual sports and ridden lots of other bikes and Yamaha has always been the best for us and from what we’ve read the Yami ATVs are just as you said. Thanks again!

 

What dual sports? I'm casually (i.e., very, very casually) looking at dual sports. Unlikely I'll actually buy one but really, really want to.

 

First bike was an XT225 when I was a teenager.

I’ve had a TW200, and XT250..

“Grew up” and rode a bunch of bigger bikes. CRF250, WR250, KLR 650, DR650, VStrom 650, a friends R6 for a bit (hated that), DRZ400 (I didn’t own all of these haha just had the chance to ride a lot before I moved back here). Even a few Harleys...

The point of listing all of those?

I felt pressured to buy a WR250 because it’s the “better” Yamaha when it came time to buy a Dual Sport again (or a DRZ or DR)...

At the end of the day I realized I had way more fun putting around and exploring on the little XT250 (and XT225 and TW200) than any of the faster “better” bikes. By far.

The XT (and TW) are often made fun of as beginner bikes or a “wife’s bike” but if I’m being honest they’re infinitely underrated for most riders. More tractor like engine rather than high revving, plenty of ground clearance, low seat height, phenomenal turn radius, super light weight, the only down side is if you care what peeps say about them haha


My next bike will be another XT250. The wife’s next bike will be another TW200.

I’d suggest starting there and trying other people’s bikes as you go. Did I mention they’re dirt cheap used? Have fun!

 

I had a Yamaha Kodiak 400 and it was solid. Only issue I had was it went through batteries pretty quick. Otherwise, it was a great 4wheeler. We used it for work and trail riding. Yamahas are very reliable and their belt drive CVT is one of the best out there, if not the best. I'm actually more of a Honda fan than Yamaha, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy either one. Honda has the Foreman and Rancher lines if you're interested in a manual transmission and solid axle rear end. I currently have a Honda Rubicon with the DCT transmission and it's been flawless. I don't think you can go wrong with Honda or Yamaha, to be honest. Keep us updated with what you find.

 

Will do!

 

I've had a Kodiak 700 EPS since 2018. It has been a GREAT machine! Was going to get a 450, but it was not much more for the 700 and was sold the deal was a locking front diff and the free winch. You may be able to get a 450 with locking diff on nowadays.

With Kenda Bearclaw HTRs, this thing seems unstoppable! The stock tires really were crap.

I didn't like the way the airbox was setup, so I now have a UNI clamp on filter and did a simple AIS delete to minimize the backfiring on deceleration. This thing has been super reliable, and I have been hard on it! Ripped the stock skidplate off on a gnarly clearcut the first year I had it but it was less than 30 bucks to replace.
Have had a TW200 since about 2011. Put 12,000 trouble free miles on it! It is now in the hands of my nephews who are learning to ride.

 

What did you decide on, @BuzzardsGottaEat ?