Help select the right ATV for me

[Thomas Krupinski]

After some low life stole my 74 Honda Trail 90 last year off the back of my Explorer at the beginning of muzzleloading elk season, I am now looking to replace it with a quad.

I don't know too much about them, rode a friends Honda Foreman 500 a little last year, but nothing other than that.  I haven't been looking at any dealerships yet, just in the local classifieds.

Money is an issue and I need to keep the cost down as much as possible.  My general requirements are:

I would like it to be quiet, so I think a 4 stroke would be the best.

Would be run primarily on Forest Service (needs to be street legal) and BLM dirt roads and unmaintained ones.  

It can get pretty muddy here and some of the inclines are rather steep and some of the roads are pretty much goat paths with lots of loose rock and steep dropoffs.

I am not looking for speed, but dependability and clearance will have major advantage.  I think smaller engines and over size would probably be better.  I only weigh about 160 lbs, so with hunting equipment added, I would like to be able to pack out elk quarters or maybe a half with a little help.

I am open for ideas and suggestions, so let them rip.

[markc]

hello and welcome to the ATV forum.  You will get alot of different opinions on ATV's to meet your needs I am sure.  I think all of the major brands make some good ones, and some really good ones.  So since you mention being on a budget, just how much $ you have available to spend is gonna make a big difference.   I think the cheapets full size 2WD atv is the Artic Cat 250cc which begins at $3700.00 or so.  Will it meet your needs?  Probably, since it has a dual range transmission which helps get more out of the small motor.   I don't think you will find any other brand in a 250cc quad with the features the Artic Cat has.

There are probably better choices though, and if you have closer to $5000.00 to spend I would recommend the Yamaha Big Bear 4X4, the Artic Cat 400 4X4 with the ACT rear suspension,

The Honda Rancher is a good one.  

Go to www.atving.com and look at the ATV reviews they have there.  Keep in mind that those guys really like speed and sport,  but they do give a good review on almost every ATV out there.

I don't think any ATV could be considered street legal as far as the motor vehicle laws go,  but I think they all can easily comply with forest service road requirements which usually include a muffler with spark arrestor.

Good luck
markc

[markc]

I looked into another ATV or two for you.  Kawasaki Bayou 300 4X4 would likely be a real good one for you.  I have some first hand experience with that model.  It will definately climb some steep hills with lots of solid or loose rocks.    The only draw back to it I think is the rather small gas tank only 2.9 gallons.   If you prefer not to shift and like an auto transmission then the Prarie 360 4X4 would be a good one too.
markc

[Thomas Krupinski]

Thanks for the suggestions Mark.  I took a look at the reviews of that Kawaski Bayou on eopinions and it did not sound very dependable at all based upon the folks who owned one.

I think that what I am going to have to do is just start riding some to get some ideas of what I am going to have to evaluate.

Think I will try to find a used late model one that I can save some money on, or maybe some leftover dealer stock.  

Well I have a little while to look before I begin my scouting for this fall.

[markc]

Thomas I have never owned a bayou 300,  but have some riding time on a couple of them.  I must say that one of them had some problems,  but I attributed that to the abuse the owners put the thing through.  My personal preference for reliability would be the Yamaha Big Bear, or one of the mid sized Honda's , like the Foreman line.  I have only limited riding time on one of the Rancher 4X4's and it was very capable, but the shifter was very hard to operate on the 5sp manual model.  Good luck.  Most used ATV's have been abused pretty well,, and the price is a bit high in my opinion.  Graybeard did find a good deal on a used 4 wheeler in Bama though.
markc

[dallas44432]

atvtraderonline has the 03 rincon for $3800.  this is $2000 under cost.  It has 5 miles on it.  This is what you want.  It will fill all your needs.

[Justin10mm]

:grin: I will have to go with markc on this one. The Yamaha Big Bear is a very reliable quad. I have a '99 350 4x4. Still runs good after being road almost every day since the middle of that year. And I mean EVERY DAY. This quad will surve you well. The Big Bear is Yamaha's work horse. Or if you want an auto go with the Kodiak 400. The Kawasaki Prarie 360 is a real nice quad for work to.  My pick out of the 250cc class hast to be the Suzuki Ozark 250, nice little machine.

[markc]

I would almost recommend the Artic Cat 250 4X4 for the price and features, it is hard to beat.  However, I did find several recalls on Artic Cats's over the years, which suprises me since they have been making ATV's for years and they tend to use Suzuki engines and tranny's.  Seems like the recalls were mostly brakes, and such.  i would suggest that you do an internete or consumer reports search to find any recalls before buying.  Again, you can't go wrong with a Yamaha Big Bear, and they are 400 cc's now as well.
markc