Looking to buy first atv

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justinh384

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I'm looking to buy my first atv. I have a few questions about the overall reliability of the different manufacturers and what model would you recommend for me. All questions will consider all of the major manufacturers: Honda, Polaris, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Arctic Cat.
1. Which brand has the greatest reliability associated with it?

2. Which brand requires the least/easiest maintenance? (I'm all about maintaining and taking care of my things. I just don't want to have to do it every time I turn around)

3. Should I buy new or used?

4. Which model would you recommend for me?

I'm about 5'10'' and 165 lbs. I have limited riding experience, although I did ride with my friends growing up. I'm not looking for the strongest, fastest machine. I'm just looking for something to use for hunting, leisurely trail riding, and to help with small tasks around the house. 4x4 isn't a must for me, but it would be a plus.
 
My friend owns land and has had Kawa's and Honda's and has slowly phased the Kawa's out of service and replaced with Honda Ranchers and Foreman's for reliability reasons. Servicing is about the same.....either super easy or PITA depending on the model (I've worked on both).
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
Honda Ranchers and Foreman's for reliability reasons


^^^^ This
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
Honda Ranchers and Foreman's for reliability reasons


^^^^ This

Yeah. I've been seriously looking at the Honda Ranchers.
 
For simple and reliable, look at Honda. For better suspension, speed, and handling, but more complicated, look at Can-am and Polaris.

I would buy a 4x4 with power steering.

If you want to take a passenger, buy a 2-up.

I sold my quads and bought a RZR. Fun stuff.
 
My Kawasaki Brute Force 750i has been a beast as far as performance and power with no more maintenance than any of the others. In many of the Kawasaki forums, you can get an idea of how tough they are. I am not sure if you are looking for an ATV this large though...
 
Whatever brand you get, buy a side by side with roll bars. It's a lot harder to die in a rollover that way.
 
4x4 is more stuff that needs maintained and could break, so if you don't NEED 4x4, then skip it. Your local terrain will decide if you REALLY need 4x4. Around here, you can usually just drive around the mud holes and be on your way.
 
I have a Yamaha Bruin 350 and have had zero problems. Just change the oil and general maintenance and the thing will just about run forever. Had a Yamaha growing up and we abused the thing for a long time and it still ran until the throttle cable snapped and we never fixed it.
 
In 1987 I bought a new Suzuki 250 4x4. It is still working for its second owner.
In 2000 I bought a 350 Honda Rancher 4x4. It is still working for its second owner.
In 2010 I bought a 650 Can-am Outlander 4x4. Is is still working for its second owner.

Thousands of off road miles, never had a 4x4 related problem or maintenance issue.
 
Japanese only! Stay away from the Polaris trash and the Chinese garbage. Search the ATV forum for my posts about the new Polaris we bought. They were junk 15 yrs ago and still are. Can't hold a candle to a Japanese ATV.
 
You're going to get a lot of different answers here, of course everyone is going to recommend their favorite brand.

20 years ago, Honda was the undisputed leader in ATVs, but these days all of the manufacturers make a pretty good machine.

Your best bet is to visit some dealers, look at some machines, take some test rides, and see which one best fits your needs.

Personally, we have a Polaris Scrambler 500 4x4 and a Kawasaki Prairie 360 4x4, both purchased new in 2008. Both of them have been excellent machines. I've replaced the batteries in both of them, but other than that they have had zero problems.
 
Some of the Honda's with the automatic transmission (Rincon IIRC) have had transmission issues related to the oil pump. My 12 year old Grizzly 660 has been great. I've had Honda's and Yamahas over the last 15 years (both sport and utility) and both brands have been decent, although I prefer Yamaha's.
 
Honda is going to definitely be more reliable than the others. I own a 2009 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO. For the most part it has been reliable. It hasn't required any expensive repairs but has had annoying things go wrong like the head light wires have broke and needed to be soldered. Or the spark plug boot wire became corroded and had to be cut back and redone. (That one caused A LOT of issues for a long time as it was an intermittent issue)

All in all its a good machine for the money. A similar size Honda is about 50% more than the Polaris and doesn't even compare in terms of handling, power, features, awesome AWD system(polaris hands down has the best AWD system).

The sportsman 500HO has a Fuji Industries built engine that is absolutely bullet proof. And all of the other major components have been on the Sportsman for a long time and the bugs have been worked out.


As far as buying new or used, used ATV's (at least in the Midwest) go for a lot of money. If you plan to buy an ATV that is only a few years old it isn't that much cheaper than new. If you can afford it go with a new one. With a new machine no one has screwed with it. But if you buy used research the model for trouble areas and look the machine over good.
 
Originally Posted By: 2010Civic
awesome AWD system(polaris hands down has the best AWD system).



Yeah, the Po system may be the best AWD system, but it's still a AWD system. Not a real locking, controllable diff lock that stays engaged like a a true 4x4 system. In other words, do you want a rock crawler-Rubicon system, or would you prefer the Subaru type system? For my money and my quad, I'll take the real 4x4 system everyday and twice on Sunday! The Po system is computer/sensor controlled and goes in and out of turning the front wheels as often as the system thinks it needs to. And the front wheels have to spin before they will engage. Then the rider never knows when it's going in or when it's coming out. And the whole thing cancels out if the throttle is applied or a certain speed is attained. Units without the ADC fix for the bad system only send engine braking to the rear wheels which is downright dangerous on loose, steep downhills. If they do have the ADC "fix", they can't go in reverse without holding in the over-ride button (pre 2011?), and you must switch in to the ADC everytime when you attempt a down hill or after it has been cancelled by the computer. The Po system also needs special oil in the hubs which requires more maintenance. If the system fails (and it does often, just ask Doug Meyer of atvtv.com), it will default to 2wd until the problem is fixed. And fixing it can be a total [censored]. Since it's all electrical, the problem will not be so obvious. Even the dealers have turned folks away when they couldn't find what was throwing the error code. Need I go on!?
Listen, there's one thing serious off-roaders learned decades ago.......a locking 4x4 system is simply the best way to go. That's why it's used in all the other atv's except Can Am, and all the serious truck-type off road vehicles, and all the custom built rock crawlers. It's simple, it tough, and it works. Most importantly, it's driver controlled. And any serious off roader will tell you he trusts his own judgement and skill over some [censored] computer!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: fsdork
Whatever brand you get, buy a side by side with roll bars. It's a lot harder to die in a rollover that way.


No, I don't think you understood the question. He asked what ATV to buy, not what oversized golf cart to buy!
laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Japanese only! Stay away from the Polaris trash and the Chinese garbage. Search the ATV forum for my posts about the new Polaris we bought. They were junk 15 yrs ago and still are. Can't hold a candle to a Japanese ATV.


^^^^+1!
 
Originally Posted By: JetStar
Some of the Honda's with the automatic transmission (Rincon IIRC) have had transmission issues


Yes, that's correct. And the new "lower class" models no longer have the hydrostatic trannies from a few years ago which was by far their best transmission. What made Honda famous for reliability is no longer an option unfortunately.

If you want to get a HOnda, look for a 2000's era Rubicon or Rancher 420 AT in good condition and pay whatever the owner wants for it. Outside of that, roll the dice just like you have to with everything else.

Every brand has it's good designs and bad designs. And every brand is capable of making a lemon once in awhile. And the perfect atv doesn't exist. But you need to ride a few to get an idea of what is perfect for you. For your skill level, I'd stay away from the big and heavy big bores for awhile. Start out with something in the 350 to 500 class, and lighter the better. It's hard to find even a 400cc machine these days that's much under 550 pounds, but look around. In that league, the Kawie 360 Prairie and the Honda Rancher 420 AT are amazingly capable machines, and can do 90% of what their big brothers can do on the trails. I wouldn't look past a Suzuki Vinson in good shape either.
 
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