ATV for hunting

elimsprint said:
Get 2 Rokons and never look back! Oh, and leave all the quads behind where the trail narrowed.
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Rokons are truly hellish to ride all day on trails where suspension can make or break you. Yes, they tractor thru some amazing stuff but to do so the rider's legs and feet get heavy use.
I have experience with these machines thru a former cgn member and would pick my hunting terrain carefully if a Rokon was the ride of the day. My grizz 550 kept up to those rokons and in many places I traversed much easier than they did and my body thanked me for it at the end of each day.
 
bush1 said:
I had one of them and had to walk out of the bush 3 times and was surprised I didn’t light a match to it the last time. Really, Honda’s are great machines but I just got a lemon.

All my buddies have Yamaha’s and I eventually got one and won’t ever go back to anything else.
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I have had them all and have to agree. The Yamaha Grizzlies (I have owned a lot of them over the years) are the most reliable. I have never had one leave me stranded. Ever. They have the highest power to weight ratio, athletic reflexes and responsiveness, 4 wheel disk brakes, independant brakelevers for front and rear brakes, an excellent 4wd system, reliable SEALED electrics . The 686cc '700' is stone axe reliable. Check valve clearances at recommended intervals, Oil changes, Fuel, change to synthetic Royal Purple in the diffs and ride!!!
If you plan to get Camso tracks, it is one of the best machines for a track kit. Low weight and high torque is an ideal setup when running them. Wide fenders and footwells even accomodate dunlop rubber boots!!!

Cons: Less fuel efficient than a 500 class machine. They DO go thru brake pads (but Ihave Elka STG4's on my bike so.. you know how i ride) They have great ground clearance, best in class, but that also equates to a higher CG so careful on side hills.

Other downsides... 2007 MY had stator oiling problems. Avoid these unless the fix has been done. 2017-2018MY 708cc Engine was hit and miss because of Subaru effing it up. Yamaha has since gone back to the 686.

Throttle response. This is a torquey single cylinder. Being ham fisted can get you into trouble. Word to the wise.
 
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Got Juice? said:
I have had them all and have to agree. The Yamaha Grizzlies (I have owned a lot of them over the years) are the most reliable. I have never had one leave me stranded. Ever. They have the highest power to weight ratio, athletic reflexes and responsiveness, 4 wheel disk brakes, independant brakelevers for front and rear brakes, an excellent 4wd system, reliable SEALED electrics . The 686cc '700' is stone axe reliable. Check valve clearances at recommended intervals, Oil changes, Fuel, change to synthetic Royal Purple in the diffs and ride!!!
If you plan to get Camso tracks, it is one of the best machines for a track kit. Low weight and high torque is an ideal setup when running them. Wide fenders and footwells even accomodate dunlop rubber boots!!!

Cons: Less fuel efficient than a 500 class machine. They DO go thru brake pads (but Ihave Elka STG4's on my bike so.. you know how i ride) They have great ground clearance, best in class, but that also equates to a higher CG so careful on side hills.

Other downsides... 2007 MY had stator oiling problems. Avoid these unless the fix has been done. 708cc Engine was hit and miss because of Subaru effing it up. Yamaha has since gone back to the 686.

Throttle response. This is a torquey single cylinder. Being ham fisted can get you into trouble. Word to the wise.
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Actually laughed.... yes... ham fisting is not ideal.
I found that out the hard way.
 
Daver_II said:
Actually laughed.... yes... ham fisting is not ideal.
I found that out the hard way.
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We converted a Polaris 850 Rider last year after his frame kept breaking. you are right to laugh. the first ride through the rose pass he had to give it a little throttle to muscle through. Unfortunately he used the same amount of throttle he used to need on his Poilaris. the results were predictable.... But after scaring himself white, we took a lunch break, and he said 'jeeesus.. that kick is not what i was expecting'
 
One really nice thing to note. The single cyl on the grizz is less thirsty than the V-Twin bikes that others make in the 7-900cc class. While others carry spare fuel in their rotopax (I do as well) I find myself never using one unless we are on 2-4 day overnight trips. Or walking through some really gnarly terrain on a 9 hour ride.

One other good thing. Grizzlies use a lot of common fasteners. 17's 19's 16's 14's 10mm, and a hex wrench set is about all you need to completely undress the machine from plastics to motor.
 
I was raised on Honda ATVs and in 2008 I went to go purchase my first Honda but found my budget too tight. I settled for a Suzuki King Quad and I'm still driving it today and converted my brothers and father. I out pull my old man's rincon every year to the bear stands. I have done almost zero maintenance and treat it like crap and it is still trucking!!!
 
45ACPKING said:
Rokons are truly hellish to ride all day on trails where suspension can make or break you. Yes, they tractor thru some amazing stuff but to do so the rider's legs and feet get heavy use.
I have experience with these machines thru a former cgn member and would pick my hunting terrain carefully if a Rokon was the ride of the day. My grizz 550 kept up to those rokons and in many places I traversed much easier than they did and my body thanked me for it at the end of each day.
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My Rokons have suspension, fairly rudimentary but it works. I don't know what you were traversing on a quad that wasn't 10x easier on a Rokon. Show me a side hill you can traverse easier than a Rokon. And really, I don't need to ride that far, I just go into an area via narrow game trails that the quadders can't get to and harvest the animals they scare in there with their constant roaring about on the roads and wide trails. Rokons for the win!!!
 
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2010 Polaris 550 Sportsman two-up which I bought new. The wiring was replaced because it was junk two years ago($1000). The front end last year and that was my fault. Very comfortable machine and I really like it. They are not as nimble as a one person but unless you are really doing serious sidehilling it won't matter much. Parts are not an issue just get a Royal Distributing catalogue. No pull start but carry a jumper.
 
tigrr said:
Buy once cry once Honda.
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And then buy a 700 Grizzly lol.




Honda’s really are bombproof though, you won’t go wrong with one. I rode my coworkers Rincon with pretty bald tires and that thing climbed some pretty steep wet overgrown crap on the cat road we were brushing out and opening up for further quad access.
 
elimsprint said:
My Rokons have suspension, fairly rudimentary but it works. I don't know what you were traversing on a quad that wasn't 10x easier on a Rokon. Show me a side hill you can traverse easier than a Rokon. And really, I don't need to ride that far, I just go into an area via narrow game trails that the quadiots can't get to and harvest the animals they scare in there with their constant roaring about on the roads and wide trails. Rokons for the win!!!
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I would love to try a Rokon but you sure don’t see many around and haven’t seen one for sale around here ever. Would suit me fine for where I hunt but I’d like to try one first. Too pricey to buy a new one for amount of use it would get.
 
bush1 said:
I would love to try a Rokon but you sure don’t see many around and haven’t seen one for sale around here ever. Would suit me fine for where I hunt but I’d like to try one first. Too pricey to buy a new one for amount of use it would get.
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I own the only 2 I have ever seen for sale out here, they are amazing machines.
 
elimsprint said:
My Rokons have suspension, fairly rudimentary but it works. I don't know what you were traversing on a quad that wasn't 10x easier on a Rokon. Show me a side hill you can traverse easier than a Rokon. And really, I don't need to ride that far, I just go into an area via narrow game trails that the quadders can't get to and harvest the animals they scare in there with their constant roaring about on the roads and wide trails. Rokons for the win!!!
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I;m glad you edited your post hehehe
I have owned my grizzly since January 2012 and it only has 4200km on it. I say that because when I use it for hunting it's used to get to an area and then hunt on foot.
Anyhow, sure there are tight trails a 2 wheeled bike will go that no other vehicle will but I'd rather be on foot at that point.
I hunted for a week with a group that had rokons and you could see by the end of it they all needed a break.
Speaking of side hills..... my friend destroyed the buttstock on a 1000 dollar sage chassis going up a hill beside me. I made it over the top and heard a crash. The rokon didn't make it and rider experience wasn't the problem.
Rokons are awesome machines. As far as what they are and how they function.... I am a fan. I would never recommend one over a quality atv though.
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Experienced rider and he has his gun strapped to the handlebars? Really? Mine is strapped tightly to my chest with a safari sling as one of the joys of riding a Rokon is the easy dismount if you get in too deep and dump it. Plant a foot or feet and step away, the Rokon can look after itself. Try that with a quad. I had a quad till I got the Rokons but for my hunting style and where I hunt the Rokons can't be beat. Maybe if I spent a week at a time on them I might feel differently but I hunt mainly near home and only ride when I feel like it. I can cover the whole mountain behind the house using cattle and game trails, way too narrow for any quad, and only cross roads a couple of times. I am having problems with the mountain bikers though, some of them have discovered my trail network and it's scary going up with some crazed biker flying down. Damn first world problems!
 
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Just certain models. Pretty sure they still make both the touring model with a nice rear seat and backrest and also the x2 which has a box with a convertible seat. Look em up on the polaris website. There was a pretty much brand new decked out x2 at a local dealer for thousands less than a new current model. I’d just advise to find one with power steering.
 
They have a lot of models. Had my 2up for 10 years and like it. As mentioned wiring issues in 2010 years give or take a couple years for Polaris. When buying a used ATV you really have to get down and dirty. Some people destroy their machines some people keep them up. When possible take a buddy who owns the same make, they will know what to look for.

rkr said:
are all polaris 2up or just certain models?
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I've got a 2009 Arctic cat trv 550LE.

It's a factory 2-up model with fuel injection
I added front and rear winches, and a huge accessory rear rack that can replace the passenger seat with no tools.
I also added a home-made boat rack that attaches to the speed-rack system with four pins. It'll haul a 12' aluminum boat or a 19' canoe with no issues.
 
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