ATV Recommendations

bush1 said:
Anything but the Chinese or Taiwanese would be fine. You would regret getting one of them.
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^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^

Ive owned multiple ATV's and rode with some pretty big groups

Buy a brand name (ideally made in Japan). Do all the regular maintenance, don't dive it like you stole it and it will be fine for many years.

Buy a cheap knock off and you will get what you pay for. Always wear good boots because you will likely need to walk home.
 
I'm still riding my 1999 yamaha grizzly. Stator went last year and it wouldn't start, not that big of a job to replace and its going strong again. Thing doesn't owe me a dime.
But these threads are kind of like asking what brand truck to buy. Everyone has their favourite and everyone knows someone who had a bad one and will bad mouth that brand.

For durability it's hard to beat yamaha or honda. If you want performance, buy a higher end brand/model, but realize your giving up durability. Just depends what you want and need.
 
FishHog said:
But these threads are kind of like asking what brand truck to buy. Everyone has their favourite and everyone knows someone who had a bad one and will bad mouth that brand.

For durability it's hard to beat yamaha or honda. If you want performance, buy a higher end brand/model, but realize your giving up durability. Just depends what you want and need.
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Ive owned Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. Id own any of them again.
I have had experience with the china stuff and whatever you've been told, it slightly worse than that!

for the OP id suggest two list. Good and Bad
vs people trying to prioritize whats on the top of good
 
Butcherbill said:
Yes and no, the only time I’ve noticed the front end want to lift was on machines with taller suspension or when the coil overs were at their stiffest settings. Or when going up very steep inclines, the 700 grizzly has so much power that it’s easy to get the front end up. My one friend has one and he wheelie’s it easily, lots of bottom end on them. Awesome machines, tough as nails.
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My front end bounces on the flat with a bit of weight on the back. Was not terribly impressed with that.
 
Front end light like the Grizzly makes it feel like it’s got power, in the shootout vids it doesn’t. Motor set back and gas tank behind that makes it poorly balanced. I have to hold down the front end of my buddies Yamaha and Kawasaki coming up the steep deactivations. Put some gear on the back and it’s scary to climb the ramp in to the truck. There’s lots of vids of guys loaded everything on the back little to nothing on the front, first mud hole front wheels up rider in the mud.
 
Jgoulin said:
In the market for an ATV in the 400 to 500 +/- range. Would be a new purchase. Apart from the big three (Honda Yamaha suzuki), does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with Argo ( I believe rebranded Taiwan manufacture), CFMoto (Chinese?). CanAm, Arctic Cat, Polaris are all possibilities. I was leaning towards the CanAm 570 but online reviews have me leery. I don't really see Argo or CFMoto as holding a candle to the others, but the prices I see are tugging at me to at least take a look.
Use would be light, one or two hunting trips a year, and some ice fishing, no serious off road or towing. Reliability and service are probably the two biggest factors.
South West Ontario, directly in the armpit.
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I have a Grizzly 700 EPS 2010
GF ride's a Kingquad 700 2020.

not much difference for what we use it for, but of course I prefer my Grizzly, mainly because its mine.
When we use only one quad, we take the Kingquad because she installed a secondary seat on the rear rack. but even if its an easy ride, its a bit rough for her bonny 110 lbs cheeks. When we use the Grizzly, I have a compartment on the rear rack (chainsaw or 22lr) we basically seat on the same seat and my nuts are crushing on the fuel tank, not the best for a long ride.
My point: Two person = Canam.
One person: Grizzly / kingquad.
 
freddyfour said:
My front end bounces on the flat with a bit of weight on the back. Was not terribly impressed with that.
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Odd, have you given the suspension a good run through? We run Grizzly’s at one place I work in the summer, all logging road or trails we’ve built. Almost all of it have steep sections and I only have noticed it on lifted machines or ones set up too stiff for the terrain we’re on. We generally have a load on the front or back which will help.
 
MRP said:
Front end light like the Grizzly makes it feel like it’s got power, in the shootout vids it doesn’t. Motor set back and gas tank behind that makes it poorly balanced. I have to hold down the front end of my buddies Yamaha and Kawasaki coming up the steep deactivations. Put some gear on the back and it’s scary to climb the ramp in to the truck. There’s lots of vids of guys loaded everything on the back little to nothing on the front, first mud hole front wheels up rider in the mud.
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Sounds like operator problems, as much as anything. Kinda like puttin' a fat chick on the sissy seat on a chopper. Not gonna be pretty! LOL!

I picked up an ex RCMP Kodiak 450, and can't fault it. About as big a machine as I have an interest in owning. IRS is nice for my bad back, and the belt drive transmission, has a pretty good track record. Other than a minor issue with a front diff lock relay or switch giving me some grief, it has caused me no problems.

Before that, it was a solid axle Honda Rancher 350, and a Big Bear 350, both are still here, needing some love. :) Both very different feeling machines to ride, too. The Big Bear feels larger yet lighter, than the Honda. The Honda feels much more compact, and maneuverable. But more ... solid, I guess. Hard to describe. Similar class machines,very different feeling to riding them. Neither will win any races. I didn't buy them to race with...
 
I have had a 2007 can am outlander 400 for about 8 yrs now. Other than oil, filters, tires, brake pads, and a universal joint I have had no issues. Starts easily until about -20, then It requires a bit of cranking. It runs my Kolpin plow nicely.
 
remyltr said:
Honda
Had two 10 years now,bullet proof

Do not buy a cam am. We use the 6x6s outfitting and they are POFS
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Can am 6x6's are not the greatest but, Can am makes a very high quality machine. Are they as reliable as a Honda? No. However, they are performance machines not yard cruisers. They are built for mud and speed. I have had my 2022 xt max 850 for a year now and have beat the piss out of it and put it through more than a honda will ever see in 10 years. No issues what so ever.
 
All the big brands are alright. I’ve only owned Honda and Yamaha for any length of time. Currently a 450, 550, and 700 Yamaha. While I’m not personally a fan of Polaris I’ve got plenty of friends that swear by them. I’ve ridden pretty much everything. Can ams have an awesome power to weight ratio, they go like hell. Polaris are also fast and smooth. The Yamahas are a bit rougher. For the kind of riding you’ve said you’ll be doing a 450 Yamaha or Polaris would be a great machine. But be aware, if you buy a small one and end up just loving riding and using it all the time, you’ll probably end up wanting something bigger. Kinda how I ended up with three….. one each now, but that wasn’t the original intention.
Pick one of the main brands, keep up on your maintenance and keep the rad clean, you should be happy.
I’d invite you to come for a rip, but I’m a bit far away
 
MRP said:
Front end light like the Grizzly makes it feel like it’s got power, in the shootout vids it doesn’t. Motor set back and gas tank behind that makes it poorly balanced. I have to hold down the front end of my buddies Yamaha and Kawasaki coming up the steep deactivations. Put some gear on the back and it’s scary to climb the ramp in to the truck. There’s lots of vids of guys loaded everything on the back little to nothing on the front, first mud hole front wheels up rider in the mud.
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I wish I had known this, I like to ride with my kids and sometimes my wife on the back, makes it a bit dicy. Need to put a bag of deer feed on the front.
 
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