- Location
- Southern ontario
honda foreman 400 or 450, most reliable bike I've ever come across. my buddies has 1500 hours on it only thing that wore out was tires and was unstoppable 4wd
Hunting with ATV
- Thread starter bigbull
- Start date
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ,location, location
After owning a 300 Honda, a 500 Honda and now my 750 Kawasaki Brute Force I could never go back to a "little" machine.
Why the hell would I want an uncomfortable, gutless, rough riding, always getting stuck machine when I can ride in comfort, never have to shift a gear, and rarely have to unspool the winch line unless I decide to try something stupid.
Also, the only quad to leave me stranded was a Honda BTW Seized the engine or possibly the tranny on a 500 Honda Rubicon with only 2500KM on it when I jumped a log and not hard either.
Why the hell would I want an uncomfortable, gutless, rough riding, always getting stuck machine when I can ride in comfort, never have to shift a gear, and rarely have to unspool the winch line unless I decide to try something stupid.
Also, the only quad to leave me stranded was a Honda BTW Seized the engine or possibly the tranny on a 500 Honda Rubicon with only 2500KM on it when I jumped a log and not hard either.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
That's one feature I wouldn't mind having. There are quite a number of improvements and innovations available on todays machines. Taking into consideration the age, condition and low mileage of my Big Bear,
and my age, the Big Bear will be more than sufficient. The winch is there and I've only really had to use it once. Other than that, the only use it sees is the raising & lowering of my snow plough blade. If, in a given situation, I find I need something bigger, more comfortable and more powerful,
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You don't need a monster motor. 4oo-550 cc is just fine. I have a Suzuki Kingquad 450. Independant suspension, automatic, etc. My ATV is loaded for comfort. Not only heated handgrips, but the seat is heated as well. Oh, did I mention, I have a resting seat and the seat and handgrips on it are heated as well. Winch (remote control of course), mud tires, over fenders, front box, etc. It is like a Jeep in mini form. Love it and do not know how I got along without it. Great all around vehicles no matter which make you end up with.
Bearc
Bearc
When you haul a whole bull moose 100 yards or more thru a logging slash that is a jumble of smashed up pine beetled logs and branches and the ground has been torn up by skidder tracks.... Then continue on dragging it whole another 2KM back to the truck.... You will be a believer in 500 plus CC motors, independant suspension and selectable lockers and power steering.
My grizz 550 did this twice last week alone and she performed better than I thought a quad ever could.
All the guys in my area with polaris models.... Aren't quadding aas their machines are broken from riding around here LOL
I did a tonne of research before I bought this bike and so far... It has exceeded my expectations big time
My grizz 550 did this twice last week alone and she performed better than I thought a quad ever could.
All the guys in my area with polaris models.... Aren't quadding aas their machines are broken from riding around here LOL
I did a tonne of research before I bought this bike and so far... It has exceeded my expectations big time
MIRAMICHIER
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Miramichi,Nb
Got a Honda Rincon 680 & your right 600 Lbs is heavy but not as wide as the side by sides.I remember we used to hunt with Three wheelers cross any bog you wanted to.Try it now with a 600 lb four wheeler.Good Luck with your search.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Grizzly 700 is narrower, lighter, and more maneuverable than a Polaris 500 and outperforms comparable machines in the tight stuff...
Many times a guy on an ATV will appear to be wasting his time flinging mud and rocking in a hole, but more often than not they're just looking for a solid bottom to gain traction. You sound like my dad who drives AROUND the mud holes
That's one of the nice thing's with a light Grizzly...when it's stuck simply lift the front or rear over. When the Polaris guys in our crew get stuck we just pull the winches without even considering a lift most times.This sort of stuff always makes me laugh. Have yet to find a Honda that can keep up or go the same places, and I OWN Honda's....And Yamaha's, and Can Am's...
The difference for me is what all is done with the machine?
If my main or only use for the machine was hunting I would have a Honda 400 or 500. But since I also want to have the quad for hitting the trails, going through the mud holes and wanting that extra power just for fun I have the Brute Force 650i (once you ride a twin cylinder you wont want to go back).
If my main or only use for the machine was hunting I would have a Honda 400 or 500. But since I also want to have the quad for hitting the trails, going through the mud holes and wanting that extra power just for fun I have the Brute Force 650i (once you ride a twin cylinder you wont want to go back).
Quads are getting the same treatment that trucks got over the last few dozen years.
People bought trucks, the whinged about that they rode like trucks and so the weight rose, along with the garbage that trucks didn't need so much. Lots of weight makes for a cushy ride, eh?
The bigger quads are OK for some stuff, better for others, worse for the rest. As are the smaller ones. At the end of the day, shop to fit your needs.
I like the older Yamaha Big Bears. Pretty much the only problem I have run across with them is the front drive U-joints have been shot on the two that I have dealt with. Cheap to fix, not a deal breaker, IMO. My Honda (350fm) is another basic model, and since I got it broken and abused, the jury will be out on it over the next few seasons...
The ride on the IRS quads is much nicer, at the cost of a little more that can go wrong. Nice if you are tooling along the oil patch roads and cutlines at a pretty good clip.
Never had any problems towing with the IRS quads we had around the camp.
Cheers
Trev
People bought trucks, the whinged about that they rode like trucks and so the weight rose, along with the garbage that trucks didn't need so much. Lots of weight makes for a cushy ride, eh?
The bigger quads are OK for some stuff, better for others, worse for the rest. As are the smaller ones. At the end of the day, shop to fit your needs.
I like the older Yamaha Big Bears. Pretty much the only problem I have run across with them is the front drive U-joints have been shot on the two that I have dealt with. Cheap to fix, not a deal breaker, IMO. My Honda (350fm) is another basic model, and since I got it broken and abused, the jury will be out on it over the next few seasons...
The ride on the IRS quads is much nicer, at the cost of a little more that can go wrong. Nice if you are tooling along the oil patch roads and cutlines at a pretty good clip.
Never had any problems towing with the IRS quads we had around the camp.
Cheers
Trev
I may not be able to keep up speed wise but on trails and bush running to get to downed animals the can`t keep up. I started riding with the good old 3 wheelers then dirt bikes and now the 4x4`s. Wide open spaces I`m the last one but do usually put the bigger ones to shame in the tighter trails and bush. I would never buy a Can Am. One family I hunt with have 2 500`s a 650ho and a 1000. The 1 5oo has had 3 fuel pumps replaced and both front shocks. The 650 has had the clutch replaced once but the belt twice, the charging system has failed twice also. The 1000 has had the charging system fail once already, a fuel line split the ignition lost the key program and wouldn`t start, the clutch bearings siezed and a rear axle broke. The other 500 `s only problem so far has been chatter in the brakes and an idiot put diesel in the tank. We got it in time and no damage to the motor.
Everyone does have their own opinion on what to buy but be sure to do research on the machine and what you want it for. Any machine will do what you will need it to for the most part (depending on it`s dependability and how it`s maintained) as long as you ride smart and use common sense. FYI we do use our machines for trail riding also in Huntsville, Parry Sound, Kearny so they do get a lot of use.
I had a honda 300 4 trax I bought used. It was a 92 model all time 4x4. It was also abused. Fixed it up and the only thing I had an issue with was my son nose dived it into a ditch and didn`t tell me. Caused some bearings to go in the front end, fixed them and good as new. Used that machine for 8 years with out problems and now it`s being enjoyed by my parents (in their 60`s) in Newfoundland. They love having it. Oh I did have to rebuild the starter. I did upgrade to a 400 auto for the wife because of health issues and shifting manually because of the issues. I still love riding the old 300 when I go back for visits.
Those early 90's hondas 4trax were pretty awesome machines. My buddy still has a 4wd and a 2wd both 350s I think. They have been used and abused, crashed and rolled LOL but still makin it on our hunting adventures without stranding the rider. If I was buying a used older machine for trail riding.... Those would be my first choice
Should Huntsville, Parry Sound, Kearny, mean something to me? (Serious question.)
I've owned every atv Yamaha has brought to the table, have a pair of Honda's in my shop right now, along with a Yamaha 450, and a Can Am 1000, (not to mention one or two behind the shop) and the one thing I can say for absolute certain, that in tough ground, nothing beats a lot of weight with independant suspension and a lot of horsepower under your thumb. It's always better to have power and torque available and not need it, than it is to need it and not have it. That's one thing the big machines do have going for them, lots of weight will keep your tires planted on the ground. Tires on the ground mean traction.
Sure it can be tough to sneak around the trees with a big atv, but if you are prepared for that, it isn't an issue. I've yet to find a trail I can't get through with the big bike, but I've certainly found trails that the smaller machines have a tough time with.
That said, big machines aren't the answer for everyone.
