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Originally Posted by wildhobbybobby
A group of us ride ATV's in the Arizona desert all winter every year. Some of the guys are in their 15th season riding out here. I have been fortunate enough to ride here for 5 winters. We see all kinds of machines. Lots of Polaris and Can Ams and fewer Hondas and Yamahas for some reason. However there are definitely more problems and more dissatisfaction per capita with the Polaris (especially) and Can Am machines than with the Yamahas and Hondas.

I own 3 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS machines. They are, by far, the most comfortable quads to ride, with very ergonomic control placement, good seats and extremely nice suspension. The Yamahas and Hondas seem to be tied for first place in reliability. The 2015 Grizzly 700 EPS that I ride out here is just turning over 10,000 miles, all of it on the rough trails out here, and it has needed nothing more than routine maintenance and a set of tires now and then. My buddy has a 2017 Honda Rincon that has needed boots on the rear axle already but is otherwise solid. It is definitely not as comfortable as the Grizzly, though.

The guys with Polaris quads and side by sides seem to be having lots of suspension, transmission and axle problems and the guys with Can Ams seem to have more than their share of electrical glitches. One good thing about the Can Am quads in our group is that they are 2-up machines and have longer wheelbases than our Hondas and Yamahas. This makes them a bit more stable on some of the steeper, rougher trails.

Personally, from what I have seen in thousands of miles of riding out here, I would consider Honda and Yamaha tied for first place, and everything else tied for last.


Bobby,

The Rincon you speak of even though is a 2017 model is the same machine Honda has been making for over a decade so I would not expect the ride to be that great, however I do own a 2017 Honda Rubicon with IRS that is by far the most cush riding 4 wheeler I have ever rode. That's in comparison to Can-am 500's, Yamaha grizzly 450's and 700's, Suzuki KQ's, Artic Cat 700 and etc. I'm not saying it is THE best but it is the best I've rode. I've even got buddies with Can-am's and Polaris' that admit the Honda rides much better than theirs. I have always owned Honda's with the exception of 1 Artic Cat and 1 Yamaha so maybe I'm biased.

Now when I bought my SXS last year I did buy a Can-am Defender. I drove the Yamaha Viking, Honda Pioneer, and Polaris Ranger and the Can-am seemed to be the best ride, quietest, least amount of vibration, smoothest shifting and most powerful machine of the bunch. It just seemed to me that it was a better quality machine in all aspects than the others. I only have about 500 miles on the Defender to date so hard to say how it will hold up but 0 problems to date. Dealer said the Ranger had long been the #1 selling but the Can-am's were catching up quick. Guess time will tell.

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A lot of guys hang on to the memorabilia of Honda ATV reliability but those are the old days. Honda has been left in the dust for a decade with much better machines being built by several manufacturers. The Yamahas currently lead the pack in features, performance, ride quality and dependability! If you want an old machine by a Honda, if you want a new machine by a Yamaha.

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Have two Honda Ranchers 2002 and 2003 4x4 with ES.....used almost every day in rough terrain for ten years. Mechanic at Honda dealership also has 2002 Rancher ...says it is his favorite ... I concur.

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Originally Posted by ShortMag11
Originally Posted by wildhobbybobby
A group of us ride ATV's in the Arizona desert all winter every year. Some of the guys are in their 15th season riding out here. I have been fortunate enough to ride here for 5 winters. We see all kinds of machines. Lots of Polaris and Can Ams and fewer Hondas and Yamahas for some reason. However there are definitely more problems and more dissatisfaction per capita with the Polaris (especially) and Can Am machines than with the Yamahas and Hondas.

I own 3 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS machines. They are, by far, the most comfortable quads to ride, with very ergonomic control placement, good seats and extremely nice suspension. The Yamahas and Hondas seem to be tied for first place in reliability. The 2015 Grizzly 700 EPS that I ride out here is just turning over 10,000 miles, all of it on the rough trails out here, and it has needed nothing more than routine maintenance and a set of tires now and then. My buddy has a 2017 Honda Rincon that has needed boots on the rear axle already but is otherwise solid. It is definitely not as comfortable as the Grizzly, though.

The guys with Polaris quads and side by sides seem to be having lots of suspension, transmission and axle problems and the guys with Can Ams seem to have more than their share of electrical glitches. One good thing about the Can Am quads in our group is that they are 2-up machines and have longer wheelbases than our Hondas and Yamahas. This makes them a bit more stable on some of the steeper, rougher trails.

Personally, from what I have seen in thousands of miles of riding out here, I would consider Honda and Yamaha tied for first place, and everything else tied for last.


Bobby,

The Rincon you speak of even though is a 2017 model is the same machine Honda has been making for over a decade so I would not expect the ride to be that great, however I do own a 2017 Honda Rubicon with IRS that is by far the most cush riding 4 wheeler I have ever rode. That's in comparison to Can-am 500's, Yamaha grizzly 450's and 700's, Suzuki KQ's, Artic Cat 700 and etc. I'm not saying it is THE best but it is the best I've rode. I've even got buddies with Can-am's and Polaris' that admit the Honda rides much better than theirs. I have always owned Honda's with the exception of 1 Artic Cat and 1 Yamaha so maybe I'm biased.

Now when I bought my SXS last year I did buy a Can-am Defender. I drove the Yamaha Viking, Honda Pioneer, and Polaris Ranger and the Can-am seemed to be the best ride, quietest, least amount of vibration, smoothest shifting and most powerful machine of the bunch. It just seemed to me that it was a better quality machine in all aspects than the others. I only have about 500 miles on the Defender to date so hard to say how it will hold up but 0 problems to date. Dealer said the Ranger had long been the #1 selling but the Can-am's were catching up quick. Guess time will tell.


My 2004 Rincon with IRS was every bit as smooth as my friends 2018 Rubicon!


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I bought a new Suzuki King Quad 450 in 2006. Gave me years of great service hauling out deer, yard work and ice fishing. I brought it in for service and was looking at the Hondas, Can Ams and new Suzukis on the floor. Spotted a brand new camo Suzuki KQ 750 with power steering so thought I would test it out. Drove it, liked it and loaded up on my trailer. Suzukis are awesome ATV's.


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Originally Posted by champlain_islander
I bought a new Suzuki King Quad 450 in 2006. Gave me years of great service hauling out deer, yard work and ice fishing. I brought it in for service and was looking at the Hondas, Can Ams and new Suzukis on the floor. Spotted a brand new camo Suzuki KQ 750 with power steering so thought I would test it out. Drove it, liked it and loaded up on my trailer. Suzukis are awesome ATV's.

I have a 400 Suzuki and use it for spraying weeds at the farm. It's a great little machine. My next one will be the 500 with power steering.
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I have a Honda Rancher 2003 that I use on the farm and for hunting. It gets used hard and is pretty beat up. I took it in for ring adjustment and the mechanic said that he had the exact same atv...just better looking.
Nuff said?

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Honda or Suzuki

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I suppose it depends on if you are talking big money or little money. Sure, those decked out Yamaha or Honda's would be great machines. Those are expensive, but they have been making ATV's for so many years now that people are trading in or have old ATV's in the shed that are hardly used, older way less expensive machines. Case in point we have a '96 300 Kawasaki and a '06 Polaris 400 at the cottage and that air cooled 300 has big steel racks, high and low range, a rope starter if the battery is dead and has been ultra dependable and easy to maintain. The thing is only worth a few hundred dollars and it just keeps on working perfectly for what we use it for.


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I had a 2000 Polaris Sportsman 500 4X4 that finally died last year with over 12,000 miles on it. I replaced it with a 2018 Polaris Sportsman 450 and couldn't be happier. Prior, I owned 2 Yamahas and a Kawasaki. The Yamahas were nice, but I'm sold on the Polaris.

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Old thread. But I'm still running my 2007 KQ 450. Just had to finally replace a rear axle a couple months ago. Other than that.........oil changes and tires. It's got ample power. Very user friendly. ONLY thing I'd change is next time, I'll get one with EPS. I've got the upper body strength to almost bench press the danged machine. But, on long rides, my hands want to go numb. Probably a nerve thing between my shoulder blades. But none of us are getting any younger, either.


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Originally Posted by Cariboujack
Yamaha Grizzly or Kodiak, or a Honda Rancher. Only way I would go. Find one with power steering if possible. Depending on age and ground you cover.


This is the right answer. Power steering for us older guys is worth much at the end of a day wheeling. I have a Kodiak 450 and a Grizzly 700 and for your use in dragging a deer and moving tree stands the 450cc is all you will need, plus the Kodiak 450 is smaller (mostly in width) and will pick its way thru the woods better than larger bikes. Although my Kodiak does not have the power steering it is available now on the 450 size bikes.

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Originally Posted by BlueDuck
I have a 2001 Honda Rancher 4x4. I bought it used in 2005. Its been pretty much bullet proof. I plow with it, drag logs and pull a trailer with it. Only thing I have done to it is replace the tires and battery as needed.

Change the oil?

Yep, once a year needed or not. Point is its as good as any and better then most.

Last edited by BlueDuck; 12/06/19.
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My experience over the last 25 years points to Honda and Yamaha as being rather solid, with Honda being slightly more reliable and Yamaha offering more features. My 2005 Rancher 4x4 is still ticking along pretty well with a minimum amount of unexpected maintenance. My fathers fuel-injected 420cc 4x4 version is much the same. They take less work to keep going than the 660 Grizzly and way less work than the Polaris Ranger 800.


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Originally Posted by VaHunter
Originally Posted by Cariboujack
Yamaha Grizzly or Kodiak, or a Honda Rancher. Only way I would go. Find one with power steering if possible. Depending on age and ground you cover.


This is the right answer. Power steering for us older guys is worth much at the end of a day wheeling. I have a Kodiak 450 and a Grizzly 700 and for your use in dragging a deer and moving tree stands the 450cc is all you will need, plus the Kodiak 450 is smaller (mostly in width) and will pick its way thru the woods better than larger bikes. Although my Kodiak does not have the power steering it is available now on the 450 size bikes.


I sure agree too. The Kodiak or the Rancher are the two best ATV's available IMO. I just bought a Kodiak 450 with power steering to replace a four year old Polaris that seemed to enjoy breaking down at the worst possible times. The power steering is really nice to have.

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Like some above have said, it used to be Honda, but now you can’t beat Yamaha. I still have a 1988 Honda Foreman that has hauled an aircraft carrier worth of firewood, rocks and deer and is still going strong. As Honda went to electronic shifting and other features, problems followed. Can’t beat the Yamahas( Grizzly/Kodiaks) now. Also the best innovation has been fuel injection.

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Honda offers manual shifting in the Foreman.

Fuel injection is brilliant.

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We have had Polaris quads and a couple of Rangers and have had great luck with zero problems. We don't abuse them or ride them hard, Basically used for mostly hunting activity on the farm/ranch.

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The only wheeler that has left me stranded in the woods was a Polaris. And it did it more than once. Won't happen again.


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