Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Next Up - A Quad

Honda's new Pioneer model looks real interesting. Beside being a SXS less than 50" wide, it has a real 5 speed trans with metal gears. I doubt it will be a speed demon but seems like a good answer.

I've had a 660 Grizzly before buying my current ride a 2011 450 Griz EPS. The 660 offered huge power but the intermediate physical size of the 450 EPS provides me with great agility in the woods much more so than the larger 660. I run this thing daily as it's my primary transport back in the hills.

Recently upgraded to 3K Warn with synthetic rope and wireless control. The engine and gearing provide me with everything asked it so far including dragging logs and property maint.

The Sedona tires wear like iron and have no reservations about buying another set.

I second the Grizzly 450. We've got a 2012 model with EPS and it now has a little over 3500 miles on it with not a single problem.

The stock Maxxis tires have held up great with only one flat between them and this is mesquite thorn country. It's no power house but it has just enough power to do anything you have any business doing with an ATV. Power steering is only really useful with the front diff locked, otherwise you don't notice it much.

I've heard the ES Hondas have a lot of reliability problems. If you go Honda stick with the standard foot shift model. Their auto trans are way too complicated.

I'd go medium sized engine (450-550cc) and get a bike with power steering instead of a 700-750cc w/o power steering. Not that it's hard to steer any of these bikes, but the power steering pretty much eliminates any handlebar "snap back" which the earlier Polaris bikes were famous for when whipping down a fire road or power line riddled with rocks. Look at Yamaha Grizzly and Suzuki King Quad's for power and sportiness.

No wrong answers, just preferences. I personally have owned a few quads of different brands, and am now on my third or fourth Honda 300 Fourtrax 4x4. Not for everyone, but they are the most agile, best four wheelers I have come across for severe off road use.







Low center of gravity for tippy situations, excellent manual transmission w/o electronics to fail, backup kick starter, high torque motor, excellent wheeling ability, narrow for tight trails or no trails.

I've pulled my buddies $10K Suzuki setup out of more than one spot. It's pretty embarrassing each time I do it, FOR HIM!



Remember, the bigger, wider, heavier, and taller they are, the less hardcore wheelin in the sticks you'll get to do. If you want to run to the mailbox, get something big, tall, heavy, and wide.

If you want to explore off road, get one of these. Light, small, low, good flotation on snow, torque, reliability w/o electronics. Old school is better for what I do with a quad, but most guys want power steering and all that sheit.

I've run Hondas and Suzukis and appreciate the reliability of the former and the suspension of the latter. The most recent quad we've run has been a '11 450 Grizz w/ EPS. With 12,000 miles it still is the excellent machine it has been for every one of those miles. That would be what I'd buy again today if I needed wheels.

Got the Rhino 750 4x4 last year. It's a beast.

I throw a heavy chain around the yaupon trees I want to take out, and jerk em out by the roots. Handy. Sonofagun runs about 60 mph too... Not that I drive it that fast.

I don't keep up with ATV's at all but noticed Arctic Cat never comes up much in conversations like this. People don't like them, not as many out there?

We have an 07 650 and really like it.

I ridden some with Arctic Crap riders.....

They are great looking and I've never seen one broke down, but their dealer support around here is crap and Polaris and Honda have decent dealers.
Yamaha was very strong around here and I'd consider their 700 Grizz EPS....
that said their dealer situation has gone to total crap during the recession and thus their sales have disappeared too.

Polaris here is very strong, both ATV or UTV. Good product, innovation and decent support.
Honda had bulletproof basic wheelers, but is late to the game in ORV innovation. But they are making up ground here, with the downfall of Yamaha and their new product, the last few years.

Honda ES is the manual with electric shift motor, super reliable and has manual backup. PS makes big difference plowing, and is super nice for low speed technical trails.

If you ride a lot try the Can Am, it's a beast on the trail with a Cadillac ride. The design engineers did a heck of a job with the current models, but they are not cheap

Ed,

Some real good advice here. I own a Grizzly 660 and like it a lot. Just about the same weight as the smaller engined Grizzly (440?) and I run the living piss out of it. That said, my next machine will be a SxS, probably a Rhino. I think you won't regret buying the SxS over a regular ATV.

Have an 87 honda fourtrax that belonged to my late brother, I have it now and don't maintain it like he did but it has never failed.
And I even submerged it right to the seat and crossed and back and it kept running till I filled the air box up and then had to dry it up and carry on.

Between me and my riding buddies, we've had quite a few different machines......only one Honda and it was an older one and pretty beat up when my friend bought it so I won't/can't comment on Honda's. Polaris always seemed to be the best riding as far as comfort was concerned. We've gotten away from them as the older ones just had to many small problems (suspension bushings, jerk fittings, water sealing of the transmission, CV boots and loosy goosy steering) so we pretty much just stick with the Jap bikes. Only one CaAm and it had a faulty steering fork weld and the "forks" split from the frame on the very first ride. Now pretty much everyone has a King Quad or Grizzly.

Only drawback to a SxS I have seen is the dust. If you live in desert southwest area, or similar dusty conditions, it will be an issue.

With a quad you can somewhat escape the dust. Not so much in the SxS.

I have had a Honda Rancher 4x4 300 ES (Electric Shift) for 10 years. It has been worked like a rented mule and has never failed to perform as expected.

twofish

No one will agree on brands. Like trucks.

I went with the ranger because of the room inside.
A guy that hunts with us has a honda pioneer. Not made for bigger/ taller folks.
But is shaft driven.

I didn't like the rhinos for the same reason. Dunno about the new Vikings.
I've seen the rangers treated like $hit, Overloaded and never missed a beat.

Like I said. Atv/utvs are like trucks. Everyone has a favorite horse to bet on.

But the 700 Grizzly is probably the best, just like F350's are the best....grin



Tip of the week.

When hauling a wheeler in the horse trailer be sure to keep it in park(the wheeler that is).

And I didn't slow down that fast in the pickup......

KAAAAAA...THUNK!

Felt it hit from the cab.

WTF over?!

Yesterday.... Broke some (more)plastic chit and bent the front rack a little bit. Nothing bad, expected much worse before inspection.


Unlike an F350 the Yamaha rides like a Cadillac.

Sam, in addition to "Park" they make these things called tow straps. They come in a lot of different sizes and colors. Kind of like tying a bridle to a hitching post, keeps the wheelers from wandering off. Grin!

But don't feel bad, we've beat the piss out of wheelers every way possible. They pirouette nicely when they roll down a mountain!

Appreciate the replies. I will stick with Honda and I am now leaning toward the Foreman Rubicon with EPS and auto trans. Will be in Idaho for the summer and will go check them out.

Get a Honda! We run them at the ranch I work at. He's got the originals going all the way back to 300, 350, 400, 450. All manual full-time 4wds. Those things have been beat into the ground (literally), flipped numerous times, smashed, worked, etc. The only thing that has gone wrong that was the bikes fault was one broken axle on a 400 when hauling three big guys through a bog of mud spinning the sucker for all it was worth.

For the cow trailer hauling, it's nice to have a 400 or lighter so you can just yank the rear end around sideways in the trailer and it won't go anywhere, braked or not.

He bought a new Artic Cat 700 two years ago. It has been in the shop almost as much as it has been available for use.