Are Atv's of today as reliable as yesterday's

[TABSTER]

I have been thinking this since my last breakdown. Are the Atvs that we spend so much money on today as reliable as what we had years back? With that being said i realize that technology has come a long way, lots of new options like EFI, independent suspension, electric shift, digital displays, and the list goes on. I also know that there is a lot more ATVs now than there ever were. Don't get me wrong, I like the new over the old, big round tires and no suspension, but with all this new gadgetry and bells and whistles I have had more problems now than ever. I haven't changed my riding style, If anything iI have been taking it easier. One would think that these should be pretty much bullet proof by now, or is the industry building these products so the have achilles heels to rope people in to the service departments to take more money out of our wallets. I know that a few of my oops were not the equipment failure, but an operator error. In the mass production is the quality still there? anyway just thought i would throw this out there... I'm sure there will be some that go Hmmmm and others that go?

 

[plumbum]

i think that the new machines are more reliable but they have alot more power and we put them through alot more abuse than they used to. for instance the honda is very reliable but it is also an "underpowered" machine compared to the others out there. i know you said you havent changed your driving style but the machines have changed to high performance. which in turn means more maintenance and if not done properly means more problems. as well they have alot more gadgetry like you said which means alot more to go wrong. well that was my 2 cents.

 

[TABSTER]

Good points..

 

[MACHINE]

I know one thing it seems that the plastic on some of the newer quad isn't as durable as the old one i have a grizzily 2003 and those front fenders i have i've already crack them , have some nice rivets in them to prove it.

 

[sumx54]

Thier also trying to build these monster quads lighter. The front bumper on my outander will not take even half the abuse the front bumper on my Grizzly took. Even a lot of the after market stuff seems to be made cheaper and just doesn't hold up like it used to. IMO

 

[rusty]

I think that the machines of today have a better chance at being more reliable.peoples riding habits have changed with the new technology. You may say that you ride the same but try to ride an older bike through thre same places you did and you might change your story. Try a 85 honda 250 on a trail then a new machine of your choice. Your speed and riding ease will increase i can just about gaurantee

 

[TABSTER]

You may say that you ride the same but try to ride an older bike through thre same places you did and you might change your story. Try a 85 honda 250 on a trail then a new machine of your choice. Your speed and riding ease will increase i can just about gaurantee[/QUOTE]

I still have my 85 big red at the farm.... we still go everywhere there with it that the other quads on the farm go. The only differance in those quads is the power and the comforts..... and one extra wheel and some have 4x4... I didn't say that i ride in anymore control now than then either. but now we are not comparing apples to apples are we.....?

So I will repeat the question... " Is the atv's of today as reliable as yesturdays"????.... are you going to get 20 years out of this product today like the old ones did??? .........

Hopefully this makes sense...

 

[Mongrol]

I can fix a carb in the bush. Can anyone repair the ECM on the EFI?

 

[jay007]

I think that this is a hard question to answer as the new machines haven't had the years to prove their reliability.

On one hand if I were to chose a machine to go on a long and rough ride I would chose a newer more powerful machine, but on the other hand if you were to break down which both new and old do what would you rather have? something you could take and have a prayer of fixing on the trail or something that personally I would probably take one look at the wiring and electrical mumbo jumbo and just start walkin.

I think this holds true to more than just ATV's. If I were to travel coast to coast I would definately chose a brand new truck instead of my old 84 chev. But if something went wrong I could crawl right in the engine compartment and get greasy knowing there was a good chance of fixin it instead of havin to get it to a mechanic shop, hookin a computer and diagnosing it.
electronically.

I could probably go on forever with this, now that I am not allowed to do my own oil changes on warranty but this is just my 2 cents.

 

[Brute Force Boy]

I can fix a carb in the bush. Can anyone repair the ECM on the EFI?

I agree with you there but I'll take the plush ride and the gobs of power on my new machine over what I had from the 80's any day.