Is one really better then the other?

[gibsons]

just curious if there is one quad out there that stands out above the others, and what makes it better? What do YOU look for when buying a quad, weight reliability, the ride, suspension?

 

[modmanmike]

there is and its called a honda cuz they just dont die. The rest all have there pros and cons.

the difference is the hondas arent fancy and all hopped up on steroids. there just good old reliable tough as nails machines.

I love my brute force but its not a honda

 

[sumx54]

I think that it mostly depends are what the machine is intended for. If your an aggressive rider and like fast terrain then suspension would be considered. If your just a pleasure cruiser and like a passenger with you then you need to look at the 2-up maybe or something that will accommodate a good quad box/passenger seat. Reliability recedes the usage and maintainence schedule on all machines. I for one am an aggressive rider and would absolutely beat the pizz right out of say a Polaris Sportsman 500 (which I own 3 of) I ride an outlander 800. It takes a liken but still needs TLC. I own an ATV rental company and LOVE the new Honda Trail Addition quads with the independent suspension. They are cheap to fix, cosmetic wise, user friendly with auto or EPS shifting and run forever. Would I personally ride a Honda? Prolly not, they don't have enough power and the ride isn't there for high speed bashing. But perfect for a rental quad that only mostly sees inexperienced riders. They love em.

 

[tex78]

they all have goods and bads.. no different than sleds....

just depends what u want, need and how much u want to spend.....

 

[MATTIAC]

its no secret that hondas are simple, yet reliable. their ride quality hasnt always been there either. yamaha is also very reliable, but also lack in the suspension/ride department. Polaris and Can am rock the ride quality, power, and pretty much most bad azz quad department. my problem is ive never been able to trust a polaris. so my 2 cents is a new can am.

 

[quadboy55]

Honda is the most basic design of which you can't kill. All the other single cylinder quads like Yamaha and Suzuki have decent power but don't spool up as quick or pull like and of the twins.

Kawasaki has got a long running V-twin so parts are easy to find, and its a very docile motor.

Can-Am and Polaris are the top dogs in the power and ride department and they are really going after the title, seeing as how they are only 1HP from each other (71 and 70)

Polaris is known for its super smooth ride and Can-Am is more known for the Rotax engine.

 

[steveo10]

They all have your pros and cons. Its all up to your personal preference.

I ride all brands and no means brand loyal. Pm me and I'll give u the lowdown so it's not a dick swinging match

 

[Slamnek]

They all have your pros and cons. Its all up to your personal preference.

I ride all brands and no means brand loyal. Pm me and I'll give u the lowdown so it's not a dick swinging match

No way man, mines way faster, more powerfull, and will go through way more than anyone elses quad. Let'em swing away!!! :d

 

[gibsons]

thanks for the info. I was just curious since i picked up a 700 sportsman, and i'm by no means brand loyal when it comes down to quads, i was just not sure what people really look for. like mountain sleds you look at weight, handling, h.p, reliability, and so on. quads for playing on trails and playing in the mud, i suppose it comes down to ground clearance and tires, reliability. how about gear driven to belt drive? personal preference i suppose.

 

[youngpolarisguy]

Well when it comes down to gear vs belt i would not buy another utility quad without a belt. Ya it gets wet, ya it can wear out but not having to shift is so nice. I don't really think one brand is truely better than the other(cough cough polaris) they all have pros and con's and areas that one out does the other. Most of it comes down to personal preferance what suits your needs and what you like to ride.

 

[quadboy55]

Polaris came out with the first "good working" IRS system. Polaris also has very smooth suspension, and on the EPS models, the strongest EPS motor in the bizz. Their engine in the 850XP builds speed quick and has plenty of torque to go through just about any situation, and stand it up on the rear wheels on demand, but the Can-Am has a harder hit with its power.

PurePolaris has tons of winches, lock&ride accessories, and bush guards to customize your quad.

Kawasaki is the easiest to stand up due to rear-end geometry.

Polaris has a fully automatic locking front diff and has the best in class engine brake and class exclusive "AWD"

The belt and clutching set-up is the strongest they have ever built as well. You can conquer just about anything in Hi range. I still use Lo for peace of mind.

CanAm's front diff is more like a torque converter that relies on speed to lock up the front diff. More power = stronger lock.

Can-Am's TTI rear end eliminates the wing like motion of A-arms in the rear end using trailing arms.

Can-Am has a class exclusive dual mode EPS system, and a 3rd mode that can be unlocked for the use of tracks.

Can-Am has various trims that incorperate winches and bush guards.

Can-Am has the XMR... search it!

Kawasaki is releasing EPS for 2012, they also redesigned the head and upped the compression

New body style for 2012

Kawasaki has variable differential control (like a manual clutch)

Suzuki/Yamaha electric manual diff lock.

single cyl limits performance

Grizzly was the first to release EPS on its 700

Suzuki is known for twitchy steering on down hill, not the best CVT set-up as far as clutch tuning

750AXi has a unique DOHC head.

Honda: 3sp hydrostatic on the 680, geared too tall, no rear sway bar, slowest big bore, no diff lock, no EPS on the 680.

Has Honda's legendary ergonomics and reliability, can be shifted manually.

 

[the_real_wild1]

Mine

 

[Bullseye]

I always tease my buddies, cause when you ride a HONDA, you have no issues ! (Hope I didn't jinx myself now. LOL) When we go out west, I take a lunch and my Camera and enjoy my day !!! They all take tools (I mean like sets of tools), all kinds of wrenchs, gas, oil, and they are constantly fixin or tinkering with something.(Don't get me wrong,it's good to take some stuff) Now a Honda proably won't win a fast race, or deep mud bogs, but at the end of the day you've had a nice relaxing day !!! Just a good reliable machine !! I love my 08 Honda 420 ES!

 

[quadboy55]

I always tease my buddies, cause when you ride a HONDA, you have no issues ! (Hope I didn't jinx myself now. LOL) When we go out west, I take a lunch and my Camera and enjoy my day !!! They all take tools (I mean like sets of tools), all kinds of wrenchs, gas, oil, and they are constantly fixin or tinkering with something.(Don't get me wrong,it's good to take some stuff) Now a Honda proably won't win a fast race, or deep mud bogs, but at the end of the day you've had a nice relaxing day !!! Just a good reliable machine !! I love my 08 Honda 420 ES!

Honda's are so underpowered you can't ride 'em hard enough to break anything! Thats there golden rule... Thats coming from a former Honda owner. :d

 

[crmxgirl]

I have owned 2 yamaha's a suzuki and a can-am in our family. My suzuki 500 Quadrunner was no race horse, but it would go through anything the big boys on the kawi's and outlanders could. I won't comment on the 1st yamaha as it was a banshee and is for completely different riding than what I do now. My yamaha wolverine seems like a decent quad but I haven't got much ride time in on it due to the weather. My hubby rode his outlander and punished it. Ride quality and power are top notch, but I do find it feels tippy from side to side compared to my smaller yamaha and suzuki. I will take the CVT over a manual or semi-auto shift quad any day of the week! A CVT is always in the right gear, you are never going to run out of gear on the way up a big hill.

 

[TheMuffinMan]

I'm a firm believer in Honda quads as well...we run a fleet of half can-am half Honda quads at work and the difference in reliability btw them is demonstrated regularly. The honda's require one service in the spring and I dint touch them for the rest of the year...can't say the same for the can-am, and it has nothing to do with the hondas having less power since the outlanders are only 400 carb models and they still break regularly. That being said I completely understand why some guys prefer to run big bore twins as a little 350 or 450 Honda just doesn't have the snap to put a grin on your face. Honda's lack of a front diff lock is a real letdown too. We just picked up a new 450 kodiak for the wife to ride...I would have loved to get her a Honda because I hate wrenching but the three wheel drive just won't cut it in the places we like to go.

 

[gibsons]

how's that 670 from honda? should be lots of power, no?

 

[sumx54]

how's that 670 from honda? should be lots of power, no?

Lots of power to pull a wagon or a moose out of the bush.. But not nearly enough to be pulling your front end off the ground to skip a skeg hole or roostin' your buddies :d

 

[gibsons]

gotcha, thanks!

 

[whoDEANie]

I love my Grizzlies. Originally I chose the Grizz primarliy for it's wieght and ground clearance but have come to love the belt drive and power steering as well.

Good clearance is a great thing, but the higher you go, the higher your center of gravity and the more likely you will roll. As a newby, I learned this the hard way, only ever having ridden an Honda foreman in the past. I still love the clearance though and wouldn't trade it for less - I just make sure I educate my guests on safety and cornering technique.

CVT's rock! And, even though the Grizz isn't the most powerful machine, I rarely need low gear, but once in a while I really wish I could "kick" it into low gear on the fly without coming to a full stop. Same goes for the diff lock (which Kawi's have already figured out). I think if I could shift on the fly, I would have absolutely no need for any more power. Now I'm kinda curious if any belt driven machine out there is able to shift into low on the fly???