Quad advice
 

Thinking of getting myself a quad. I don’t need the biggest, baddest machine. Just looking for some advice as to which ones to avoid and which ones I should look at. I’ll be using it for hunting and fishing, not for just riding around. What is the best bang for the buck?

I am a Can Am fan and between myself and family have I think 7 units. They have all Ben fantastic machines. Having said that, I have also owned a Suzuki King Quad and would recommend that in a heartbeat as well .

Ford, Chevy, Dodge! Best thing to do is to see if you can take them on a test drive. Polaris has a great suspension, comfortable to ride but are really heavy. Honda are much lighter but not as comfortable. Can Am are like like the Tacoma of quads, if you have that much money for a 1/4 ton go ahead.
Ive only tried Polaris and Honda, so between those two I would go Polaris.

Yamaha grizzly. It’s got Honda’s reliability, with a nice mix of decent power and a nice ride. Not the most powerful, nor the plushest ride. But it’s a nice mix. Kind of a jack of all trades atv.

Get a Grizz
 

Between the bro and I we've had 4 of them (660s and700). Good ride, very reliable, offroad capable and they tend to keep value well (some brands don't). Not sure what deals are available at the moment, if I was in the market I'd consider the Yami Kodiak 450 EPS...downsized version of the Grizz, much cheaper and you won't regret the power steering.

Get a winch just in case
Zeke

Best quad
 

I work at an aftermarket motorcycle shop so I’m going to give you a list of most problematic to least problematic units that come through our shop. It might save some time picking something. Now this being said there is good and bad in all brands, this is a snapshot of what I see. That’s it.
Arctic cat. Ok engines, make decent power. They eat ball joints,brake pads, discs upper and lower A-arm bushings and axles. Older cats had rotor problems(Suzuki engines).
Kawasaki brute forces. Great power, decent parts. They eat belts, waterpumps, and rear cyl tends to over heat causing cyl wear and tight cam chains.
Suzuki is ok, wheel bearings mostly.
Can am. Good machine, pricey to buy, pricey to repair. Mostly see rear suspension bearings and twisted frames. Plain bearing crank do not tolerate water into engine. Lately a rash of bad primary clutches. (2)this year. One for sure was silt intrusion. The other was a one way bearing. Not really Can ams fault.
Yamaha’s good units, wheel bearings mostly.
Honda’s have very few issues but are expensive.
Now, this is not the be all end all.
Whatever you do, if you buy used get it INSPECTED before you pay. I cannot stress it enough. Any specific questions, Pm me ill be glad to chat.
Tullfan

I got a BruteForce 750, bought it with 6000kms on it, ear to ear grin,
smiles power/acceleration, fun factor 9-10/10.
Will no problem push big amounts of snow like its nothing, seems to be
very reliable since owning it 16mths now. My thoughts now, over kill
of power needed and seems very thirsty.
If I a had a do over, I would go Honda Foreman 450/500.

Have had good luck with Suzuki, the only thing I don't like about my 2010 king quad is it has no pull start, so if your battery dies out in the bush, your pooched. Something you might want to consider, not sure if the new ones are different. I carry a little boost pack with me.

Tullfan has some great points above. Especially about the inspection.

Me, I'm a Can-am fan. They will run one engine class higher (400 Can-am will run with other 500/550, etc). And I'll add there is no replacement for displacement. If you figure you'd be happy with a 500, get a 650/750 and you will be OK. I learned through sport bikes that you can never have too much power, but can be left wanting more.

J.

Mine has pull start back up, on the dam left side!! I tried pulling on the
rope, way to much compression, so either the rope is gonna snap as I pull
on it, or I will have an arm pulled out of its socket if I run into trouble on
the trail with dead battery.

Not hijack the thread but if you pull the rope slowly all the way out once, you’ll find it will pull over no problem the second pull (and likely start right up). The backup recoil starter is one of the reasons I bought my 700 KQ in 2008 (2007 model). It’s only got about 2000kms but other than a couple batteries it’s been trouble free.

LA

Have had Honda for past 15 years. Nothing fancy they just work. Gas friendly Bullet proof if your not hard on machines. Always started. Liked the primer on the carb. Would prefer fuel injected one day lol. My only dislike was electronic shifting. Stay away. PIA. If u choose Honda manual foot shifter.

Moved over to Yamaha grizzley. Now i know what having suspension feels like lol. Just an enjoyable ride. Tons of power. Don’t miss shifting gears, just put in high, low or reverse with manual shift. Eats a little more gas. Suspension is great for riding. Snow blading not so much. Even with suspension turned up to make stiffer still on soft side. Honda was more stiff in front.

Both unit have hauled moose out whole. So no worries in getting big game out. End of day can’t go wrong with either. Just depends on goodies and price point.

Polaris

Hey thanks!!
Will for sure be trying this out at next start up.

Yamaha Grizzly or Suzuki King Quad.

I’ve had Yamaha, Honda, and Polaris. Polaris was by far the worst, it always needed repairs, totally unreliable, don’t buy one.

X2
Neighbor bought brand new, was never consistently reliable, hard starting, had maybe
a total of 100+hrs on it, to many shop visits and now belongs to a new 'lucky' (& informed) buyer.

Buy a Honda or a Yamaha. Won’t go wrong... ever. Honda’s don’t die and I don’t have any problems with any of my Yamaha’s. One of my quads is a Yamaha big bear 350 from 87, pushes all the snow I put in front of it. Great machines either or.

I have use of a grizz 700. Love the thing. Pushes snow pretty well. Pulls a cart full of fence fixing supplies really well. Checks crops really well.

Had to replace rear half axles and brake calipers and rotors. And a battery.

If getting a grizz, I'd get a rad relocate kit, and get it up on the front rack. It's a royal pain to clean where it is, imho. When driving through fields with plants high enough, it was always loading with parts of plants, then getting warm. Moved the rad, and the problem stopped.

As with any quad, or other vehicle, get a NOCO trickle charger, and get the quick connect that attaches permanently to the battery. Makes life a lot easier.

I see great replies in this thread. You never mentioned what your intended purpose was for the quad... Just hunting, a mix of work & play, plowing ect?...

I myself have owned a Brute Force 650i which I installed a big bore kit & modded for mudding. Never used it for hunting. It was a BEAST for power. I currently own my second Honda 300 with a 355 big bore kit & lots of mods.. I use this for hunting (hauled out 2 deer & 1 bear this fall) & bush camping. I don't mud anymore..

So it boils down to what you are going to use it for. A foot shift Honda 99.9 if not 100% of the time always makes it home compared to a belt driven bike. You blow a belt & your in trouble. But the trade off is auto & power..... So choose your poison.

Just my 2c

He kinda does say what it will be used for in the post you quoted.

I have owned Honda and Yamaha, both are reliable, and the IRS Honda models ride very well, nothing like the older solid axle models. Polaris are very heavy, and our group towed more Polaris than the other brands combined.

My bad, missed that....

Had Honda Kawasaki and Polaris. Of those I would recommend the Honda for reliability. Polaris has issues from the get go due to manufacturing defects. Yes Polaris fixed it but the Honda didn’t cause any issues. The Kawasaki was a hand me down that needed repair due to neglect from the previous owner. Ran good but had an issue with a leaking fuel tank that never got figured out.

I'm not loyal to any particular brand , have had
96 Polaris 2stroke 300 totally abused before me never got any joy always fixing.
03 Polaris trailblazer 250 from new ,grate machine no problems ever
02 Polaris trailblazer 250 (wife's machine no issues
05 bought new Yamaha kodiak 400 ,no Issues ,3500 km
06 bought new Arctic Cat 500(Wife's machine)heavy as a tank ran fine but hard starting pig,front ball joint literally fell out on the trail not an AC fan.
2010 bought new Polaris rzr 800 3500k no issues ever
2008 yamaha rhino 700 bought at auction with 7800 km that thing was as tight as new still and ran beautiful .
2013 bought new Polaris Ranger midsize 800 3000 km no issues loved that machine
2015 Bought new Polaris Ranger 570 full size 1000 km loved it no issues but moved back to town and needed something that would fit in my truck box so sadly had to sell,
2018 new Honda Pioneer 500 100km so far so good

The common theme here is I service my machines I clean them when they get more than a splash of mud I store them out of the weather,I warm them up before I ride I use them but don't abuse them. I have a few friends that only ride Polaris and they never have issues either. We run plows on them all winter, hunt all fall and use em for trail riding in summer and spring . Have yet to have bring one home broken down since 2003. I've had several other machines I have bought used from auction etc to fix up and resell ,they all have their quirks but if you take care they will last ...except the 96 Polaris I cursed that machine it was my first quad and I got burned bad on a used abused lemon.

Suzuki king quad ultra reliable!

As far as reliability and repairs this is spot on. I have wrenched on lots of quads between mine, hunting partners, nephews, friends etc. I refuse to work on Kawasaki because they are such a pain in the ass to work on. Anyone I know that buys one, I tell them to take it to the dealer for repairs. I won't even do a tune up or valve adjust on them because you have to rip off most of the body work just to do a simple plug change. With a valve adjust you have a hell of a time getting a feeler gauge in there even after removing as much body work as possible.

The new Independent suspended Honda ride much better than the old solid axles. The solid axle, manual shift ones were however virtually bullet proof.

My first quad was a Yamaha. All the ones since are Honda. I am still running a 2000 Foreman, manual shift because it is the perfect height to fit in the box of my truck with the canopy on it. Hides the quad well and keeps it dry and clean. I use it to plow snow all winter and have since it was new, as well as hunt, fish and trail ride. Have never had a problem with any Honda I owned, just regular maintenance.

For my type of use, I prefer Honda, my brother runs Yamaha because it is a better sport quad, rides better and still works well for hunting, snow plowing and heavy pulling. Both Honda and Yamaha are very good to work on and reliable.

Most guys recommend what they own. Only way to know is to take a few out for a ride, but major and even some minor repairs are expensive and can leave you stranded way back in so it is a legitimate consideration when choosing.

A buddy owns a bike/atv repair shop. Several years back I asked him "what quad should I buy"?

He said follow me, and we walked into the repair area and he asked me what I saw. Well the truth be known, there wasn't a CanAm, Yamaha or Honda in the shop....

All I have owned are Honda's trikes and quads, they have never let me down; they have a ton of power and no problems towing Polaris and Kawasaki quads back to camp.

I had the option of buying a new lesser quad (IMO) or a used Honda and I chose the used Honda.... My option, just sayin...

I am a real fan of the Foreman series; 350cc and 400cc; no problem pulling an elk anywhere.

Mark me down for Honda please....

Note: I have never owned a CanAm or Yamaha so I cannot speak to them, but buddies own them.

I agree with the guys mentioning the Yamaha Kodiak as good bang with the buck. I have a 97 that last year was the first time I had to buy parts for it, and it has seen some hard use. Replaced the breaks and a front boot, and took it to the dealer for a tune up as it wasn't running quite 100%. Have talked to a number of guys with Kodiaks of various years and all pretty much trouble free. My Grizz has worked flawless, and I have a 2016 Cat that has been problem free too but hasn't seen a lot of use. I wouldn't buy an older Cat, but the ones in the past few years seem to have the kinks worked out, and I would buy again in a heartbeat especially with where they are priced.

+1 for Honda. 2003 Foreman 450 with 6000 plus km and it's never let me down.

Regardless of make, I think regular maintenance, keeping it clean and storing it out of the weather and not driving it like you stole it go a long way to a quad lasting many years.