First time ATV buyer

[AnthonyT]

In search of my first ATV? What are good older 4x4 models?

[AnthonyT]

Everyone talks about Honda atv’s. What are the other reliable atv makes? Are there specific models to target? I’m currently looking at a 96 Kawasaki bayou 300 4x4.

[bagagagaga]

in my experience having polaris sportman 335 and a trail boss 330, ihave had no issues in the past 20 years with them regular maintance all thev needed, however purchasing a artic cat prowler is a complete can of worms, dealer network is pretty poor help as well  

[Gwbarm]

Hondas are great. I also like the Big Bears and Kodiaks early 2000s, Kawasaki Bayou is a great one. Also the Suzuki King Quad. Always heard good things about Polaris but never owned one.

[Mech]

Depends if you want sport/performance, recreational riding, or work-horse, and the local terrain makes a difference when choosing. I think most of the jap bikes are very reliable.

[Chucksta]

Back in '22, the wife was looking at getting a brand new ATV. We were at a Dealership that sold both Polaris, and Honda, and the salesman kept pushing the Polaris ( which he had a LOT of stock ), over the Honda, which he said we would have to wait for. We ( I ), have a 1996 Honda Foreman 400..... I asked her how many times the Honda had broken down, or been in the shop. The answer was "Never"..  Which was basically true, as it had only been in the Dealership for the first couple of services when purchased. Ten seconds of silence, and then she said, "I'll wait for the Honda."

Yup, 20 years of neglect, with only occasional maintenance, ( It's been treated WAY better since it became my problem), and it never left anyone who used it on the side of the trail. One set of tires, and a few batteries, other than that, nada. 

I've got a '97 Suzuki King Quad, and my neighbour has a Polaris.. Can't say the same for either of those.

The Honda is the workhorse 

[Mech]

I think you're right Chuckster.. Honda are super simple and super reliable.. If it wasn't for the really steep land i live on, (which the suzuki super low is really handy for), I'd have a honda,.

[Chucksta]

A couple of thoughts on that...

My old Honda's first gear, is called ( in the manual ), "Super Low".. you don't use it unless it's uphill with a load.  For normal use, it's only the top 4 gears. ( 2nd through 5th ). The wife's 2021 had a dual range on it, low or regular. And you van pick between 2 WD, 4 WD, and 4 WD, with the front diff locked.. Also in dual range, so effectively a ten forward speed transmission. It also gives you your choice of auto shift, or manual shift. To tell the truth, the auto shift is amazing! Just when you think that it should be in  another gear, it changes as smooth as if you'd ridden it forever. 

The Suzuki King Quad , ( mine is a '97 ), works out to be ( I think), around 16 different drive train configurations / ratios. Way over kill! but cool as hell if you want to yank on something big, without abusing the clutch.

[Mech]

Yeah.. I put heavy loads on front and rear, and can still lower myself down, or back up, on hills to steep to trust your footing on. That's one of those old fifteen speeds with three reverses..  haha.. It is a bit excessive but I have really steep land and it's brilliant.. And I've tried other quads here as I worked on them.. Hard to beat the creep along speed.

The dairy farmers though on rolling land, and all the guys at the beaches, they all love hondas..

[Gwbarm]

You guys know a lot about Hondas, i have an older one 87 great machine and am looking to get a newer Honda something newer early to mid 2000s, what is the difference between the Rancher and the Foreman and why would i pick one over the other.

[Mech]

haha.. I'm not a mechanic that remembers model specific details..

I keep finding that a name in one year, or market, can mean something different elsewhere or in another year.

You know what I'd say though.. manual transmission, suspension/drive as simple as your riding will tolerate, carby... japanese.

Red is good.

[Gwbarm]

Good call, the Red ones always run better. Worked on both also very rarely never major problems so i also never paid attention to the difference between the models. 

[John Sinclair]

There are several good models to choose from, I PREFER HONDAS OR YAMAHAS.  DON'T GET TOO FANCY WITH ALL THE OPTIONS THAT YOU CAN GET ON AN ATV.  BUY A PLAIN JANE.  BUY A USED MODEL, BUY An EARLY 2000 OR A LATE 1990S MODEL.  THEY ARE EASY TO REPAIR AND KEEP RUNNING.  KEEP IT SIMPLE!