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Best ALL-AROUND Sport Utility ATV

By polarbear,
in General Dirt Bike Discussion

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Stormatzio

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My riding buddy has the Rubicon 499CC and had the Recon 250/350? and rides every where with us. I wouldn't take it on a MX track but for trail riding he had no problems. I would even jump on it once in a while and zip around. Fast straight aways over a distance when we opened it up we smoked him but we were on 450 MX bikes (Not a big surprise). I like the Honda's for their durability. Those things take a beating.

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Mr. Epeen

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I have been a fan of the Yamaha quads. My fathers little 350's would pull longs through the woods and over streams with no problems. They were very impressive for only being 350's. I have seen a few 700's that are unstoppable. When plowing snow, put the plow down and go. 2-3 ft drifts are no problem. I will be getting a Yamaha 700 for my business.

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mwagner01

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Try Bombardier/Can-Am. They're top-notch machines. I have one that I use for plowing snow in the winter, trails, and anything else in the summer. It always works perfectly, it's super smooth, and all around great. Dont go Polaris. BTW, mines a 330, and does about 55 mph. I demo'd an 800, and along with doing wheelies in reverse, it'll do 75 on top of sand or on ice. Pretty crazy.

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Farmr123

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Whats everyones opinion on the Big Bore sport utility atv's. (Grizzly 700, Polaris, Rincon, King Quad). I'm leaning towards the previous 4 mentioned but cant make up my mind. They all seem pretty good. What would you buy and why?

Grizzly:

Good all around quad, light & sporty for a utility. A little bit narrow for its height, so aggressive riding requires body english to prevent tipping. For all practical purposes, it feels more tippy than it is. Strong, proven design.

Polaris Sportsman:

One of the most heavy-duty utilities out there, and it shows. A heavy machine, but very smooth riding. Surprisingly agile considering you are probably 100+# more weight than the Grizzly. Most of the Sportsman series are tried & true designs. VERY smooth & comfy on a long ride. Often called a 'couch with wheels'

Now the new '50' series Sportsmans, aka the 550 & 850 are all-new designs, with some major improvements to the line including some of best riding & easiest steering (of the non power-steering ATVs) out there. Innovative, and quite good performance (the 850 is supposed to be the HP king of the utility ATV world) but also new & unproven.

Rincon: Honda calls this machine a 'sport utility' and that might be a good description. Not a very good workhorse, it combines a very smooth ride, light weight, and good handling on a 4wd chassis that can handle light work. However, the tranny doesn't have very good engine braking, and needs a lower low gear to be considered a real workhorse. If you put on big oversized tires, it can struggle to turn them in sticky mud (not a problem with any of the other machines you mentioned.)

King Quad: Not too familiar with this one, but the few I know of seem like a nice machine.

For sportiness, I'd look to the Can-Am big bore, the Sportsman 850, Grizzly, and Rincon.

For more utility oriented stuff, look towards the older-styled Sportsmans, King Quad, Arctic Cats, Honda Foremans, and Grizzly.

The Grizz is probably the best at being both IMO right now. The 'sportier' machines aren't as rugged when it comes to work, and the ones that make better workhorses aren't as sporty.

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polarbear

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Wow, I like the comments thanks. I am leaning now toward the Sportsman, Grizzly, or rincon. I saw that xp 850... wow it looks nice. But wow its $$$! I had a 2002 sportsman 500 HO. It was nice ride and comfy, but man was it a pain to work on! Are the newer model sportsmans better mechanincally? Hows the grizzly and rincon on that department? Man, after watching the Grizzly DVD it almost brain washed me that NOTHING beats it.

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reconranger

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Of your list, definitely the Griz. The Rincon is a "cruiser couch", and even Honda calls it an "SUV", and not a utility quad.

I really think big bore utilities have gotten out of hand! They keep getting bigger and heavier, and they keep trying to put longer and longer travel suspension on them...which just puts them way up in the air, raising the center of gravity and making them more and more unstable. Lots of folks going to get hurt on these things, you just watch!

I'll stick with my slick stable little Rancher....thanks!

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Farmr123

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Wow, I like the comments thanks. I am leaning now toward the Sportsman, Grizzly, or rincon. I saw that xp 850... wow it looks nice. But wow its $$$! I had a 2002 sportsman 500 HO. It was nice ride and comfy, but man was it a pain to work on! Are the newer model sportsmans better mechanincally? Hows the grizzly and rincon on that department? Man, after watching the Grizzly DVD it almost brain washed me that NOTHING beats it.

The newer Sportsmans are MUCH better. Bro-in-law had 15,000 miles on his when he traded it off, with no major work done to it. He replaced a couple belts (himself) and had to patch a radiator when he ran into a piece of farm machinery & ran a steel rod through the radiator guard & into the radiator. Other than that, routine maintanence. I think the big thing was improving the reliability of the clutches (pulleys) and replacing all the zerk-infested suspension pivots with self-lubing Kevlar bushings. The old style suspension setup was reliable as long as you greased the 20+ zerks often enough. The new style has a total of 3 zerks, and you don't need to grease them nearly as often.

The Grizzly is a VERY good machine. If you had a Sportsman, the Grizz has almost as smooth of a ride, and the machine is lighter & easier to handle. However, it is also narrower, and just as tall, so it can be a bit 'tippy' in comparison. Unless you are really planning to work your rig, a Grizz is a fine choice. If you add 1-2" wheel spacers in the back, you gain a noticable bit of stability. Don't widen the front if you don't have to, though, as that makes it harder to steer. The new Power Steer models may not have that problem, but I have no personal experience with them & spacers.

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polarbear

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Since my 2002 Sportsman 500 H.O. what has polaris done to upgrade over the years on the new 500 H.O. I know that now it comes with EFI but I'm wondering about the chasis, motor and more overall mechanic friendly. What upgrades did they do and how many times???

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briggzie09

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my dad has a kaw praire not the irs new model and it has held up pretty good and is a blast to ride

Yeah, my friend has a 2006 Polaris Hawkeye 300 4x4 and a 1998 Kawasaki Prairie 300 2x4(itp mudlites) and both handle abuse real well. The Prairie has been flipped several times(extremely soft/plush suspension, riding over hidden wood block), and is always ridden hard...not one problem.

The Hawkeye, never flipped, IRS is awesome, AWD is awesome, not a single problem either...slightly underpowered, but the Prairie, although it is a 300, is a BEAST.

I've got a 1984 Honda TRX200 (utility) and that thing is also a BEAST. snappy throttle, spot-on jetting, everything is perfect about this machine, except of course the suspension, so I'd think the newer Hondas are the same(but I am sure the suspension has been updated)?

These 3 Companies seem to be pretty good in my opinion:thumbsup:

No one I know has a Suzuki, but I heard that the Kingquad 450 and 750 were awesome machines, also.

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