what kind of quad are you

[Rubi03 jef]

ok . random dumb question but its for my brother inlaw

hes looking to get a qaud for hunting and fishing mostly .

he has a soft spot for polaris  .. im not very good with the big 4x4 quads i always was into the little raccers

so whats everyones point of view and what do you all ride

thanks

[XJHERO]

mine is an xj

ok i have an old honda 2x4 i like it but its no 4x4

[Rubi03 jef]

not much help there   but ill keep it in account

i cant wait to get my little racer back rolling and ripping around again

[parabs]

my dad has a little polaris 330 4x4, it is great, but it is low on power and it has a cvt transmission I think.  He doesnt use it often at all, and as a result the carb tends to get gummed up...but it is a good little rig, it is in my garage right now...makes me want to go start it up.

[w squared]

I did a lot of bush bashing on Honda Foreman 4X4's. They're slow,they're nothing fancy,  and the suspension is nothing to write home about...but they can definitely take a beating.

If you can get one with a regular transmission instead of the "push to shift" thingy, that'd be the way to go. I spent some very cold times lying under my quad in the snow fixing the electrical connection that comes into the front of those transmissions after a stick speared up in between a couple of skid plates.

[XJHERO]

honda is the best as long as your foot does the shifting

[Justink]

Have a '03 yamaha kodiak 450. Absolutely love it.  has a front diff locker so it goes just about everywhere.  Plenty of power, very good centre of gravity.  Has high low neutral reverse and park on the tranny. 

[Rubi03 jef]

sweet .. i alwaysed enjoyed beating on the little hondas they take everything but now in days its all about the power so 500 and up is what hes looking at .

i know the older CVT trannys didnt like water and would slip till they dried out

 but im sure the new ones are fixed and can handle more then they did 5 - 6 years ago

well ill keep listening to everyones feed back i told him i would have a couple answers for him by the weekend

[morerpmfred]

Whats a quad ? this is a jeep site , mines a used xj 

[Rubi03 jef]

you all suck      i have a 04 rubicon but i also have a 04 yfz 450 racer done to the teats

so yes it is  ajeep site and i already know most of you drive XJ's or TJ's or JK's or ZJ's even a few CJ's oh i cant for get the YJ's either

but i would like to hear what people have for quads little 4x4 things that you haul on a trailer to the trails and beat the living poop out of . you know yamaha,honda,kawa,polaris,arctic cat, those things that have handle bars and things of those natures


jackasses

[Spinalguy]

i have lots of friends that quad. Polaris seems to be the best. Cycleworks in Calgary is a fantastic place to do business with.
See Vince (owner).
Tk

[Rubi03 jef]

finaly a good response 


thansk

[cLAY]

Polaris is a good choice for a newbie rider as it has the CVT tranny and automatic 4wd and few other things that are good for a new rider(rpm limiter in REV, etc)

I have a Magnum 500. Its has enough power for me, racks, 4wd(locks up front and rear), solid rear axle for good weight carrying capacity(I haul a water tank on the back).

The Sportsman is a similar model but has a Indepent rear suspension rear axle(FYI:  IFS/IRS is a good thing on a quad).  Its built more for trail riding and the Magnum is more of a work horse.

My sister has an older 350 Yamaha Big Bear, fine for just putting about but is a bit lacking in power for me. Good little quad though. No clutch but you have to shift the gears manually.


FYI I had to replace the belt and clutch/CVT mechanism in my Polaris and it was over $800 for the parts. Sometimes one of the front automatic hubs doesn't unlock and it pulls hard to one side. I hear they can be expensive to fix as well. Mine is probably do to the fact it only get ridden 5-6 times a year, and thats usually jsut around the acerage.

Right now its sittign in my parents garage with a full load of water in the weed sprayer on the back waiting for the next grass fire..... 

[Ostego]

I ride a 2002 650cc Bombardier Quest XT 4x4.
The things a monster... full skid plates, front and back racks/crash guards and of course a winch.
Hauls around 250 lbs of equipment plus the rider and can pull some where around 1200 lbs. (don't know where the manual is for the exact specs) I originally bought it for hunting, but I take it out in the bush and do weekend rides with all my equipment more then anything now.

Bombardier Quest XT review from ATV.off-road.com
http://atv.off-road.com/atv/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=190631

I also have a 1983 200cc shaft driven Yamaha Trike (3-wheeler) front and back racks, skid plate, and trailer hitch.
This thing goes literally anywhere...with 2 PSI per tire it can roll over snow that cannot even be walked on! (also have a ski attachment for the front wheel)
Not to mention crossing water/mud/bog ext. with ease.
I have even had it in 3 ft of water and it simply floated across.

[4low]

I've done some work for seismic companies and they had foreman 450's  with 10 000kms, up to 20 000 kms, with 20 000 hrs from tons of idle time, that were still working (non electric shift) and going relatively strong.

I've worked at a polaris dealer.....*ahem*..........and seen polarii with less than 2000kms that needed so much $$$ in repairs it was shocking, usually the CVT, suspension bushings, wheel hubs. not to mention how much a fan is worth when it starts to make noise.

performance wise the polaris are good, fast, and all that, but for me, I would rather take the short comings (a little slower, rides a little harsher) of a japanese quad (ie honda forman) and have something that I know isn't going to throw some surprise punches at my wallet 3 years down the road.

If he buys new, uses through the duration of the warranty and sells, Polaris would be ok. for for the long haul, pass to the kids kind of stuff.....ummm........

this coming from me, and it's only my opinion, HTH