Quad Bike Choice
- Thread starter Yorric
- Start date
ajr
Well-Known Member
Before i purchased a quad i phoned several quad dealers as i always do my homework, i spoke to local farmers, a very good friend of mine is a Honda trained motorcycle technician who works on hondas AND other makes,one thing was common was they ALL said either Honda or Yamaha, we went to see about twenty in total (honda and yamaha) he rode them listened to the engine tested transmission he knew exactly what to look and listen for, i came away with an imacculate grizzly 450 IRS 2008 very very low mileage for £3300 very pleased fully auto press button 4x4 and press button diff lock go anywhere for as there are a lot of sheds around so be very carefull with your purchase.
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
keith@honda
Well-Known Member
Honda TRX450 2/4wd foot shift, twin shocks on the back, good strong frame, loads of grunt, proper gearbox no belts to break,no need for a separate low gearbox, most of the other makers only put a low range box on if they used a motorcycle engine then couldn't get it to run slow enough unlike the Honda which is designed from the ground up to be used off road and most importantly now old enough to be coming cheap enough to suit your budget
i have a honda 4x4 300 big red 100% reliable ,very good with fuel ,good centre of gravity,and also light enough to manualy handle out of trouble should you need too ,ps if your new to quads go on a NTPC course you will learn abit and it will stand you in good stead for leases etc .
alberta boy
Well-Known Member
I've owned Hondas for over 20 yrs, I own a big red now. Good reliable machines, so my vote is Honda
AB
AB
6pt-sika
Well-Known Member
I started with a Honda ATC 200S (3 wheeler) and later got a Honda 125TRX 2 wheel drive ATV .
On December 31st 1999 I bought my first Kawasaki a Prarie 360 4x4 camo and it was great !
Couple years later Kawasaki brought out the Brute Force 750 and I got one . And I loved it ! That thing was pure evil if you wanted it to be . Oh every time I buy a new one I have them put ITP after market tires on with a tread pattern that kinda resembles the tread on an agricultural tractor . Anyway that thing would go through swamps , marshes over rough trails you name it and I "thought" I had found my final ATV .
Not to be !
About two years after I got the Brute Force Kawasaki saw fit to upgrade and make it fuel injected so i traded and now have a 750 Brute Force thats fuel injected . Dunno if it's any better , but start ups on cold mornings are a heck of a lot nicer .
Anyway the only way I'll get another is if I trash this one or Kawasaki comes out with a larger motor .
Oh by the way a new camo 750 Brute Force now is about $9,000 so it's a good bit over 2 1/2 thousand pounds .
My latest Brute Force has gone thru the fields and mountains of Virginia , the tidal marshes of the Eastern Shore of Maryland , the duck marshes of Arkansas and some of the delta swamps of Mississippi !
On the trailer when we first arrived in Arkansas in January of this year for a piggie hunt !
Sitting on a levvee in Arkansas with me looking out at it from a shooting house about 80 yards away !
Behind my house with a load !
On December 31st 1999 I bought my first Kawasaki a Prarie 360 4x4 camo and it was great !
Couple years later Kawasaki brought out the Brute Force 750 and I got one . And I loved it ! That thing was pure evil if you wanted it to be . Oh every time I buy a new one I have them put ITP after market tires on with a tread pattern that kinda resembles the tread on an agricultural tractor . Anyway that thing would go through swamps , marshes over rough trails you name it and I "thought" I had found my final ATV .
Not to be !
About two years after I got the Brute Force Kawasaki saw fit to upgrade and make it fuel injected so i traded and now have a 750 Brute Force thats fuel injected . Dunno if it's any better , but start ups on cold mornings are a heck of a lot nicer .
Anyway the only way I'll get another is if I trash this one or Kawasaki comes out with a larger motor .
Oh by the way a new camo 750 Brute Force now is about $9,000 so it's a good bit over 2 1/2 thousand pounds .
My latest Brute Force has gone thru the fields and mountains of Virginia , the tidal marshes of the Eastern Shore of Maryland , the duck marshes of Arkansas and some of the delta swamps of Mississippi !
On the trailer when we first arrived in Arkansas in January of this year for a piggie hunt !
Sitting on a levvee in Arkansas with me looking out at it from a shooting house about 80 yards away !
Behind my house with a load !
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ajfab
Well-Known Member
we have 2 420"s and one 500 hondas and they are the dogs dodars cant fault them never brake down 420 are easy enough to get out if stuck just get a decant set of tyres.
also have a polaris 6x6 ranger good machine of road but totaly unreilable only 16 month old and just had new gear box also deprecation is shocking just got a qoute for trading it in and it has lost £7500 in 16 month and its clean and tidys never been abused.
also have a polaris 6x6 ranger good machine of road but totaly unreilable only 16 month old and just had new gear box also deprecation is shocking just got a qoute for trading it in and it has lost £7500 in 16 month and its clean and tidys never been abused.
JAYB
Super Moderator
Earlier this year I got yamaha grizzly 450, irs, difflock, auto, high and low range magic bit of kit especially as it was not quite two years old and done less than 400 miles, and that was only on forest tacks where it used to "work". It has had an introduction to a more callenging lifestyle since 
, it really is a cracking bit of kit and if it is good enouigh for the British Army it is good enough for me. Before tha I had a Kawasaki 360 prairie, hard as nails and had done 18,000 miles when I sold it, truth be told I would imagine any of the big names would do you fine.
John
, it really is a cracking bit of kit and if it is good enouigh for the British Army it is good enough for me. Before tha I had a Kawasaki 360 prairie, hard as nails and had done 18,000 miles when I sold it, truth be told I would imagine any of the big names would do you fine.John
Good responses - many thanks.
It is interesting to see how few comments have been made about the Suzuki range.
I suppose I've now got to get to see & try as many as possible to finally decide.
Ian
It is interesting to see how few comments have been made about the Suzuki range.
I suppose I've now got to get to see & try as many as possible to finally decide.
Ian
bambislayer
Well-Known Member
I had a suzuki years ago. it was very light and great for gathering but too light for deer work.
I've had yamahas, which have been good
BUT
I would go Honda Foreman, I've had a few of them and extracted LOTS of deer with them, reliable and tough!
FURNOTFEATHER
Well-Known Member
Ok-I will admit to not being an expert on quads but thought this little story might explain why I think Honda would be among the best for reliability. The dairy farm next to our house has a Honda quad-no idea of model or such like. I have used it a few times when rabbiting for the farmer but what impressed me was this....
In 2010, when the dairy cows were finally put in both night and day, the farmer parked his quad up where he normally left it for ease of access-out in the open next to the farm track which the cows walked between the milking parlour and the fields-of course with the intention of giving it a power wash and parking it in a shed for the winter. Well one thing led to another, time went by and the quad was left sitting out in all weathers untill the big freeze came that winter. (It was a particularly cold one that year remember? Here in S. Down we had 10+ days where night and day temp was below freezing with night times lows of -16 recorded at the met office station approx 3 miles away)
Well, after the first few nights of severe frost, the quad was remebered about but as it was thought that the battery was now a goner and with frozen pipes to try and thaw-the quad was left out. It sat in fact, until March of the next year when the farmer finally decided to look at it. All he had to do was turn the key and it started!
If any of the cars I've ever owned was able to sit all winter and start the next spring-I'd be impressed!
I know its not the type of review you were looking for but thought I'd share.
Regards,
FNF
In 2010, when the dairy cows were finally put in both night and day, the farmer parked his quad up where he normally left it for ease of access-out in the open next to the farm track which the cows walked between the milking parlour and the fields-of course with the intention of giving it a power wash and parking it in a shed for the winter. Well one thing led to another, time went by and the quad was left sitting out in all weathers untill the big freeze came that winter. (It was a particularly cold one that year remember? Here in S. Down we had 10+ days where night and day temp was below freezing with night times lows of -16 recorded at the met office station approx 3 miles away)
Well, after the first few nights of severe frost, the quad was remebered about but as it was thought that the battery was now a goner and with frozen pipes to try and thaw-the quad was left out. It sat in fact, until March of the next year when the farmer finally decided to look at it. All he had to do was turn the key and it started!
If any of the cars I've ever owned was able to sit all winter and start the next spring-I'd be impressed!
I know its not the type of review you were looking for but thought I'd share.
Regards,
FNF
paul o'
Well-Known Member
honda foreman auto if you use for shooting or man for farm work you should be able to find a used one make sure
its up to date on service's get as big as cc as you can and 4x4 i use mine for deer and pest control i'v even pulled out 4x4 trucks on beat days .
ps fill tyers with green stuff to prevent punctures spoiling your night/day
paul o'
its up to date on service's get as big as cc as you can and 4x4 i use mine for deer and pest control i'v even pulled out 4x4 trucks on beat days .
ps fill tyers with green stuff to prevent punctures spoiling your night/day
paul o'
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Chris J
Well-Known Member
I have the Yam 450 Kodiak 2003 and not only do I use it for recovery, but I off road it too for fun. Small Warn winch fitted, Ricochet off road armour underneath. I love it. But if I had the money, I'd have Honda. Yep, build quality is superior. The Yamaha plastic body work is very brittle and it breaks very easily. Mine is now a patchwork or repairs. Now on terms of the frame and engine etc, it's very good despite the work. One thing worth thinking about is suspension set up. Mine is solid rear axle which doesn't give as much articulation as some of the newer independent front and rear models so stability is better. But, if you tow a trailer off road then having that fixed rear diff and one axle seems better. On an older model, personally, I might avoid an electronic shift. I have seen reliability issues there. Mine has full diff locks and low range. I also run OKO tyre sealant in there as well. It's a cracking thing. Goes pretty much anywhere. What ever I have, I'll always fit a winch. At the best part of 400 kgs, it's more than I can lift out of a ditch.
But again, I'd like a Honda.
Chris
But again, I'd like a Honda.
Chris
6pt-sika
Well-Known Member
While I have the Kawasaki 750 Brute Force fuel injected model now . If I ever got displeased with it I imagine I might look pretty hard at the Arctic Cat 1000 .
I have a couple friends that are big time trail riders and they tweak and modify their ATV's to get the most speed and power . They both have Kawasaki Brute Force one is a 750 and the other is a 650 . Those two guys carry the mail when they ride so to speak . And I realize in typical huntign situations thats not an issue , however after what they put them thru that always impressed me as to the durability !
My friend with the 750 Kawasaki had a Honda Rincon before and he kept having frame cracking issues they way they rode . Now again if a person where riding in a normal sane manner this is most likely a moot point . So it is what it is !
I have a couple friends that are big time trail riders and they tweak and modify their ATV's to get the most speed and power . They both have Kawasaki Brute Force one is a 750 and the other is a 650 . Those two guys carry the mail when they ride so to speak . And I realize in typical huntign situations thats not an issue , however after what they put them thru that always impressed me as to the durability !
My friend with the 750 Kawasaki had a Honda Rincon before and he kept having frame cracking issues they way they rode . Now again if a person where riding in a normal sane manner this is most likely a moot point . So it is what it is !
Deutsch - Drahthaar
Well-Known Member
Honda simply best and most reliable. Mine sometimes goes months without starting and still fires first push of the button.
csl
Administrator
Seems like Honda are winning then!
I managed to break the plastic moulding/lid at the back of mine last week... the numberplate is screwed onto this panel and hangs down a bit... I unhitched the trailer and everything was clear, however I didn't factor in the fact that when I got back on the rear suspension went down a bit so when I pulled away the trailer release handle caught the bottom of the number plate and ripped the whole lid/panel off...
Wadas suggested that a couple of good old repair washers should sort it, but out of interest I enquired today how much a new lid would be from the Honda dealer, and prepared myself to sit down.....
£15. Result!
I managed to break the plastic moulding/lid at the back of mine last week... the numberplate is screwed onto this panel and hangs down a bit... I unhitched the trailer and everything was clear, however I didn't factor in the fact that when I got back on the rear suspension went down a bit so when I pulled away the trailer release handle caught the bottom of the number plate and ripped the whole lid/panel off...
Wadas suggested that a couple of good old repair washers should sort it, but out of interest I enquired today how much a new lid would be from the Honda dealer, and prepared myself to sit down.....
£15. Result!
If its your first quad you might consider some rider training, I have an old introductory video somewhere, running time is about 13 minutes, its copyrighted, but I can show to friends with an individual Access Code, as that is like showing the original VHS (shows the age of the video, but still relevant), to a friend at home, since once you've watched it I can change the Code. So if Yorric hasn't had any training to ride quads, he might want to PM me.
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