Off the beaten path for archery equipment reviews but I wanted to see what you all recommend for a good hunting ATV. I'm in the market and have been looking at the Arctic Cat 700HI (695cc), Honda Foreman 500 (495cc) and the Brute force 650 and 750i. My question is what do you all recommend and what do you all know about the models above? Is 500cc enough to enjoy hunting and trail riding? I'm new to the ATV market and will be buying a used ATV hopefully between now and February. Obviously not in a rush, but i am gathering my information and trying to see what kind of deals i can get right now. I really like the Polaris sportsman 700 as well but the information that I am looking at has a lot of negative reviews. Thanks for your help and also if you can recommend any places that will give me a great deal I am willing to drive.
We have two Polaris 500's and it's been plenty of power for us. They have been good ATV's and we havn't really had many complaints
500 will be more than enough for anything you need to do. In fact body wise they are a little too big for some trail riding. I own a Polaris and riding in the woods, over downed trees and rocks I would put it up against anything out there. The suspension is the best on the market. But Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Can-am, and Kawasaki all make very capable ATVS. Get fuel injection so you don't have to worry about elevation changes if you decide to go to the mountains. I will say this. My brother rides in the creeks a lot and he has Polaris 500. Everyone else rides hondas and they run off and leave you if your in water. And most of those Hondas have a lot less hp than we do. Get in the woods and its the other way around. Whatever you decide to get make sure its what you want. These things will last a very, very long time if taken care of. they are made to be bullet proof.
I have a 500CC Suzuki Vinson that's taken more than it's share of punishment. I'll 3rd that sentiment that the 650/700 machines can be cumbersome for some trail riding. I've skidded out plenty of logs and the like with my 500 CC machine and it has plenty of power. If I were buying tomorrow, it'd be another Suzuki 500 or the Yamaha 550.
yeah, I think 500cc is more than enough for most applications. We had a 400cc Polaris Ranger and it had more than enough power/speed (that thing could hit 55 mph on the road!!). We also had an older '99 Honda Foreman (it was a 650 i believe) that was a decent atv but not as nice as the polaris. granted, i know the hondas tend to be more reliable over time but the polaris has a nicer suspension setup and tranny.
I would recommend a Yamaha Grizzly in 550cc or 450cc with the electronic power steering. EFI is nice to have as it saves on fuel and altitude adjustment if you hunt the mountains. I had a grizzly 700 EFI and it sucked gas and was too heavy for lots of muddy areas. The lighter 450 is a huge benefit in muddy areas. Since most trail riding is done at less than 10mph having the big engines is not a concern. Actually my 700 was geared too high as compared to my friends 450. Both pulled meat wagons over the Alaskan tundra without issue. I just had to carry more fuel, and get stuck more often because of the heavy machine. Yamaha is about the lightest platform. Polaris is heavy. Keep that in mind when you need to get unstuck. Also the bigger machines may not fit across all the trails. There have been a few bridges that the smaller 450 had no issues with, and I had to ratchet strap the suspension to get across on the 700. Save yourself some bucks and get the 550 EFI/EPS, or the 450 EPS models. My replacement ATV will likely be a 550 EFI with the power steering. By the way the power steering is a lifesaver on longer rides. The ability to steer with a pinkie saves your shoulders after a long days riding.
we had an old '99 foreman where the steering was real heavy. after driving the thing for about 1 hr, your arms would feel like falling off. I do agree, the 400 to 500cc models are the way to go for the most part. the big blocks just suck too much gas and in most cases the xtra power isn't necessary
I have a 450CC Kodiak (now its the Grizzly) by yamaha with a power wench on it. its almost impossible to get stuck and its had no problem carrying 4 people and 2 deer at the same time. the biggest trouble we had was trying to stay on the wheeler. and its easily handled for trail riding and with a little bit of a tail wind i can get it up to 55mph if you're a speed demon
for awhile there you were giving me ideas it seems like every other time someone writes about a vehicle with a winch, they spell it wench one time i saw an ad for a ford f350 that had a "heavy dutch wench" translated: heavy duty winch
if you want the most reliable machine out there buy a honda. hands down they will out live all other brands. make sure you get an air colled not a liquid. ive owned a sportsman 500(nice machine but very heavy and didnt hold up) and now a honda foreman which is an awesome machine. not to big but good power. only gripe i have is no independant rear suspension.
Yes the Polaris' are very heavy. Thats really my only gripe about mine. The only times its nice is when you pulling a good load. They don't jerk around as much as the lighter ATVs do. But when you get them stuck holy crap. You better have a winch handy because you don't just pick up a full size polaris especially when its sunk in mud. My friends hondas we just get off pick the whole thing up and move it. Can't do it with mine. But I don't get stuck as often as they do. If Honda's had good suspension I would seriously consider selling mine and buying one of theirs but riding one of those is not very comfy at all. Will beat the hell out of you. The new ones may be better. I haven't looked at them for a couple of years now. The newest one I have ridden is a 2008. I think they have redesigned some stuff since then though.
