ATVs? | GTAMotorcycle.com

ATVs?

Motorcycle Mike

Well-known member
I'm considering buying a 4x4 ATV with a winch for some muddy fun.

Seeing the prices of used ones ($3500 plus for over 10 year old machines) I am considering waiting until the off season and buying either a new Arctic Cat 400 for around $5000 or a Polaris Sportsman 400 for around the same.

Do you guys have any recommendations of which one is better/which one to avoid? Any other makes/models that I should consider in or around the $5 or $6k mark? I definitely need 4x4, preferably with racks and a winch. I won't be racing on tracks with this, I will be going through mud bogs and up and over rocks, through water, etc...

I would definitely consider a used one in good shape, but like I said at this time of year people are asking almost new prices for old machines. And I don't want to buy other people's problems if I can get something new for not much more.
 
Don't be a puss, buy a dirt bike!

Did you see my bike list? I've had many dirt bikes... unfortunately it is a bit hard to carry a rifle and/or a deer carcass on a bike.
 
unfortunately it is a bit hard to carry a rifle and/or a deer carcass on a bike.
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I bought a new cat for ice fishing, a small 350,worked great last year on simcoe when the bigger bikes where getting bogged down(lots of snow),chains on the rear and the thing was a beast,definatly price shop and show other dealers what you can get for the price as they have some wiggle room.
 
If you're looking for a hard working hunting machine, consider a King Quad 300 or even an old Quadrunner LT-F4WD 250.

You mentioned an Arctic Cat 400, but in my opinion the KQ300's are much better machines, even thought they are 100cc smaller. The reason is due to the gearing - the KQ300/QR's have the lowest gearing of any ATV ever made by a huge margin, mostly due to the gear ranges they provide. It's an auto clutch 5 speed, with 3 different gear ranges giving you a total of 15 gears to choose from, and the super-low gear is geared like a tractor - you can practically tow a house in super low first gear.

You also have the option of a full differential lock (2wd, 4wd, or a true diff lock 4wd). You can't find that option ( a true locking frnot diff) on many machines, especially at this price point. With your diff locked in super low gear, you can plow your way through ANYTHING.

And the best part is you can find these machines in good shape for around $1800 if you look hard enough and they last forever - they are built like tanks! I have 3 of them :)
 
If you're looking for a hard working hunting machine, consider a King Quad 300 or even an old Quadrunner LT-F4WD 250.

You mentioned an Arctic Cat 400, but in my opinion the KQ300's are much better machines, even thought they are 100cc smaller. The reason is due to the gearing - the KQ300/QR's have the lowest gearing of any ATV ever made by a huge margin, mostly due to the gear ranges they provide. It's an auto clutch 5 speed, with 3 different gear ranges giving you a total of 15 gears to choose from, and the super-low gear is geared like a tractor - you can practically tow a house in super low first gear.

You also have the option of a full differential lock (2wd, 4wd, or a true diff lock 4wd). You can't find that option ( a true locking frnot diff) on many machines, especially at this price point. With your diff locked in super low gear, you can plow your way through ANYTHING.

And the best part is you can find these machines in good shape for around $1800 if you look hard enough and they last forever - they are built like tanks! I have 3 of them :)

Thanks for the useful advice, I will consider checking out a King Quad.

As much as I like a manual bike, I was thinking of getting an automatic ATV... so that is why I was considering a Polaris or Arctic Cat. I also won't be towing anything with is, but I will be going through water, mud, and will be climbing some mossy rocks -- like 2 feet high or so -- typical Canadian Shield found up North of Barrie.

Anyway, I was looking at the Arctic Cat 400 today at Snow City, it looks alright but for $1000 more they have a 500 with fuel injection... anyway, I will check around and see what I can find. I'm not in a rush, and any advice is helpful as I don't have much experience with quads.

I've read that Honda is usually considered the most reliable engine wise, but the older ones had an awkward way of switching to 4x4 and no independent suspension. I don't know what year that changed.
 
My brother got a Polaris 550 and changed the muffler out. Went out on a few trails with it myself and it was a good machine. Only 2cents I'll offer is don't cheap out on the winch! Make sure you got something worth while to get you out of trouble and a good GPS.
 
OP - I know you're leaning towards new, but I found (much like the bike market) that prices are way more reasonable once you get out of the GTA.
 
I had a 2006 Kawasaki KVF360 4x4 for 6 years. Was a solid axle rear (single shock) so the rear wheels were 'locked' all the time, and it had a simple lever over the clutch for locking the front diff. If you want to play in the mud I'd strongly recommend a diff-lock. The air cooled 360cc engine was fine for my purposes. If you want to do higher-speed road running, then you'd want more power. The solid axle was ok for me in the mud and trail work - but on the few times I was on rocky terrain, I wished for a independent suspension rear - but these are typically higher priced machines. Another feature as you go up in price is power steering - depends if you want a workout for your arms or for your wallet.
 
OP - I know you're leaning towards new, but I found (much like the bike market) that prices are way more reasonable once you get out of the GTA.

I've been watching all over Ontario and have seen a few deals, but in general I find the ATV pricing to be worse than bikes. I was very close to driving to Sudbury to buy a 2012 Polaris 500 with a Warn Winch, plow, and passenger seat for $5000, but it sold less than 2 hours after it was posted.

I keep seeing 2006 to 2010 Polaris 400s for sale, asking prince around $5000. A new Polaris 400 occasionally goes on sale for $5299. Sure the used one might come with a winch, possibly a passenger seat, sometimes a snow plow, but none of those items are going to persuade me to buy someone else's problems for only a few bucks less.

I'll keep watching in the fall and hopefully the prices drop a bit later in the season.
Right now I am leaning towards either a Arctic Cat 500 EFI or a Polaris 500 EFI -- and going more towards the Arctic Cat because it has a differential lock, high clearance, etc.. I see them come up brand new on sale for $5999 occasionally.
 
I'd lean toward the Polaris, especially if you can find a manual shift model. Avoid any hydrastatic Honda like the plague, basically anything built by Yamaha after 1990 (poor quality components - especially harnesses), the Cats I don't know.

Any ATV you consider, look closely for corrosion around the swing arm, any sign of axle bearing failure. This can lead to an awful expense to repair. See if the owner will allow you to open the fill plugs on the diffs, swampy diff oil is a giveaway that it's had a hard life. Torn CV boots are also expensive to fix.
 

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