Hi,

I'm sure this question has been asked countless times on this forum. I'm new to ATV's and even Motorsports all together. I recently visited my brother in-law in Kentucky and I got the opportunity to spend a few days toying around on his 2002 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO. Let's just say I had the time of my life... Now I'm in the market for a 2012 Big Bore. I have been to about 10 dealerships and took a look at all of the major brand ATV's out there. I obviously stared with a Polaris dealer, but I am not completely positive that the 2012 800 EFI is the best bang for my buck. A local dealer offered me a $500 discount off MSRP ($7500) with basically no interest. I also found a 2012 Brute Force 750 for $7000. Anyway, getting back to the brands. I'm looking for RELIABILITY and obviously performance. I have considered the Can Am Outlander 800 (Too much money), Arctic Cat 700, Yamaha Grizzly 700 (Not very impressed with their statistics), Kawasaki Brute Force 750 (Top of my list), and the Polaris 800 EFI (Also, top of my list). Please help me decide on which machine will best fit my needs. Oh, yeah, "MY NEEDS". I am honestly just going to be driving on Maine/New Hampshire trails. Little to no mudding and some mild rock climbing.

Please don't be bias and loyal to what you're riding. I really don't wanna make a $7000 mistake. Thanks a lot!

 

they are all good, dependable machines- every atv has its pro's & cons depending how you ride it and take care of it.

I think the kawisake brutes variable front diff locker is one of the most annoying features found on any atv- I either want the front diff locked in, or not- I don't want to squeeze a 2" lever and hold it to apply pressure and lock in the diff

if you're looking at polaris- instead of buying a polaris 800 sportsman, I'd buy a polaris xp850. Should be able to pick up a 2010-2011 xp850 for around $7800 +/-
give higgins a call in barre, mass.pretty good guys over there and they will do anything to keep you happy.

 

Thanks a lot man. Good advice. I have read a lot about Polaris not being dependable. I would like to believe that it is due to the probability that most people post only negative experiences about things they've purchased, rather than good things.

 

polaris is just as dependable as any other atv- IME.

A few atv's have had some problem years- like the 05 / 06 brute force 750's were just riddled with problems.
Other atv's have know issues also- Every manufacturer has its own little caveats- Except for can-am, they are perfect in every way- not a single thing wrong with them. If god rode an atv, it would be a can-am. can-am's are the best of the best and anyone who says different is wrong.Only the elite few ride can-am...



(that should get a few responses in your thread )

 

Haha, thanks again. It seems like you know what you're talking about. I can see you've had a few quads in your garage over the years...

I'm hoping I can get a 850, but would you still buy the 800 over the Brute?

 

moose would be a better person to give you that opinion since he just did the review on the new brute 750's for atvc. (he'll find this thread soon ) I owned the 05 & 06 brutes 750's. Aside from them having an amazing bottom end (close to what a can-am 800 feels like)- I didn't like'em. So many problems with them (both had very low miles)

If I had to choose between the 2011 bryte 750 and the 2011 sportsman 800........

that's tough since I have not ridden a new brute and I'm not too knowledgable on their upgrades since the 06 models. I'd probably go with the popo.

 

Kind of the answer I was hoping for.

Dude, I absolutely cannot get the idea of buying this thing out of my head.

My wife is like 'JUST BUY ONE SO YOU WILL GET OFF THE SUBJECT!!!' lol

 

its really up to the rider to determine what atv is best for them but to help out ill give my input as well as others. You say mostly trail riding,so my 1st thought was a grizzly 700,king quad 750,or polaris 550, 800, or 850. The reason why these are my 1st pick are because of different reasons actually. the polaris is a smooth riding atv with All wheel drive,they dont have a locker but its always worked as well as my other atv which does have a locker on it. the king quad is the best bang for the buck. Cheapest atv in the 700-800 class. Personally i have never been a fan of the king quad but a friend of mine bought one and its been a really good bike. I was impressed with how smooth it was and the power it had. The grizzly has good suspension,4wd,and transmission. The bike has not changed much since it first came out. pretty dependable bike.

the kawasaki 750,as mentioned has a silly locker and just not a fan of it. I cant really comment on them b/c know one around me has one any more. When the 1st 750s came out 3 of my friends had them but were quickly traded in due to lots of the same problems.

honda is just lacking in alot of feature the other have. Good atv,but underpowered,no diff lock,some models still use drum brakes. 680 may have disc? They do use a hydrostatic or (torque converter,but no low gear i believe) transmission if you dont want a belt drive. Ive Never had a problem with belts yet. i dont know all the features on the 680.

arctic cat 700,well personally I like arctic cat,had 3 of them still have one 700 and never gave me much of any problems. they dont have tons of power like some of the others in the same class but its plenty and they have features that i like and wanted.

can am, too much money for what you get IMO. Unlike the other makes,they do not use a wet clutch. with out going into great detail,This can put strain on the belt which can burn it up if in the wrong situation. I am not a fan of that system. bikes are fast as hell and the suspension is not all hyped up to what they say it is. I owned one and wasnt impressed.

keep in mind that on some models the smaller bores like 500 550 and 650s have power that will match or come close to the big bores.
hope this helps and sorry for it being so long. This is a short version too. i could get into some great details on some of these models,LOL. Good luck!

 

have not updated the list - currently riding an 09 can-am 650 xt. Top 3 best (and funnest) atv's I've ever owned (including the dozens of sport quads I've owned). lots of bottom end- smooth trail rides, unreal handling and it pulls hard all the way to the top (around 70mph)

 

Much appreciated! Seems like all the crap I read about both ATV's isn't completely accurate.