[easystreet]

I am advertising locally to meet other atv riders. Have gotten some good responses from fellow enthusiasts. They have all been utility quad owners though. I can definitely ride with them in some areas, but Colorado has some wicked technical trails. I have been considering a ute for years. Thinking of getting a second quad for more aggressive trails. May go brand new or at least '08 or newer. I have never owned a ute before.

My preliminary research is pushing me towards a Suzuki Kingquad 750.
It seems to have good reviews. Smooth quiet motor, common tranny, easy to use 4x4 and locker and decent power. The bad is stock tires.

Second choice: Yamaha Grizzly 700. Fairly good reviews. Great 4x4 and locker switches, good ergonomics, well built. The bad is low on power, mediocre tranny shifter, and stiff ride

Third choice: Kawasaki Brute Force 750. Tons of power, killer sound. The bad is a stupid locker lever you have to hold. I noticed they all seem to whine a bit while driving. Something about the tranny. Kind of sounds like a turbo, but not cool, more cheap sounding.

Honda Rincon doesn't even make the list do to 100% negative opinions of its weird tranny. Its a shame because I would love to have a reliable Honda for my ute.

Whats your opinions? Who has owned or operated any of the above?

 

[easystreet]

I have never ridden any of these its all based off youtube clips mainly.

 

[pota]

Over this part of the globe Can-am's are really taking off. They will shit on all you listed for power and ride comfort. They have a visco lock front diff, no need to worry about pulling levers or pushing buttons it does it for you. From 2010 onwards the XT models come standard with a winch and power steering. If buying new they come with the best warranty. They even make a 2 seater model you can take the Mrs and have fun and earn brownie points. Or look at a renegade and have some serious fun.

 

[easystreet]

I would consider CanAm, but they are way too expensive. Thousands more than the Japs.

 

[smo0oth1]

Never had one myself but I've always heard nothing but good things about the KingQuad. If you could find a good deal on a Rincon due to a slipping transmission the problem is simply an oring that causes it to loose pressure. Granted you've got to pull the tranny apart to change most do not know its that simple of a problem and let them go for cheap thinking it needs a new tranny

The Rincon troubles are supposed to be limited to the 03-04 models

 

[Baxter]

Can Am's have there problems. Look up " Rappey" he did some posts on them. Something about frames. I'll find it .

 

[pota]

I would consider CanAm, but they are way too expensive. Thousands more than the Japs.

Over here the base models are very competitve price wise compared to the japers. Hondas are actually the dearest.

 

[easystreet]

Can Am's have there problems. Look up " Rappey" he did some posts on them. Something about frames. I'll find it .

I do recall hearing in the past of people cracking frames on the renegades.

 

[easystreet]

This one really has my attention. Only problem is its white. Not a fan of white. Good price though if its truly an 2011.
http://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/3269006148.html

I tried to go after this one a few days back, but is was sold instantly.
http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/3257283281.html

 

[smo0oth1]

Big question would be what is your intentions for it?

 

[easystreet]

Big question would be what is your intentions for it?

95% trail riding in dry rocky conditions. Rarely would it see mud. Occasional water crossings. Probably would start using it for deep mountain camping access. Down the road I may want to install a snow blade for driveways. Not mandatory though.

 

[Baxter]

http://www.club700xx.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1628&page=228.

 

[tbird88]

id go with the rincon they handle great and have beltless tranny. im going to get a rincon but im going to wait until honda updates them , they havent been updated since they put fuelinjection on them. i figure honda will up the cc's to 750 or 800 and add power steering here in the near future to compete with the can am and pukelaris:xx:

 

[Baxter]

I have been working on a TRX680/700xx hybrid.

lol.

 

[tbird88]

I have been working on a TRX680/700xx hybrid.

way coooool bax:hey: is it going to have 4wheel drive?:xx:keep us updated

lol.

way coool bax

 

[easystreet]

That would be the shortest stroke ever made! lol

 

[Ba9801]

Many of my friends have Polaris Sportsmans and I am not impressed with the reliability of them. They are always needing work of some kind, clutch buttons, drive belt, even 1 blew his engine in 88 hours. Another has only had his for 20 hours and the rear differential is bad. All though when they are running they are very strong.

The Can-ams are really nice. My friend has a 500 Outlander and he has not had any problems at all with it in over 3 years. All though the can ams do appear to have frame issues, even on the new generation frames. I know that can am is offering reinforcement plates to try to help the issue.

As for Honda, I have another friend with an old Honda Rancher and he has put this thing through everything and it still runs great, even with lack of maintenance. The down side is they are very underpowered compared to most everything else. Also most of the Honda's are straight axle. I think only the Rincon is IRS.

The Suzuki is also very nice. I have yet another friend with a 500 Vinson and all though it is a straight rear axle it does run very strong and has a great turning radius.

I know this did not really answer your question and everyone will have a different opinion on what is best. I think it really depends on what manufacturer you are comfortable with. Seeing as you had a Raptor you may be more inclined to go with the Grizzly as it may be more familiar to you.

Good luck

 

[NavyNut]

Can't go wrong with the kingquad and the grizzly. For the bruteforce go with a new 2012 model as they changed a bit of things and the previous years were pretty bad for taking oil and needed rebuilt.

 

[tbird88]

i would break it down to king quad grizzly or rincon !!!:xx:

 

[OHV Wildcat]

Dunno if you're coming back or not, Easystreet, but I sure love my Can-Am. The frame is an issue on pre-2011 models. But it's an easy reinforcement, provided that the frame hasn't been damaged yet. Mine's reinforced (it's not that hard with the right tools), and I'm confident that it's now WAY stouter than other stock frames.

One thing that I would advise, and advise strongly. I noticed that the Kingquad you really liked was lifted. I would recommend AGAINST that for your use. Here's my thinking--I've put a lot of miles on the Can-Am in rocky, technical terrain. So, right off the bat, when I was putting an aftermarket suspension on it, I went with slightly longer shocks for a bit of lift. It did work. Now I very very rarely touch the skidplates to anything. But it was NOT worth the stability tradeoff. Instead, keep the thing low. Put a good set of skids on it, and be happy. It's rare that ground clearance is an issue even with the 700XX--it's one of those things that I think is only an issue in theory, not in reality. But a heavy, tall, IRS 4x4 quad is a serious problem on a side-hill. Keep the thing low, and you can ride much more difficult terrain. So, I would keep stock size tires, and even think about dropping the thing down a little bit. If I had to do over again, I would absolutely buy shorter shocks.

Huge tires/ground clearance only really matter in mud. Since you were talking about keeping it dry, I'd avoid those mods (and quads with them) like the plague. Good luck!