ATV Advice please

[bgd]

Need an ATV for use on a lifestyle block and some recreational use on the Eyre River. I don't know anything about these things. After some investigation it will be a smaller 4wd around 3-400cc depending on make.

The key requirements are reliability, ease of use and good towing ability. Are there any traps I should be aware of? Any brands that do things better or worse than others?

Yamaha do an automatic - is that good? Honda have drums on front and back - that doesn't sound so good.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[davereid]

I've got a yamaha big bear, it seems to go really well. Its very thirsty though, but I guess being a 4wd it would be. I think drum brakes are fine, infact in mud and shit they may be better than disks.

[T.W.R]

Try a KLF300 kawasaki cheaper than the rest & pretty robust.

Yamaha Kodiaks, grizzlys, Bigbears etc are ok motors but the gearboxes are sloppy & steering linkages are weak
Honda have a strangle hold on the market just by pure numbers & a more supple ride in reality, but TRXs & Foretrax pressurize their engines easily and end up filling their airboxes full of oil & diffs aren't strong either

Suzuki quadrunners are just nightmares of bikes

Torque converters on autos are fickle items and aren't cheap to fix

[shaneh]

I have a Honda 300cc 4WD Bigfoot. About 1996.

Clutchless manual. Fulltime 4WD.

Watch out for "on demand" 4WD (Polaris). I wouldn't buy this type because the rider doesn't know the 4WD status, could be off or on. Bike transmission might make a wrong decision and dump you in the crap. Go for fulltime 4WD if possible.

Watch for failed seals around the rear axles. Mine failed and I didn't notice. Diff filled up with mud and broke. $1200 later, one new diff.
Preventative maintenance at a bike shop (not local car mechanic) is important. Would have prevented this dumb mistake.

The later Hondas have electronic gear select. Still clutchless manual operation but instead of kicking a pedal, you press a button on the handlebar. Sounds like a recipie for something to break to me.

Contrary to earlier comments about Hondas waterproofness, I have swam my Bigfoot across deep rivers. Water line sits just below the seat, so the engine is still breathing air not water. Get the technique right and you can cross rivers easily without killing your bike.

Have you owned a quad before ?

If not (even if you have) I strongly recommend spending a few bucks on a half day training course. There's numerous providers around and the information they pass on is invaluable. They will teach you how to know the limits of the bike (when will it roll or tip on a slope) plus show you what not to do on a bike to prevent it flipping (hitting holes or turning quickly at moderate speed, will quickly flip a quad in the air and kill you).

They are enormous fun. I used to take a Land Rover off roading, but bought my old quad to replace it ($3k for '96 Bigfoot) and it's much more fun.

Be careful getting off your quad onto a 2 wheel bike. Controls (brakes, clutch) are different and I have found myself pulling the clutch in on my road bike thinking it was the brake, put me over the centreline, close shave.

Look for chassis rust. Quads off dairy farms which are not regularly washed down properly will rust out. Don't be fooled by new shiny plastics.

Gearbox on my Honda has much better "feel" than my Hyosung road bike. No surprises there.

[crusa]

Need an ATV for use on a lifestyle block and some recreational use on the Eyre River. I don't know anything about these things. After some investigation it will be a smaller 4wd around 3-400cc depending on make.

The key requirements are reliability, ease of use and good towing ability. Are there any traps I should be aware of? Any brands that do things better or worse than others?

Yamaha do an automatic - is that good? Honda have drums on front and back - that doesn't sound so good.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

I have a polaris diesel 4wd automatic which has 4wd on demand but you can turn this on or off,but once 4wd is engaged it will not go back to 2wd you must turn it off which was not stated in a previous post and is easy to use.the motor is 549cc shaft drive,2000(Its not the older Dbat model)its a big framed bike can pull 500kgs,disc brakes as well as engine brake.i have owned a variety of quads
suzuki,yamaha mainly. the polaris IMHO is the best bike i have owned brought it second hand .Its easy to clean (good ground clearance) and service. will plod along all day great for climbing hills wether mud/grass/rock/sand bike has tons of tourqe.Will pull a 6x4 trailer easily.Very economical.I use it on the inlaws farm and the beach and sand dunes when fishing.I have had no problems so far had it 4 years and keep it well serviced.when i first got it i sprayed it with a sheep oil with lanoline got it from field day to protect chassy which has worked well.hope this helps

[What?]

I have a KLF300 4WD which goes pretty well, often towing well over a tonne (on flat ground!!). Stay away from Suzuki quads - cable operated everything tends to be trouble - unless you are big on maintenance.
A few points to ponder:
1/ All quads are thirsty.
2/ 4WD's tend to steer better than 2WD's. This is because
3/ Very few quads have a rear diff. What most people refer to as the "diff" is simply a right-angle drive. This means
4/ Quads eat tyres when used on hard ground because all the wheels are turning at the same speed when cornering, which in turn means
5/ Quads eat your wife's nicely manicured lawn if driven across in anything other than a straight line.
6/ A quad that has been on a farm (esp. dairy) or used on the beach may be severely rusted. Pay close attention to the A-arms on the front suspension, as these are often the first to go.
7/ Keep kids off it - quads look fun, but can be a real handful. Kids just don't have the strength to steer them, or the sense to know the limitations. Lying on the ground with 350Kg of machine on top is not a good look...
8/ Quads are ridiculously expensive for what they are and what they can do. When mine dies, I will probably buy a small tractor (16hp Kubota), as these are more versatile (can fit blades, buckets, mowers etc) for the same money, last better, have diff's both ends etc etc. The only minus is a lack of speed.

[soundbeltfarm]

everyone here has different opinions and i think alot of it is if you have a good run you love it and if you dont you dont like it.
i've had a kawasaki 300 bayou and it has the diff and is pretty easy for people to turn. but i found if you didn't reguarly put it in diff lock and out of it the lever jammed up and was fucked.
had a big bear 350 2wd and of all my bikes i liked this one the best.
had good ground clearance and alot of suspension travel, seemed to have good power too.
tried a yamaha kodiak but dont like the auto at all.
had a yamaha yfm250 as my first quad and loved it pretty basic but was built quite strong for its day.
ive had 3 suzuki eigers now and for the cost of them i really like them.
they are a wide stable bike , well i have found this to be.
pretty basic and i find it seems to do the job really well, i will admit i give my bikes a prick of a life and these seem to handle it.
the only thing with the eiger is if you want to tow stuff make sure its been reverse kitted.
my first eiger was when they had just come out and the reverse gearing is the same as first in high forwards. and i fucked the the clutch from reversing with trailer full of calves .
the reverse kit is free with the first servce, but i found that with the first 2 dealers i dealt with both of them failed to tell me this at first service. and when i had them on about it they said i had to ask for it which seems fucked up.
to see if it been done. on the high,low,reverse lever it should got from top to bottom, high, low then reverse.
they have a good steering lock also.
i had a honda 300 fulltime4wd and it was ok but i reckon ground clearance was a prick but all the body work fits much neater than the suzi.
i just stick to the eigers now for stability and the price for new ones . i only keep them for 18-24 months and they come with a 2 yr warranty. not sure of the other brands but think they are only 12.

[bgd]

As usual I never achieve everything I set out to do on these trips and unfortunately the atv is going to have to wait until next time.

Many thanks for all the replies, I have more of an idea of what to look for now.

[What?]

i just stick to the eigers now for stability and the price for new ones . i only keep them for 18-24 months and they come with a 2 yr warranty.

Good point - I read "lifestyle block" and made the assumption he would be buying second-hand. A new Suzuki would be fine, but one that's got a few years use under its belt may be less than the best bet.