Like MJD said...ya get what ya paid for. In 10 years, you would have put $800+ into the Suzuki, vs. $0 for the Honda

Nope....Honda dosent make belt-drive auto's because Honda knows how un-reliable they can be. They use a Hydromatic Transmission (fluid driven) in their 400 & 500 and they use an automotive type in the Rincon 650.

I also have a 2002 TRX450 Foreman with the foot shift. I've got over 3400 miles on it without one problem at all.

 

I knew that . I must have seen Polaris, and... who knows. rancherman84, does that Warn kit fit TRX450s? I know there is a kit for my bike, but I havent been able to find it yet.


Rich

 

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produc...5&skuId=550118

Dennis Kirk. Part No: 55-0118

 

I have a 99 Honda foreman 450es, my wife has a 2003 suzuki ozark 250. My inlaws have two 04 polaris 330 trail boss auto's. I looked over the polaris closely and rode them. Quite frankly the Polaris are made for older people who stick to the road. Nice machines in their own right, but would last me maybe 5 minutes. smaller frame tube, the oil cooler is right in front exposed to the first rock you come across, the battery is in the rear tire well again exposed to whatever the tire throws up, and down on power for being 330's. My wife's Ozark is a great macine. Fun to ride, awesome suspension, A fire road special to be sure. Seems built solid, great buy for 3200 out the door. However I save my highest accolades for my 99 honda Foreman. spectacular machine, feels solid and is. I have had it in mud, snow, water over the headlights, rolled, jumped, and generally abused. The thing has never given me any problems, and has a few safety features as well. The build quality as mentioned is top notch. The racks are solid as well. recently I was off loading the bikes by jumping off the side of my trailer and forgot the remove the rear tie down from the rack. Well I gunned it, pulled a wheelie unexpectadly and at that time the 2000lb strap broke. Didn't bend a thing. Flying down a trail once, I didn't quite miss a large rock and caught the front tire on it extremely hard. Anything else would have broke. Now the best part, the tranny. That pushbutton manual is worth twice its wait in gold. Being able to shift into reverse while hanging off the right side on a steep sidehill is invaluable. As well as the ability to put it in reverse with one hand, being able to keep positive control of the handlebars at all times. And by the way, I paid 3200 for mine with 650 miles on it from my local honda dealer. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

 

Atv's are just like autos: It's how you take care of them. I have a '91 polaris trailboss250 2x2 I bought used from the original owner, I like it better than my'03 Kodiak 450 4x4. I have went everywhere my son has taken the kodiak with the trailboss.
Go with a Polaris or Yamaha.

And ANY ATV WILL FLIP I AM ON IT!!!!!
Kevin

 

the kawasaki bayou 220 and 250 are nothing but junk. the suspension is very soft and the power sucks. i picked one up brand new for a girlfriend and got it home. it would not crank and run for even 5 seconds. i have ridden the diesel polaris 4x4 and it was cool but not my style. i have driven a polaris scrambler 500 4x4 and it is very fast and pretty good in mud. i have an old yamaha blaster 2 stroke, it aint for working but it is supposed to be fast. right now it needs a whole new bottom end.

 

I have a Honda TRX650 Rincon. It's been very reliable and has plenty of power. The combination of a hydraulic torque converter, automatic tranmission, and 4-wheel independent suspension make for a great ride either in the mud or on the trail. Honda has never used a belt drive system. I have friends with belt driven ATVs and as soon as the belt gets wet, it starts slipping. Talk about loss of power.

 

Can't remember who said Bombardier makes a good machine but go ask the guys at the dealership what they ride. Its not the brand their trying to sell you.

For me reliability is the # 1 reason to buy a certian brand. Honda is the king in that department and can't be beat by any brand out there now.

 

Kawasaki Makes awesome ATV's and you more for the buck compared to Honda. You can make a Kawi, Suzuki, polaris or anything else last as long or longer than a Honda if you take care of it.

 

Kawasakis are reliable and cheap. Just stay away from the Praire. My dad and I were told by a mechanic that they were a nightmare. We took our bayou 300 in to have a CV boot replaced and there were more Prairies in the shop than anything. You are right. Taking care of a 4-wheeler is the key to reliability, but some brands such as Polaris and Yamaha should still be avoided. Yamaha may have changed the design of the drivelines in their ATVs. If so they are probably not too bad. I do not know much about Arctic Cat, Bombarier and Suzuki because they are rare in my area.

 

A friend of ours just bought a 2004 TRX450 4x4 and got it for $5,200 out the door. It's all in how well you can negotiate and how far you're willing to travel if your local dealer doesn't believe in negotiating.

I'm happy that he got the new bike because we bought his old 95 TRX300 4x4. We also have a 2003 Rancher 2x4.

In case you can't tell, we like Honda's. Great for working around the property and trail riding. Another nice thing is that since they are shaft driven and not belt driven, we make it through all the water without that slippage problem others here have mentioned.

 

Carlene, you going to put tires on the 300 or does it already have them?

Hows the tires working on the Rancher? Can't rememeber what you put on there though.

 

The 300 had new Blackwaters all the way around, a winch and the guy even built a brush guard for it. Nicely setup and well maintained.

We ended up canceling our order for the Blackwaters after they were on back order for over a month. The friend that we bought the 300 from gave us the stock rears from the 450 to put on the front of the Rancher and we put Bear Claws on the rear. Makes a huge difference going through the mud & waters. The front floats nice while the rear grabs.

 

If you are looking for a utility type atv, look at the Kaw Mule 4x4. I've got one after having a Suzuki atv and I like it so much better
1. 2 passenger
2. 4x4 goes anywhere including all trails in Upper Tellico OHV area(you should see the faces on atv owners and jeepers when my mule catwalks over trails they struggle with)
3. seatbelts and rollover protection
4. cargo bed
5. towing capacity
6. comfort
7. I have a roof over my head and windshield to keep out sudden rain
8. Bought in 98 and no problems at all
You may also want to look at Yamaha's new Rhino

 

Oh by the way 4x4 is part time system and rear locking differential is also lever operated so it is much easier to drive