buying a used quad...

[srupp]

hmm I have repeatadly towed out an entire moose in a steel tubbed trailer with 500 cc Honda..you wont tell the difference between a 450 YAMAHA or 500 HONDA...

Wait..there IS a difference..the Honda WILL START..sorry..my bad

Fred..lol

[landphil]

I’ve owned a solid rear axle Honda, and while it was a great machine overall and ran like new at 13,000 km, I’ll only ever buy an independent rear suspension quad now. It’s a huge difference on the twisty stuff, what made the SRA feel tippy is a 2wd walk in the park now. EPS is nice, more in that it takes the abuse from bumps, instead of your shoulders.

I have no issue pulling a heavy tub trailer with my current Honda 420.

[Timberjack]

WOW,

some great info here guys and thank you so much for taking the time to share. No matter where I turn, it seems like for dependability you can't top either a yami or a honda (which sort of goes without saying). I am sure the NA brands are great too but the stories of guys with 15-20yr old yamahas really makes me steer in that direction.

Next question:
How do you go about choosing between lets say a 450 vs a 700? The Kodiak's have the same towing capacity... anyone have experience with both?

I am not going to be using it to rip around trails and popping wheelies but I do want the option to tow in a trailer with a moose camp... is the 450 up for it?

Andrew. Everyone is going to have their opinions for sure on size. Here are my thoughts:

I’m a Yamaha guy but Honda and Suzuki would be my next choices. Can am and Polaris often are bigger, heavier, fancier etc but seem to need more maintenance. The only one I would avoid is Kawasaki but I’m sure there are exceptions to that.

Here are my must haves for a quad:
- 450 /500 is big enough
- low range
- belt driven would be my preference
- eps
- independent rear suspension. Solid rear axles have their place but certainly don’t ride as well.
- winch
- good tires ( I happen to like the itp mudlites)
- hydraulic brakes (some older ones have mechanical brakes ie cable only which show their weakness at times.

As far as condition watch for broken plastic, scratches and all the other signs the others have mentioned. It should be readily apparent if a machine has been beaten on. My next quad will be the kodiak 450. Have fun!

TJ

[mikeman20]

I had a kodiak 450 about 10 years ago, loved it. It had plenty of power back then to pull a trailer, and i assume they have only gained hp over the years if they are still 450cc.

The nice thing about smaller quads is you can move em around alot easier. When riding, and even lifting an end at a time

[tigrr]

I had a 800 and it used 20 liters of gas when the 450cc and 500cc used 10 liters for the same ride. It is gone and I bought a 500cc Honda Canadian edition with power steering.

[twoSevenO]

I also have a 500cc Honda. Bought used with low mileage and 450hrs .... it's been with me 3 years and it's been great.

That said, hauling two 200+ lb guys up a steep road plus a couple of packs does feel like a bit of abuse on it. So I do wish it had maybe a bit more power but other than that it's been fantastic. Mine is older, a 2007, so perhaps that isn't an issue with the newer ones that have more power.

My favorite feature: a pull cord. Would not want one out in the bush without a pull cord. Bad battery and or starter can make for a very long walk out.

[steelheadSABO]

Suzuki is the way to go for utility atv’s have an 86 lt230 that will pull anything and had 2007 king quad 450 no issues with either after hard abuse. Just not the fastest most powerful atv’s out there. Honda and Yamaha I would say is in the same boat.

[Downwindtracker2]

I have an 08 Can-Am but in a used quad, condition trumps make. Even if you pay a little more for cherry, I would say it's worth it.

[srupp]

good point on starter pull cord used it in field when my battery calved..was nice insurance..
good point.
srupp

[wlbc]

I bought a used Honda Foreman about 14 years ago for $800 with 8000kms on it. It had been in a fleet in northern Alberta with a major forest company. The first winter I had to tear it down to the frame because there was dried compacted mud everywhere. It ran and ran, and ran, and ran. Then I came across a IIRC an 800 Polaris with very low kms. So I kept the Honda but parked it. I sold the Polaris after about 3 years.

Here is the deal. For me, I like to putt into a place and then hit the footmobile. After I wack something I cut it up and stack the quarters, rack, etc, on the wonderful steel racks the Honda has. Then I putt back to camp. The Honda is far slower than the Polaris but it will out climb, up or down, the Polaris, and after a full day it was more taxing to drive the Honda.

What I did not like about the Polaris was it used about double the fuel, in tight and extreme situations it seemed less stable, it was too heavy to just pick the back or front up to reposition and the battery would go dead until I installed a night switch off the battery. What I liked about it was if I was touring with friends it was WONDERFULL for distance, rode far better than the Honda, much faster, and after a full day it didn't wear you down.

In summary, from my experience and what I have seen and heard:

1. It's kind of like a Ford, Dodge, Chev thing, they all have pros and cons but apart from those Chinese ones they are all not bad . I think how you maintain and operate it has more to do with the durability and reliability. I know people that have had excellent service out of: Honda's, Yamaha's, Polaris, Can Am, Arctic Cat, and Suzuki.

2. The machine for putting into and out of a great hunting spot is smaller and configured differently than the one you drive at 100km/hr down a logging road. Touring the back country think 800 cc Polaris. Crawling in to tight spot to kill something think 450 Foreman.

3. I like having a pull cord, not that I have ever needed it.

4. If you want to go fast don't buy MudBug tires. If you want to drive through, kind of float on top of that swampy muskeg crap - buy MudBugs.