Which 500cc quad???

[cdn-redneck]

I am wanting to get a new quad soon. That is the easy part, convincing my wife is the hard part. I am wondering which 500cc to look at. I feel 500cc's is plenty for me. My old 350 is in need of some repairs soon.

I have looked at lots and here is what I have found.

Honda Rubicon CTE. Nice bike and I like Hondas. I am a little nervous of the electronics out in the bush (electronic tranny etc.) but it tops the list right know. It is also the most expensive.

Arctic Cat 500. There is no local dealer within 5 hours. So that makes service warranty issues a concern. It does have great features with the MRP rack system and large fuel tank.

Suzuki Vinson. I did really like this bike but feel the rad is too exposed for hunting.

Polaris Sportsman 500. I have been giving this one an extra look lately. I have heard some bashing about Polaris's, but only from those who don't have one. People who have them love them. The 700+ lbs weight is a bit of a factor.

So tell me why I should choose one over the other :thumbsup: :super_hap :confused:

Hopefully there is a new one in the garage sooner rather than later.

[Mikey]

ok Honda ... finally got rid of the Brick like ride but went too far ...way too spongy .... have seen 2 roll down a hill because of this ....

Kitty Cat .... I find them too top heavy ...other than that not so bad ....

Zuki... Nice unit ... I cant think of anything wrong with them other than I Recall right they have a stiff suspention that will beat you up ....

Polaris .... the 500 is the best allround Polaris because its still extremly simple and has a recoil starter backup ... the only problem with Polaris' is if you lose your speedo (electrics)...you will lose 4wd ....

all quads on the market now use electronics .... the polaris is heavy at 700 pounds ....whats the weight of everything else ???? not much differant if yer looking at Ute quads ....

If I were buying a quad today I would look at Bombardier or Polaris ... probally choose the Polaris because of the better ground clearance ...

[GRANDSLAM]

If I were look'n for a Quad today I would consider check'n out Kawasaki. I know you want a 500cc and yes for sure that is plenty! but I picked up the Kawasaki 650 Brute Force this year and I have had nothing but great experience with it. has great power, loves the mud, and makes pull'n out that Elk alot easier.

I would say virtually any of the new quads that have come out are awesome, Kawasaki is just my preference. Have fun shopping, best thing you can do is just show up at home with the Quad, cause if you take the wife Quad shopping you will get the look, the look that say's no $#%k'n way. This way it Will make it that much harder for the Wife to make you return it, well that's what I would do. :thumbsup:

[Mikey]

If I were look'n for a Quad today I would consider check'n out Kawasaki. I know you want a 500cc and yes for sure that is plenty! but I picked up the Kawasaki 650 Brute Force this year and I have had nothing but great experience with it. has great power, loves the mud, and makes pull'n out that Elk alot easier.

I would say virtually any of the new quads that have come out are awesome, Kawasaki is just my preference. Have fun shopping, best thing you can do is just show up at home with the Quad, cause if you take the wife Quad shopping you will get the look, the look that say's no $#%k'n way. This way it Will make it that much harder for the Wife to make you return it, well that's what I would do. :thumbsup:


to add to that ... Get a queen seat ...for the wife .....and leg posts ....... heated hand grips for the queen seat helps too .... :beer_chee

[RubberDuck]

redneck,

Take your WIFE to the dealer and have her sit on it (after you picked the one you want) then ask he opinion swaying her to the quad of your choice at the same time. I've only been married a year but she love when I ask her input, as you know they all do especially on big decisions it helps ez. Good Luck and spend a lot of time on all the specs and make the decision that would best fit the rider (you and your wife) not what your peers want you to buy. Mikey did point out good features of each.

Cheers,

[calgarychef1]

Everyone has their preferences. Most people love the model they have-because they bought it and they don't want to feel like they have something inferior. It's part of the post purchase rationalization that goes on in peoples minds. The more they paid for something the more they rationalize. That said I like Polaris--because that's what I've used the most. I tried one of the Bombardier quads and although it had lots of jam it ate its way through a tank of gas almost twice as fast as the other quads we were using. Mileage is a consideration we don't hear very often. I don't mention it because of the cost involved but because of the range you can get out of a tank.

the chef

[kidder17]

I own a 2003 Polaris SP500 and I would absolutely have to say that I like the thing. The transmission as been almost flawless, the only negative thing I could say about that is I was elk hunting last fall west of Rocky Mountain House and this was my first real experience quading in the mountains and the EBS on my bike when going down hill IMO was not a good thing. It would try and lock the back tires causing the back end to kick out. Once a person was used to it doing that it was manageable though. As far as the weight goes for the Polaris' , its a double edged sword, Sucks azz if busting through alot of swamp (although the 4wd System on the Polaris makes up for this somewhat), but when its time to hook up to your elk or moose and giver a tug, the extra weight is really nice. Not many bikes in the 500 class will equal what the SP can pull, don't get me wrong, other 500's can do the job but not as effortlessly as the SP500. Never had any problems with electronics. My bike came with Goodyear Rawhide tires and these are by far the best stock tire on the market. When out riding in muskeg I run 27" Mudzillas and my 500 has ample power to turn them although I do have a heelclicker clutch kit in my bike which helps alot with the big tires. When it comes right down to it all bikes have there own features and benefits, but the only bikes I will consider when buying my next bike is another Polaris or a Honda(ride sucks but you can't beat the dependability).....Good Luck

[Mikey]

Kidder the key to the EBS system is to feather the throttle all the way down.... I personally like it because your not burning up yer brakes riding the them all the way down.... It will take some Practice fer sure to get it right .... some of the stuff that we have ridden in the mountians will leave brown stains in yer pants fer sure ....

[mrplowse500]

Go drive the POLARIS and then you will know

[TJAY]

drive a polaris and you will know not to buy one. There is only 1 choose, thats ARCTIC CAT :thumbsup:

[mrplowse500]

Good luck with that, a little advice buy your self extra brake pads & wheel bearings

[spearchucker]

Can't go wrong with the Cat, absolutly love mine. It loves pulling out poo poo's.

[guido]

I've owned a cat. I won't own another one!!!!!! I own a Grizzly and I would buy another one.

[spearchucker]

Thought this thread was about 500cc bikes? To each his own man, lighten up!

[Dokis1]

I own a Polaris 500 HO but my next bike will be the 7oo Arctic Cat 2-up...I won't go into details why but if you go to the ATVCanda.ca website, you will see various posts from all makes and models on problems the owners are having and Arctic Cat has the fewest problems of all. Check it out and then decide.

[gord]

There is only one I would go with I bought a 500 xt outlander the best quad I have been on out pulls out climbs easy to ride and Fast 63mph the ride alone will sell you they are the best you can get so if you don't cheap out you will be pleased you went the extra mile all the quad owners i talked to say the same thing Outlanders Rock!!

[littlejimmy]

I am wanting to get a new quad soon. That is the easy part, convincing my wife is the hard part. I am wondering which 500cc to look at. I feel 500cc's is plenty for me. My old 350 is in need of some repairs soon.

I have looked at lots and here is what I have found.

Honda Rubicon CTE. Nice bike and I like Hondas. I am a little nervous of the electronics out in the bush (electronic tranny etc.) but it tops the list right know. It is also the most expensive.

Arctic Cat 500. There is no local dealer within 5 hours. So that makes service warranty issues a concern. It does have great features with the MRP rack system and large fuel tank.

Suzuki Vinson. I did really like this bike but feel the rad is too exposed for hunting.

Polaris Sportsman 500. I have been giving this one an extra look lately. I have heard some bashing about Polaris's, but only from those who don't have one. People who have them love them. The 700+ lbs weight is a bit of a factor.

So tell me why I should choose one over the other :thumbsup: :super_hap :confused:

Hopefully there is a new one in the garage sooner rather than later.
I would go with the honda because they are a reliable and almost bullet proof quad