2 that catch my eye, are arctic cat 366 & honda 420

Buy the ones on my lease. I am sick of hearing them! I'd go electric only if you can. Much cheaper too.

Depends on the terrain you intend on using it on. I have a 1997 Honda Recon 250 2 wheel drive. Seems to me that a four wheel drive just gets you a little more stuck when it does happen. At least with this one,I can wench out or if needed just get it out by hand. Also seems to go more places because it is much narrower than 4 wheel drive models and larger cc models.

in my opinion you cant go wrong with any of the big four,

yamaha, honda kawasaki, suzuki.
Those would be the only ones i would choose from.

I have a 2009 kawasaki brute force,
good- price
bad- noisy tranny
good- power
bad- cold natured, pops a little through air box untill good and warm

I still have a '91 that I leave at our place in SE OK and it still runs fantastic and fires right up each and every trip.

Like many others, I prefer Honda. The main reason for me is just the longevity and reliability I've experienced with Honda versus the others.

One piece of advice that I'd give......I prefer to keep my ATVs simple. What I mean by that is without all the bells and whistles, but just a tough manual clutch no-frills bike. Not only are they much less expensive, but I just know so many guys who get all the gadgets; electronic sensors, auto transmission, etc., but it always seems like there's something going wrong with them, whereas on the base models, there's simply fewer things to break/malfunction, hence less potential hassles. Just my thoughts...

I have owned all the major brands. You cant go wrong with any of them.

I couldn't agree more. Not only have the newer ATV's gotten more complex with more things to break, they also tend to look less like something that you would use to carry a deer, and more like something for street use. Triangular-shaped headlights and sleek angles is what I want to see on a sportscar and not something that I'm going to use to carry bags of seed or corn. It's another reason why I'm hanging on to my old Honda and Kawasaki quads- They appear made more for work than play.

But then, perhaps that's one of the reasons why the pure utility market has become so strong. Here again, give Kawasaki credit for starting that trend with their original Mule. However, who knows, perhaps these too will soon evolve into vehicles that look more like a car than a work vehicle.

Arctic Cat all the way, have a 550 that is just bad to the bone w/ zero issues...knock, knock on wood.

WOW!! Polaris is taking a tongue lashing!
I've got a 2010 Polaris Ranger 800 EFI.. I love it! Note that this is this first UTV I've owned so I have nothing to compare it too.. None the less, I've had ZERO issues with it.. Tons of power.

Good luck with the Polaris, I hope you bought the extended warranty.

Maybe I was a bit over zealous with my comment, but they can go through some pretty rough terrain with ease.

I have a 2006 Kawasaki Brute Force 750i
Pros: Awesome Power, Tough as Nails, Fast
Cons: Gets HOT, Gas Mileage isn't that great

I have a 2004 Kawasaki Prairie 650 and love it. I know the Kawasakis don't get the most love when it comes to ATVs, but I wouldn't trade mine. I love that it has a little bit longer seat as well. I can easily fit my 6'4" frame along with my 2 kids on it with me. Every once in a while, the wife will hop on as well and all 4 of us go on an adventure.

I have a polaris sportsman and it's been great so far. Way more power than my yamaha that I had before. Independent rear so it's smoother as well. Just seems to have much more "go".

I have the artic cat 366 4 x4 and like it a lot. I had a Kawasaki 300 4X4 and loved it until it got stole, The Artic Cat is a lot easier to turn.

'99 Honda Foreman 450. Eleven years old and still runs like it is new. Most of the four wheelers today are independent suspension and belt driven. I like my straight axle and shaft drive because it is less moving parts and I don't have to worry about my belt getting wet and slipping if I have to drive through water. The engine is liquid cooled and a rebuild is extremely inexpensive. I have ridden in many conditions and other than water that is too deep, I have never found somewhere I couldn't go.

It rides rougher than the independent suspension, but it is not uncomfortable. It is a smaller four wheeler which makes it easier to handle. It has plenty of power and only weighs about 550 lbs.

I agree with Texas Dan...I have used my '99 Honda Foreman on a large cattle ranch for everything from feeding to repairs all the way to working the cattle. It is definitely a work horse. I use it at my house and deer lease for work, as well. The new four wheelers are designed more for play. The side-by-side UTVs have taken the place of the four wheeler as far as work capability is concerned.

As previously stated, you can't go wrong with any of the big four. I prefer a side by side with a bed. It allows you to carry someone else comfortably and haul whatever you need when work is required....plus you can bring your game in with it.

I currently have a Kawasaki Teryx that I have been running for 3 years. Not one problem and it has been used a lot. I have a friend that owns a couple of Polaris dealerships, one offers Kawasaki too. He pushed me to the Kawasaki because he felt that their experience was that they were more reliable..

Have always heard good things about the Yamaha Rhino too..

Most people never owned Kawasaki, I have owned tons through the years and is the only brand I buy.
kawasaki sets the standard of motorcycling world, there the first to do it then everyone follows.
KMC (kawasaki motor corporation )is the largest of the big four, the motorcycle is only a small part of KMC.
kawasaki is bigger than all other manufacturers combined.
KMC builds ships, submarines, satelites, airplanes, robotics, chances are if any robots assemble any part of the other three manufacturers its a kawasaki robot. LOL
To me the quality of a Kawasaki cant be beat.

If you want a generator buy a honda
you want a piano buy a yamaha
want a small jeep buy a suzuki.

Hehehehehe, guys Im just messing wit ya'll


link below
kawasaki heavy industries

Another key difference between an ATV and UTV is that you can usually put an ATV in the bed of your truck. Most of the UTV's that I've seen require a trailer to haul them.

What I find somewhat amusing about the whole ATV/UTV market is that ATV's first became popular as a much smaller and more efficient replacement for the full-size 4WD trucks and jeeps. If UTV's keep getting any bigger, we're going to end up right back where we started.

I dont know much about the other brands other than My Brothers Honda Foreman clutch would freeze at the duck lease during cold weather...I had a kawasaki prarie 400 2002...Never was in the shop ONE time...

I bought a used 2001 Honda rancher 350.....It's seen some abuse from prior owners but still starts everytime I hit the button and runs with no issues. I gave it a tuneup recently and think it should last another 10years....

I am a polaris guy. I have owned several from the 250 2 strokes (2 of them) to the 800 sportsman to the ranger and now to the 550 efi x 2. I have NEVER had one single issue with any of them. I have also owned 2 yamaha's an 89 warrior and a 99 warrior and the only issue I had with the 99 was I cracked the case on it(from abuse and riding hard I am sure). As with most anything, if you take care of it and get them serviced and with normal maintenance they will last. Of all that I have owned, this new 2010 550X2 EFI so far is my favorite.

I am a dealer and resell this stuff all the time. My opinion:
1. Honda - Most dependable engine/tranny out there.
2. Polaris - Will pull a house down, but un-dependable. Dealers love them because they're always back in the shop for service.
3. Suzuki,Yamaha, Kawasaki - Pretty much the same (Might consider these over the Polaris)
4. Artic Cat - These things rust faster than anything else I've ever seen. Usually after a year.

Have a 08 yamaha Grizzly 700
Pros
- ind suspension ( a must have)
- diff lock ( a must have )

Cons
Pop rivits on plastic... But from what i hear most Brands have that same con.