Help me choose my first atv?

[Joe5858]

Buying my first hunting atv. Found these for same price...

2015 Polaris sportsman 570, all wheel drive, fuel injected, irs, automatic.

2013 Honda foreman 4x4 420, 4 wheel drive, fuel injected. No power steering.

Both are automatic. The dealer is pushing me to the Polaris, saying its a true all wheel drive which is close to power steering. He said the Honda he has does not have power steering. Also saying the solid rear axle on the Polaris better for rocky terrain.

Is the all wheel drive on the Polaris good enough or do I need the true 4 wheel drive for the worst terrain? I got some steep hills to climb.

Also wondering which will have better storage for hauling gear in and out?

Thanks

[BuckBilly]

Polaris 570 Sportsman is a great quad. Work or play it gets the job done. Storage is pretty good on the sportsman to.

[Ponetay]

I would reccommmend a Yamaha 

[mikeexplorer]

Solid rear axle would be worse for rocky terrain, it will throw you around more. Between the two, I would go with the Honda, in most riding you do not need AWD or 4WD. With the honda, you can use it only when needed.

 

Mike

 

[JacobSlabach]

if you want it to be able to go over and through anything, take the polaris.  If you dont mind a finicky tranny and bad handling, go honda.

[quadnut20]

Thats a hard choice !! I have friends with both !! Im

 a honda guy 

[Frank Angerano]

A men Honda! 

[gregorio]

I've got both the Sportsman and Foreman.  A bit older models than what you are looking at but I love the ride of the Polaris over the Honda.  So smooth over the rough stuff.  I'm not sure but I think mine has some kind of 4WD on demand once the switch is engaged.  I read someplace that it detects slippage but it never fails to get me through some deep muck.  The Honda is a workhorse.  I've spent much less money on it in the same time and it gets (ab)used harder.  I've already replaced the starter, alternator, battery, wire harness and some other stuff on the Sportsman and just a battery and the ignition key on the Honda.  I tow a spray rig and small trailer with it and the Foreman just powers on and on.  

[AlanN]

I still believe a good King Quad is the way to go for bulletproof, but  no rack room for hunting. If your pulling a trailer it won't matter.

Find a good condition 500EFI Polaris, maintain it, and drive it. It will do all you need.

Over it's life you will replace some suspension parts, but they are cheap.

The used quads are usually either rode hard and put away wet, or ones with low miles and garage queens.

We have both quads and they have both been very dependable. I personally would not own a newer Polaris though. The 500 is a 2006.

Be patient, the right quad will make itself known.

Edited March 31, 2019 by AlanN
Forgot to add

[JacobSlabach]

On 3/31/2019 at 12:14 AM, gregorio said:

I've got both the Sportsman and Foreman.  A bit older models than what you are looking at but I love the ride of the Polaris over the Honda.  So smooth over the rough stuff.  I'm not sure but I think mine has some kind of 4WD on demand once the switch is engaged.  I read someplace that it detects slippage but it never fails to get me through some deep muck.  The Honda is a workhorse.  I've spent much less money on it in the same time and it gets (ab)used harder.  I've already replaced the starter, alternator, battery, wire harness and some other stuff on the Sportsman and just a battery and the ignition key on the Honda.  I tow a spray rig and small trailer with it and the Foreman just powers on and on.  

polaris will be higher maintenance- hondas good for a farm for towing and hauling, but if you're out trail riding with your buddies, the honda eats the dust.  ride quality:  Polaris.  those machines are too smooth and bumps that would buck you on another atv, polaris just ripples through.  doesnt shimmy on the road either- mine rides just like a car at high road speeds..

[Jacob Jackson]

Reliability=Honda. Everything else=Polaris 

[JacobSlabach]

polaris is also reliable, but is known for having electrical issues here and there (mainly starter and relay I believe)

[gregorio]

7 minutes ago, JacobSlabach said:

polaris is also reliable, but is known for having electrical issues here and there (mainly starter and relay I believe)

I'm on my second stator in 3 years so might want to add that to the list

 

[JacobSlabach]

haha ok.  It could be too much voltage going into your stater that is slowly burning it out or just cheap aftermarket staters?  If you continue having issues, I would ask on the forum and see if its something else other than the stater thats causing your issue...  And again, every atv will have some sort of issue at some point..  Polaris just doesnt have internal (motor/tranny) issues near as much as other brands.

[gregorio]

Yeah, I'm with you overall.  My comment was slightly tongue in cheek, if you will.  Have yet to tear into it again to determine the root cause but these were factory parts, dealer installed. 

[Jacob Jackson]

I'm not saying they aren't reliable. I just bought a new sportsman 570. But every Honda I've ever had has been bulletproof. That sportsman rides so smooth and has a good bit of power though.  

[Tru-hue nc]

If possible test ride them to get a feel for how they steer and handle. The solid axle will be bumpy vs the other but it's a quad so it's nothing to stew on too long. 

[Clownking]

I 2nd the Yamaha choice