Best bang for your buck Utility Quad?

[Nick Martini]

Hello all, 

I haven't had a dirt bike or ATV for years, but a buddy of mine just picked up a raptor 700 and makes me want to get back into the sport. I'm looking for the best bang for my buck utility quad that can go in snow, but also hit some small jumps and trail ride. It would mostly be used for light trail riding; not really any mud holes or jumps around me (Bristol, Massachusetts). My last bike was a 2004 yz125 2 stroke and it was a pain. Every other ride I was doing something to the bike. I'm looking for a utility quad that I can ride for a month without having to touch it. I've done a bit of research so far and it seems like my best bet would be ~2014 Yamaha grizzly 700 with ~1000 miles for about $5,000. I'd love some more opinions from people who are more knowledgeable about the sport. I'm looking to stay around that $5,000 range. Also, there's no trails around me to go more than 40 or 50mph so I'm not too worried about keeping up with the 700.

 

Thanks,

Nick

[Ajmboy]

I’m a grizzly and king quad fan. Have a 660 grizzly now and its a great machine. 

[quadnut20]

Im a honda fan !! not sure how well the big 4x4's are at jumping lol 

[mikeexplorer]

I am an Arctic Cat fan, last year I picked up a brand new Alterra 400 for $4,500.

 

Mike

 

[JacobSlabach]

polaris fan.  the sportsman 570 puts out almost the same amount of horse as the grizzly 700-and delivers it to the rear end.  Jumping- sportsman is for you.  got a friend that jumps his around 4 feet in the air and it didnt blink.  sportsmans are tough and strong and easy to lift for snow or mud if you ever get into that..  got good shocks. 

12 hours ago, Ajmboy said:

I’m a grizzly and king quad fan. Have a 660 grizzly now and its a great machine. 

btw when I said the 570 put out more horse than the griz 700, just keep in mind that was the 700.  some quads are made more cheaply today....some even better..  For all I know the 660 (a little older model) is twice as powerful as the 700.  cc just tells you the size of the engine.  hp tells you the power.  If you dont have a good belt and trans that delivers the hp to the rear end, you can have a 1000cc get smashed by a 300cc.  I say its more about the trans on most bike (to a certain extent) that the cc.

[Nick Martini]

14 hours ago, Ajmboy said:

I’m a grizzly and king quad fan. Have a 660 grizzly now and its a great machine. 

Thanks, a lot. I haven't really heard anything bad about the grizzlies yet.

Thanks,

Nick 

14 hours ago, quadnut20 said:

Im a honda fan !! not sure how well the big 4x4's are at jumping lol 

Haha I hear you there , I know there not exactly made to jump, but I'm talking like 3 or 4 foot jumps, not anything crazy.

Thanks,

Nick

4 hours ago, mikeexplorer said:

I am an Arctic Cat fan, last year I picked up a brand new Alterra 400 for $4,500.

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the response, I'm trying to get into something a little bigger than the 450s. The lowest I would probably go is a can am 570.

Thanks,

Nick

[Nick Martini]

1 hour ago, JacobSlabach said:

polaris fan.  the sportsman 570 puts out almost the same amount of horse as the grizzly 700-and delivers it to the rear end.  Jumping- sportsman is for you.  got a friend that jumps his around 4 feet in the air and it didnt blink.  sportsmans are tough and strong and easy to lift for snow or mud if you ever get into that..  got good shocks. 

btw when I said the 570 put out more horse than the griz 700, just keep in mind that was the 700.  some quads are made more cheaply today....some even better..  For all I know the 660 (a little older model) is twice as powerful as the 700.  cc just tells you the size of the engine.  hp tells you the power.  If you dont have a good belt and trans that delivers the hp to the rear end, you can have a 1000cc get smashed by a 300cc.  I say its more about the trans on most bike (to a certain extent) that the cc.

Hi Jacob,

Thanks for the long reply. I was actually looking at a couple of 570s. That would probably be my second choice. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read that the lower cc engines that have more hp typically have higher compression which often takes away from the reliability. With that being said a 570 still is a good option from what I've read.

Thanks,

Nick

[Frank Angerano]

I will never forget a friend of mine got his 4x4 and swore he would jump it. So one day we are out on our regular trails and we all hit the jump. It was a small cliff jump that had a drop of about 10 feet.  The further you jumped the lower the the drop as the ground got higher with distance.  So we stopped and waited for him.  He hits the jump and as he came right off the jump it’s like the bike stopped in mid air and just went straight down.  Like a ton of bricks.  It was almost like something in the air stopped him.  He stayed perfectly level and landed 10 feet down on all four tires. Lol he was fine the bike was too but just funny.  Fat bottom girl was the bikes name after that.  He traded it for a blaster a few weeks later.  

[Nick Martini]

7 minutes ago, Frank Angerano said:

I will never forget a friend of mine got his 4x4 and swore he would jump it. So one day we are out on our regular trails and we all hit the jump. It was a small cliff jump that had a drop of about 10 feet.  The further you jumped the lower the the drop as the ground got higher with distance.  So we stopped and waited for him.  He hits the jump and as he came right off the jump it’s like the bike stopped in mid air and just went straight down.  Like a ton of bricks.  It was almost like something in the air stopped him.  He stayed perfectly level and landed 10 feet down on all four tires. Lol he was fine the bike was too but just funny.  Fat bottom girl was the bikes name after that.  He traded it for a blaster a few weeks later.  

Haha I can image, I know these things aren't exactly made for jumping, but it's a feature I'd like to have. All my buddies wont be able to take their 2wd quads out when it snows and I will be able to. Around where I am some winters we have snow on the ground from December to March.

Thanks,

Nick

[JacobSlabach]

The only thing i know about compression is that you can shorten engine life by increasing the compression...  I dont think ehgines that come from the factory with higher compression are less reliable at all.  I personally like the 850 and 1000cc sportsmans.

[Nick Martini]

37 minutes ago, JacobSlabach said:

The only thing i know about compression is that you can shorten engine life by increasing the compression...  I dont think ehgines that come from the factory with higher compression are less reliable at all.  I personally like the 850 and 1000cc sportsmans.

Ok, thanks for the reply. I'll definitely look into those more.

18 hours ago, Ajmboy said:

I’m a grizzly and king quad fan. Have a 660 grizzly now and its a great machine. 

Do you have any experience with the kodiak 700? I was just looking online and saw I can get a near new 2016 with around 500 miles on it for $4,000-$4,500. The only downside I've seen from these is they're not exactly sporty.

[JacobSlabach]

the 850 and 1000 might be a little pricey- but they will definitely give you A LOT of bang

kodiaks are more sporty than grizzlys which are geared toward utility, the guts are the same (engine and tranny)

Edited February 10, 2019 by JacobSlabach

[Nick Martini]

2 minutes ago, JacobSlabach said:

the 850 and 1000 might be a little pricey- but they will definitely give you A LOT of bang

kodiaks are more sporty than grizzlys which are geared toward utility, the guts are the same (engine and tranny)

Hi Jacob, 

I though it was the other way around? Grizzlys more sporty than the Kodiaks? I could be wrong though.

 

Nick

[JacobSlabach]

kodiaks have lower handlebars so the rider sits forward- not as comfortable, but gives the rider more control with messy terrain.  they also have a lower seat for easy mounting and jumping off quick- with the same amount of ground clearance.  in other words, the kodiak is a compact smaller-bodied sport version of the griz

[Nick Martini]

16 minutes ago, JacobSlabach said:

kodiaks have lower handlebars so the rider sits forward- not as comfortable, but gives the rider more control with messy terrain.  they also have a lower seat for easy mounting and jumping off quick- with the same amount of ground clearance.  in other words, the kodiak is a compact smaller-bodied sport version of the griz

Hi Jacob,

Oh ok, good to know. You can get some Kodiaks pretty dang cheap. Maybe that'll be my best bet.

Thanks,

Nick

[mothrottle]

Hi,

I just bought am '18 Kodiak 450. I would prefer the handlebars higher for a more upright position. Are there bar "risers" available to raise them as you can do on motorcycles?

3 hours ago, Nick Martini said:

Hi Jacob,

Oh ok, good to know. You can get some Kodiaks pretty dang cheap. Maybe that'll be my best bet.

Thanks,

Nick

 

[JacobSlabach]

why would you want them to be lower?  Maybe its just me haha but I prefer lower handlebars for control as I love high speeds over all types of terrain😴

[mothrottle]

Where did I say "lower'?

[JacobSlabach]

14 minutes ago, mothrottle said:

Where did I say "lower'?

sorry!  got it mixed up   higher, not lower- I prefer lower so that I lean forward.

[jasongeary]

I've had Hondas and Polaris. Never had any real gripes with either.

[amiincubus]

Honda will not let you down!

[AlanN]

If you want dependable, choose the King Quad.

I asked two different large dealers which sold most the brands ( Honda, CanAM, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki), both said the only thing the  King Quad came into the shop for was oil changes.

I have owned Polaris in the past and my son rides an injected 500 Sportsman, which has been flawless, but my friends with any Polaris other than a 500 have put a lot of money in them.

I personally would never jump an utility quad, but to each his own.

I personally own a 750 KQ and it has been flawless over four years.

 

[Frank Angerano]

Agreed on the jumping a utility quad. Not good, it’s like a ton of bricks coming down.

If you ask any of the members here we would all have different opinions.  Im a fan of Honda’s and will always be.  I’ve worked on everything except the Suzuki’s. Polaris would be my least favorite choice as I’ve seen some repetitive problems.  But they all have little nuances that we’ve heard.   

[JacobSlabach]

still say polaris is the best haha

[RMB]

www.rockymountainbearings.com has prices that can't be beat for Polaris, Can Am, yamaha, john Deere ATV UTV Drive belts and bearings!

[Jeremy Morris]

Your biggest choice will be going to the independent rear suspension machines. Power to weight ratio I love the brute 750 fuel injected machines. 

[Thomas Martin]

CF Moto it is a Chinese brand but they are quickly gaining popularity. I bought a new 500s last year and I’ve beat the hell out of it and it still starts and drives like brand new