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Which ATV Manufacturer is the Most Reliable?
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1,681 Posts
Honda or Yamaha, but they also have boring lineups. For the performance oriented people out there only two brands will be appealing...Polaris or Can Am. The rest just don't have the ride, features or power people like that want.
The way I see it now is 180 degrees from how I started off. When I first started looking at new quads I was thrown off by the people ignoring the glaring problems with Polaris and Can Am and said I would never fix something on my own that should be handled by the manufacturer. But that has all changed in the 3 years I've owned my Scrambler.
I now have the attitude that if I want to have a high performance machine that performs better than almost anything out there then I will have to make things better/stronger as they break. I'm just glad I did my research and installed parts that would prevent some of the problems I read about.
In the end, if you're just a regular guy that likes to go out a few times a year and trail ride with family a Honda would probably best suit you. If you want to rip the trails and like to go fast then you will be sorely disappointed with anything other than a Polaris or Can Am on the quad side of things.
The way I see it now is 180 degrees from how I started off. When I first started looking at new quads I was thrown off by the people ignoring the glaring problems with Polaris and Can Am and said I would never fix something on my own that should be handled by the manufacturer. But that has all changed in the 3 years I've owned my Scrambler.
I now have the attitude that if I want to have a high performance machine that performs better than almost anything out there then I will have to make things better/stronger as they break. I'm just glad I did my research and installed parts that would prevent some of the problems I read about.
In the end, if you're just a regular guy that likes to go out a few times a year and trail ride with family a Honda would probably best suit you. If you want to rip the trails and like to go fast then you will be sorely disappointed with anything other than a Polaris or Can Am on the quad side of things.
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188 Posts
Really this should be amended to say if you want AWD or 4x4....The Yamaha Raptor is very capable trail machine, and is easier to flick around then any of ours. There are still a few performance machines from Yammy and Honda, but again taking in context to the riding terrain. If you are just riding dirt trails the Raptor of the YZ450 are more than capable, and their power to weight ratio is almost the same at the Polaris. So you can rip the trails and go fast just as well on those bikes.
Again all about context.
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I still wouldn't touch a Honda or Yamaha in the sport quad segment, it would be a KTM all the way..and being Polaris does not offer a comparable sport model I don't see how this applies. Also, the ride part of a raptor 700 is absolute shit which is one of the criteria I was comparing. Another segment I was comparing is features, to which the Raptor has zero...no power steering, solid rear axle, Yamaha shocks, and no storage or rack...I hate to tell you, but you get way more than just AWD or 4x4 on the Polaris or Can Am.
The fact remains that if you want the best riding, best features and best power you stick to Polaris or Can Am.
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188 Posts
My response was to advise there are other bikes "for performance oriented people" other than Can Am and Polaris.... you can "rip the trails and go fast"......that was all I was trying to convey. Never said anything else....They do have the ride, and power. Again it was context..................
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Only ATV we had has been a old beater Suzuki and it was beat when I got it. BUT with a minimal amount of work it runs like a top and it's still going just fine as my sister uses it now that I got the wife the Polaris.
Now for bikes I have lots of experience. Have had bikes from Yamaha (x5) Suzuki (x3) Honda (X1) Kawasaki (X1) and Victory(Polaris x1). And all have been very reliable. I ridden em all aggressively but always maintain my stuff well and have thuse NEVER been stranded by one (knock on wood).
Now for bikes I have lots of experience. Have had bikes from Yamaha (x5) Suzuki (x3) Honda (X1) Kawasaki (X1) and Victory(Polaris x1). And all have been very reliable. I ridden em all aggressively but always maintain my stuff well and have thuse NEVER been stranded by one (knock on wood).
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1,187 Posts
Suprised that polaris ranked as high as it did honestly, even with the fact they outsell all the other brands on the list at 8:1. Kinda highlights how downhill they've gone since the days when they built reliable products.
Every Polaris atv I've ever owned has only needed oil and gas other than maybe eventually a belt, can't help but wonder if most of the complaints come from the xp/sp platform owners...
I somewhat agree with that list, (Polaris should have ranked better than Can-Am) but agree with the above statements that if you want power, suspension and great features you can't go wrong with Polaris or Can-Am. I own 3 Polaris's and wouldn't consider owning anything different.
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246 Posts
Smoke em
Even @ 60 years of age I like passing them with my Polaris with a big cake eating grin on my face.
How do you like my tail lights? LOL
Even @ 60 years of age I like passing them with my Polaris with a big cake eating grin on my face.
How do you like my tail lights? LOL
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1,187 Posts
My best bud bought a new king quad 300 back in 1997, has maybe changed the oil once in all these years. Ill be damned if the thing isnt still being used today for work/play lol. Last 10yrs it just sits outside and he jokes nothing will kill it.
Underpowered- definately, but has gear ranges to compensate
Ride- one of the first Full independent suspensions, so cadillac ride then and now
Dont know about the newer stuff though because i dont know anybody with suzuki toys, but hope they still make old school reliable stuff.
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7,211 Posts
I could see that being the case. My 850 XP was the only one of our 5 Polaris atv's we've owned, to spend time in the shop for multiple issues. The 4 value line models have been basically trouble free.
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1,179 Posts
a guy we ride with once in a while bought a new kingquad 700 couple years ago, zero issues yet, but not as fast as us.
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6,748 Posts
A friend bought a new 570 EPS last fall based on how solid his 2004.5 500HO has been. Aside from the power increase, it has soured him on Polaris, he was a die hard Polaris supporter, Panels waaaay out of alignment, just cheaply built. He wont buy another.
And based on that and all the other unhappy campers, mine will be my last Polaris. A Big Marine that sells Yamaha opened up a new dealer close to me, will go Grizzly next time.
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1,893 Posts
Well of course this is a very unscientific way to answer the intial question but I suppose they all breakdown (just look at what sits in mechanic's shops) and in my case (both value line 500 sporties) the older one with nearly 5000 miles has been more reliable over the last 6 years than the 2010!
The 97 starts up instantly cold or hot even after sitting for weeks, while the 2010 struggles cold and most recently just didn't start. So back to cleaning the carb again (did it just 6 months ago) and of course both run the same fuel with alcohol treatment. Fun, fun.....
At my deer lease there are 6 polos, 1 kawa and 1 honda. So far only the honda and kawa (lots of times) have broken down + one of my polos.... :cowboy:
The 97 starts up instantly cold or hot even after sitting for weeks, while the 2010 struggles cold and most recently just didn't start. So back to cleaning the carb again (did it just 6 months ago) and of course both run the same fuel with alcohol treatment. Fun, fun.....
At my deer lease there are 6 polos, 1 kawa and 1 honda. So far only the honda and kawa (lots of times) have broken down + one of my polos.... :cowboy:
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