Looking to but atv ?

[dblshock]

another ? how many miles is alot on a four wheeler found a grizzly 660 with 5000 miles to many?

That's a really tough question..if it was run on flat road is much different than a 'mudder' or plow/trail combo..many will have very low miles but a ton of hours (plowing) a normal adult driven ATV over time will avg. 15 mph.

I think that 660 is a belt drive?

What I do is insist the unit is stone cold (overnite) and start it..watch for a blue tailpipe puff..drive it, shift it, stressing the driveline including reverse listening for unusual sounds..drill the owner down on oil and coolant consumption.Drive/brake straight without pulling? Back away and look at it's gait, is it haunched, leaning or tilted? bumpers square to body? Airbox original? Any OEM equipment removed? Be extremely leary of modified ATV's in fact I'd ask first and avoid looking at those.

Make a checklist.

By nature all ATV's get the snot beat out of them, stick one in a 90 degree patch of swamp for two hours and you'll see stress. Dust, ice, mud, water, sticks, rocks all take a toll on parts...that's why Honda has a sterling rep..especially used..they're able to deal with this sort of abuse year after year but even a used Honda can be a poor buy if abused, modded or crashed.

 

[jonesin]

for what it is worth, i have a 98 polaris 500 sportsman that has been worked hard plowing, hauling rocks/dirt in a wagon and has been great with the exception of an issue that i have not resolved which is that if you go flying down the road or trail over 40ish it will act like it is running out of gas but will start back up and run fine, i rarely go over 40 so i havent addressed the issue very hard

 

[xplorer]

I know that you are looking at used, but I bought a 2013 Suzuki 500 Kingquad and really love it so far. My experience with wheelers before this was with Polaris 500 sportsman (would not recommend) and Honda's (bulletproof). Having a place that services them nearby may be a consideration, tho if you're mechanically inclined you can get parts online cheaper than thru the dealers. Personally when I was looking for a used one, I decided to only look at ones with 3K miles and under.

 

[whitehorse]

I have owned 2 - Yamahas , 2-Can Am, 1 Suzuki and a few Hondas.....buy a Honda - enough said!

 

[toby1]

if you never want to work on it buy a honda .but they are not the best for much else .if you get into trail riding there are alot better wheelers out there .if you are going to work it hard do not get a honda they run to hot when ran slow speeds working hard .unless you get there top of the line .but for the money they get for that you can buy just as good wheeler from the others for less .i own polaris love them .but i did ride a few can ams very nice .first you need to figure out what you want to do with it the most .

 

[staple66]

Yamaha all the way for quads.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have an older Arctic Cat 500I manual shift and it has been abused here on the farm and other than a battery I've done nothing to it. I plow snow, check cattle, haul water, haul hay wagons, move equipment, haul fuel, haul people, skid and haul firewood, etc. Basically I use it for everything and use it daily. I bounce through the fields, run it through the mud and manure and it just keep on going.

My only complaint is 4 wheel independent suspension, while it gives you a smooth ride it doesn't allow you to haul things with heavy tongue weight without the back tires being pointed at one another on top. If you plan on hauling heavy trailers and such a solid rear axle is better.

 

[doofan1]

I had a 2001 Polaris Sportsman 500 bought it used in 2004 only 788 miles on it when I got it. Not sure how the previous owner took care of it. Rode nice but it broke alot, like everytime I had to plow ending up having to work on it. or at least it seamed that way. The stator went out of it. The keyswitch melted, The winch cables burned off, Broke one of the rear CV joints.
I finally gave up and bought a new Can am Outlander 400 about the same power as the Sportsman 500 had it 6 years so far and have done nothing to it except oil changes and a battery. Could have more power but I did not buy it for a speed machine. Only 1800 miles on it so far some trail riding and plowing the driveway with it.

Hondas are reliable but use old technology (in my opinion) eg straight rear axle on many of their machines.

Several of my buddies had Cat's but dumped them because of break downs and bought Can-am, Yamahas, and Hondas.

Stay away from any of the chinese knock offs some are close clones until you need parts.

 

[ranlam]

Yeah but the straight axels wip the tightest O's, lol. Never know what your gonna get used but all makes have good wheelers (jap,canam polaris arctic cat). If I got a brandnew one id consider a canam or honda but would buy a RZR instead.

 

[otter]

They all make decent machines(except chinese) so it all depends on what your needs are. I have a straight axle for chores around the house and independent suspension for trail riding.

 

[snobuilder]

If you like a real bargain, the sportsman 400 and 500 have served me well over the past 12 years....picked up a new'13 Poo 400 HO last year for under 5g's.
Pushes my 5' moose county plow very well.

 

[snocrazy]

Hey man, I'm talking about trail riding, not mud bogging or asphalt racing.

I just stated my opinion that honda suspension sucks for faster type trail riding( faster than 20 mph). Sorry if I hurt your feelings. Not very many 4x4 atvs that go 75 mph.

Can Am Outlander 800 - 75 all day -

 

[chevyman]

found a arctic cat 650 good bad has 2900 miles on it price might be right

 

[anonomoose]

How you are going to use the machine makes quite a difference. As most have pointed out on here, solid rear axles are good if you put tongue weight on, where independent axles ride over uneven terrain better. While I have had yamaha, and kawie's and hondas....the honda is the most reliable I have had. Next I would say Yamaha, and since I haven't owned the others I can't say.

What hasn't been talked about much is whether you want to fool with a belt drive or wet clutch system. I like the reliability of the wet clutch over a belt.
Belt systems are cheaper to build which is why most manu's have switched to building them. If the belt gets wet, it stops pulling and so if you tend to go places where it might get wet, that would be a consideration. Belts require replacements so there is more maint to them too.

Other thing is twin cylinder compared to single piston. Twins are super smooth running machines but suck juice more than most singles. Today size of engine seems to be a selling factor, but with the right gearing I wouldn't pass on a 250cc, as they are economical to buy and run.

I think most of these machines are quite dependable when they come new...buying a used one can surely make a difference tho...why is the guy selling it??? If it is shot....that's what folks do...they unload them and buy something else. So study why the guy is selling....if you can believe what they say. That could be a tell all for you right there.

Bangs and scrapes tell the tale also, so be sure to see if the body, frame and components show how the machine was treated. If you get a great deal but have to buy and fix it right out of the gate, what did you save?

With proper maint. most of these machines will go for years and years and do pretty much everything you want to do.

As somebody already pointed out, adult owned machines tend to be better bets....youngsters tend to throw caution to the wind and beat the snot out of them so there is another telling point. Good luck with whatever you get...and once you get one of these machines...you won't want to get rid of it as they have so many uses.

 

[chevyman]

Well finally found one. A 2012 Polaris sportsman 500 H.O. le. He bought it new a year and a half ago and found out he really didnt need one. Had 73 miles on it. Not a scratch or scuff on it. He had a winch and windshield put on it and it had a plow he never used. Now the next question what grade of oil do u use or just get the polaris oil. Polaris oil is 2w50. cant find that in anything else but polaris oil thanks

 

[srt20]

That grade of oil is made by Lubetech for Polaris. They do that so you think you have to buy their overpriced oil.

Many people use 0-40 oil. I use 0-40 Mobil 1 in my rzr. Pick whatever brand makes you feel good and use 0-40 or 5-50 in hotter weather if you wish.

Some of the guys out in the desert use even 15-50 with good results.

These are all synthetic oils I'm talking about.

 

[dblshock]

$12 15/40 Shell Rotella beats all the $50 boutique cycle oils hands down, just plain better cycle oil. I change every 1,000 mi. with pink filters from e.bay 3/$10. Don't pizz away good money on expensive engine oil that under performs, that's really weird, better spent on whiskey, music, young women.