What kind of 4 Wheeler????

[baldduck]

Guys, I'm going to try and buy a 4 wheeler soon. Wanted to know what you guys use and why you like/dislike the one you got. I'll be using it to do a little duck hunting as well as deer. I'm a big boy 255 lbs of "Pot Belled Stallion" hahaha Want to go 4WD but not sure about one in the water and mud. Any advise would be appreciated.
baldduck

[ August 10, 2001: Message edited by: baldduck ]

[dos gris]

I've got a Honda Rancher 350 4x4 and its a real nice bike. All you have to do with those Honda's is change the oil and filter and run the hell out of them. I use mine a lot around the house as well as for huntin...the only thing I don't like is the all-time four wheel drive. I wish you could switch it to two wheel some times it would make it easier to turn when I'm just using it around the house.

[mallardchaser]

Honda!!!!

Not Yamaha or Polaris..
How many old Yamaha 3 wheelers do you see in the back of pick ups, + their handle bars are goofy looking. I have and old 300 4x4, works great. I've ridden the 350 and the 450 both are nice too.
why do you think the Yamaha's are so cheaply priced?

[DuckE]

Actually if you look at the Yamaha Kodiak 4x4, it is not a cheaply priced bike. It is comprable to the Honda Foreman 450. I have a Kodiak 400 4x4. You can shift from 2 to 4 wheel drive. I can tell you that if you buy a Honda and spend a lot of time in the mud, you will need to keep a pocket full of plastic fender rivots in your pocket. The mud will eventually break the rivots loose. I have seen it happen many times on 2 of my buddies bikes. Overall the Honda Foreman is a good bike though. I like the liquid cooled engine of the Yamahas and the disc brakes. I think you need to look past the appearance of the handle bars and concentrate on more important aspects. I went through this same delima not too long ago when trying to decide on what bike to purchase. I was a honda man all the way at first. After doing some research, the Yamaha seemed to be a better bike. Check out the web sites for Honda and Yamaha and see for your self.

[Deuce_22]

Well I have a Yamaha Big Bear 400 4x4 and it is really a nice 4-wheeler. I bought it last summer and used it a lot last year. Had it in water that covered the seat and has not missed a lick yet. I had it serviced after duck season last year and the mechanic said that the oil in it still was brand new. It is really a nice size now that they moved it up to a 400. The only dislike that I have is that it is all the time four wheel drive and it does make for hard steering in close quarters. So overall they are fairly reasonable and are nice 4-wheelers.

[mallardchaser]

DuckE is right on the rivets..mine are broken now.

i have a friend w/ a new big bear 400, nothing but problems.

Honda/Yamaha is like Ford/Chevy, both are good , but hondas better. haha

[BoogaBottom]

Honda Foreman 400, 450 or Rubicon 500 Stay away from auto shifting..more to mess with when it breaks...In my humble Opine...Stay away from Polaris...

Hondas run forever with little maintenance and maintain resale value well...

[hawkeye]

I have a honda 450s with 27 inch vampires. That is one hawgin sumbitch. But I have ridden a 500 rubicon quite a bit, and I can't explain to you how sweet that bad boy is.

[Delta Duck]

Love my Polaris 425 6x6. Put that baby in low range and haul up to 6 people across any muddy field. It is a great hunting machine.

[peewee]

I'm a honda man, I have a 300 4x4 and haven't had any problems from it. I am going to tell ya my experience with the Kodiak. We had 2 of them at work and put them in the woods all the time that is when they weren't in the shop. It was never anything serious that ever happened to them but the damn things just didn't seem to hold up.

[BPT]

Delta Duck finally someone agrees with me on polaris. We have had ours about 6 years and have had no problems. It is amazing how much mud it can go through. I like the automatic because some of the deeper holes you can fly right through them. We have a Xplorer 400 4x4. We have had it up to the handle bars in water and the belt has never messed up. I love how much more ground clearence it has than most other 4wheelers. The only prolem that i have seen with it is it goes through afew spark plugs every now and then.

[DeltaDawg3]

Honda by far! I heard the Rubicon is a bad mutha! I think that the polaris has proven itself in the mud and water also. But Honda has been around forever!!


"Shoot'em in the neck"

[Stillhunter]

Owned a big bear and a honda 300. Both ran great for a long time. Ran the big bear for about 8 or 9 years, and when I got ready to sell it I repainted the racks and buffed the fenders ~~ got $3200 resale on that sucker! That joker changed my mind about all this noise I hear about not buying Yamaha's. The only thing I didn't like about it was the Big Bear didn't have another way to start it other than the ignition. If you should ever leave the key on or somehow ran your battery low there is no other way to start the Yamaha. The Honda's however still come with a kick start if I am not mistaken. This is a reeaaallllll big plus for the Honda. Both run great though.

[Shoot'em in the Mouth]

Balduck, if you want a real 4-wheeler go with the 500 Artic Cat or the new 650 Kawasaki!! The cat has the high ground clearance you will need, and the power to put 3 others your size on it and go through any rice field out there. I owna500, love it, a big work horse. It has a low & a high. I have had 4 guys 190 lbs. + and my dog with a drop basket, going through my rice fields with water up to me knees. I haven't had any trouble. However, you'll never have trouble out of a bike if you treat it right!!! The Kawasaki 650 is a bad boy as well. You can take it out of 4 wheel, automatic, and has a positive traction lever for the front end when it's in 4W. I'm looking to buy the 650 in a month or so, & sell my 500 because I want an automatic. Oh, the cat is probably the best riding bike there is out there. It has fully independent suspension in the front and semi in the rear. Unlike all your hondas, the rear wheels can travel 9" w/out the other even leaving the ground. It rides good and keeps you in the center of the bike. I'm not knocking Honda, they are dependable, BUT they don't turn well with the 4 wheel drive, & low ground clearance. I've had 3 I know!!! If you want a bike that will really work for you, go with the Artic Cat or the Kawasaki 650. They are bigger bikes that you don't have to put in a strain to use. [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]