Who knows about quads (ATVs)?

"4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30" (4muddyfeet)
01/11/2015 at 21:33 • Filed to: None

Seriously, I want to buy one.

DISCUSSION (21)

PWRandSPD > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 21:57

what are you looking to know? I have had ATV/Quads since the late 80's. They are mostly used for farm work, but some play as well. I currently have 4, 3 are Hondas and one is a Suzuki King Quad. What are you looking to do with it, toy or work horse?

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > PWRandSPD
01/11/2015 at 22:07

Work horse, primarily on-road (UK) so must be road legal. It will be doing multiple short journeys 5/6 days a week, roughly 3 miles a day. It'll need to pull a small trailer weighing Max 150KG when laden. The off-road use is limited to rough tracks and a muddy farmyard.

I have no idea what I'm looking at, whether it's better to stay with established brands (Honda, Polaris etc.) or consider something else. I have no honest idea of budget, and I'm happy to buy second hand. Any light you can shed will be much appreciated!

HammerheadFistpunch > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 22:07

they have their place in the work/play world, for me they make little sense because i dont need one for work and my cruiser takes me 90% the places a quad would, without needing to trailer something. We had a few at different cabins but we certainly didnt need them. Good news is they arent like snowmobiles in that they are pretty low maintenence.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > HammerheadFistpunch
01/11/2015 at 22:12

Good to know they're low maintenance at least! It needs to fill a specific role that can only be filled by either; said quad, a Piaggio Ape 50, or my girlfriend getting her driving licence. The quad is the easiest option...

HammerheadFistpunch > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 22:17

we had yamaha and honda, and aside from lots of body damage and flat tires, they were pretty tough to kill....and not for a lack of trying. 2 strokes are different but most are 4 stroke.

HammerheadFistpunch > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 22:18

what about kei trucks? You can get them there cheap i assume?

HammerheadFistpunch > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 22:24

speaking of tough to kill, a word of warning that you probably already would know: treat these things with respect, they feel like toys but they weight a lot and can really hurt you if you don't give them the respect they deserve. Good buddy of mine flipped one and was in a comma for a month and half his face is paralyzed as well as significant brain damage.

theandysho - drives a SHO > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 22:28

I sold Polaris machines through college and have a Sportsman 550XP myself, it's a fantastic machine. Don't know if they're sold across the pond though. Honda also makes good machines for the money.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > HammerheadFistpunch
01/11/2015 at 22:29

I did take a look but they require a full driving license. Bit of backstory- The g/f was taking driving lessons 10 years ago before 3 of her friends were killed after their car went through a bridge railing and landed upside down across a weir, one was killed when the driver cell was crushed and the other two drowned. She was supposed to be in that car but was running late, so told them that she'd just walk down. Obviously she walked past the hole in the bridge and people down on the river bank, and she never made the connection until she realised none of her friends were at the pub. She stopped her driving lessons and hasn't even considered driving since. I was hoping something that requires a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) like an Ape or similar would be perfect, and she's said she'd be happy to do such training. When approaching the subject of getting her full driving licence though she gets noticably uncomfortable. I don't want to push her because that uncomfortability could translate into nervousness while driving.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > HammerheadFistpunch
01/11/2015 at 22:35

Yeh I fully understand that. This thing will only be used responsibly. I've driven them before but fleetingly.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > theandysho - drives a SHO
01/11/2015 at 22:37

There's mostly Hondas available in my area on bike trader, but they command a good price. Good to know they're worth it

PWRandSPD > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 22:42

As I am on the other side of the pond, I am unaware what may or may not be road legal in the UK, so I can give you no insight there. As for longevity, my first Honda ATV is still in service to this day, however my brother now has it. It was from 1987 or 1988. I got my second in 1998, which is still doing daily work on a horse farm. It is a Honda Foreman 400 I believe. I am just having to do framework this year as it has had a very rough life. Exists mostly exposed to the elements, has well over 100,000 miles on it. Miles, not hours. It has had basic maintenance it whole life and keeps going. Pulls trailers everyday. Used as a plow vehicle every year. I have a spreader I use as a sander on the back rack. Has been rolled more times than I can count. Can't seem to kill it. It has the standard foot shifter as thumb electronic shifting not automatic was available at the time. The next quad I got was a 2003 Honda Rancher 250 or 350 forget which but smaller than the Foreman. Only issues it has constantly had are from the electronic shifter. It has been nothing but problems. Actually having its shifter swapped currently to a foot shift. Next is a 2005 Honda Rubicon 500. Got this one second hand. It drinks fuel like nobody's business. This one is automatic which is nice, but this one also has electrical issues like crazy. I skipped over the Polaris 6x6 I had. Key word "had" as in no longer. Bad ass but chain drive which needed serious work. No surprise that they went to a shaft drive in later models. My most recent is a 2013 Suzuki King Quad 750. Priced way better than Honda, but longevity is yet to be proven as it only has about 3,000 miles at this point. It also drinks fuel, but allows to either be rear wheel or 4WD. It is a beast and automatic. I prefer foot shifter personally, but I am not the only person using these vehicles, and my workers tend to not be able to figure out when to shift or forget that they have more than one gear. I did not get power steering on anything as I believe it to be just one more thing to break. The simpler the better. Keep in mind, in 4WD any of these will eat all terrain tires on pavement. I have a combination of dirt, mud, grass, pavement on my property, and I have seen what the different surfaces do to the rubber. Since you are doing on pavement, I would suggest something that can be 2WD when you don't need AWD or 4WD. You might even want to look at a side by side, something I have always considered but have never followed through on. I have plows for all my machines but the Suzuki, which I plan on getting. All tow trailers, I put vehicle balls on all as I find them to work better than just the standard trailer pin. I can certainly recommend the Honda brand as I have had success with them for a long time under less than ideal conditions. For a price point, the Suzuki seems to be a good quad as well, and came highly recommended by people I know that also have farms working them in a similar situation. Time will tell with that machine.

Sorry this was so long winded, but I hope it gave some insight. Typing this on an iPhone was probably not my best idea, so I appologize if it was difficult to read. If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer the best I can.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > PWRandSPD
01/11/2015 at 22:47

That's awesome, thanks. There's a good few Hondas available on my local biketrader, around 400cc with 60k on the clock for about £2.5k which seemed reasonable in comparison to some other prices. The machine looked good, but it's hard for me to understand what problems to look for. Can you get road tyres? It will only be used sparingly on rough tracks, so tyre wear would be limited.

PWRandSPD > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 22:54

The Honda does cost more, but from my long history with them, I would say they are worth it. With that also said, keep them as simple as possible and there is a lot less that can break or go wrong. They don't require much maintenance and keep going like a champ.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > PWRandSPD
01/11/2015 at 23:00

Excellent, that gives me some ammunition anyway while browsing. Pretty sure I'll stick with Honda as a couple of people have now mentioned how good they are. And simple is best. Thanks for your help :)

Vicente Esteve > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 23:07

I have a Yamaha Grizzly 350 with a CVT.

Its EPIC. Perfect for newbies, and with just enough grunt to get you going. Mine is just 2WD, but it gets along nicely in the beach. I actually prefer the CVT than the manual in quads.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > Vicente Esteve
01/11/2015 at 23:15

I think I'm gonna stay as simple as possible for my first one. Engine size is perfect though, and it's road legal over here. I'll read up a bit more on it, thanks.

Vicente Esteve > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/11/2015 at 23:18

I have had no issues with the Yamaha, highly recommend it.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/12/2015 at 00:10

Seriously, fuck those things. Side by side UTV sounds much better for your work needs, tray on the back means no trailer needed plus a ROLL CAGE! I hate quads for personal reasons, I had a near death experience with one(rolled on Sunday, sold on Monday) fuck quads.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/12/2015 at 00:17

I had mine roll on its side at walking pace, caught me completely off guard. I have spent thousands of hours in off road vehicles(tractors/4x4/buggies) so I do have some idea what I'm doing and I won't ride a quad again. I'm no saftey nut either and if anything the polar opposite, which is ironic as I seemed to have gotten married to the Cheif commissioner of the Fun Police.

BigBlock440 > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/14/2015 at 16:15

I like them for fun, but a side by side would be better for work. Any of the established brands would be fine, hit up the forums before buying to research a particular model for specific problems.