ATV Florida Forum

I am looking to buy a new 700cc class atv. I want something that is reliable and will last at least 8 years. I now have a 2000 yamaha big bear and have had no problems. All the dealers down the rincon, I thought honda was a great machine? What do you guys recomend? I ride in trails, mud, and water. Thank's ::)

You will get a dozen different answers. I find that the size of a person matters. And if you a baller or a cruiser. A baller then Can Am or Brute, fast but not real durable.. A cruizer who does not want their kidneys shook out of their body then a Polaris. Soft ride last long but not the fastest. IMHO

Im pretty sure that all of the magazines love the grizz 700 as the best all around atv

I love my Suzuki King Quad 700  :ThumbsUp.gif.

My Suzuki Kingquad rides like a cadillac.  I never come home sore after a days worth of riding!  My buddy has one also and has sunk it a few times and it still runs like a top!

i own a 650 and 680 rincon if your going to keep the tires 27'' or smaller its the best bike. but my 650 has 28'' tires lift jet kit gear reduction whole 9 yards but still wont spin a tire in thick thick mud. the 680 has 27'' vampires and will run where ever you go. but alot cheaper to change a belt in a belt drive than the tranny in a rincon

Keeter's right. You'll get a ton of answers. But, I love the Kawasaki BF 750. In fact, I like them so much, I bought two of them. I run them in the Big Cypress to get back and forth to my hunting camp that I own in the middle so, durability and function are crucial to me. Also, there are three other Kawasaki V-Twins associated with me in the Big Cypress (another 750, a 650 and a 700) all of them perform flawlessly.

I run 28" Mudlights on one of the bikes and 27" Mudlights on the other. I've never had one single problem with either bike. And I honestly mean NONE. I maintain them regularly and take really good care of them. They ride great, have ridiculous power, are very well designed and a blast to ride.

The Big Cypress is no picnic on an ATV and it will definitely test man and machine. I've been around and ridden many of the other big bore bikes and none of them impress me like the BF 750. You can bet that, if I were to buy another bike today, I'd buy another Kawasaki BF 750.

I would say your best bet would be to go to a dealership and test drive any of the quads your considering.  Everyone has different riding styles and body types.  I think the easiest way to find your ride is to sit on it.  All machines can be made fairly comparable with the right modifications.

I own a BF 750i, my brother owns and Sportsman 500 efi, and my brother in law owns a Arctic Cat 700 efi.

See what features u like dislike in a quad and look at the choices u have.  Look at the controls on the bike.  Do u like how they operate i.e. the arctic cat diff has a lever that u flip to lock the front diff but the Brute Force has a lever that u have to hold for the front diff to lock so with out holding it it operates in 3wd.  On the other hand a polaris has available full time 4wd which in my opinion is the best 4wd system on a quad today. 

My next quad will be efi just because I hate changing jets and with efi u can just change the programing.

EFI, best choice.  Easy to start, no jets to worry about for region changes. Start from there. 
Next issue, IRS or Straight axle.  Type of riding your gonna be doing. (majority)
Then it's alot of rider preferences.  I like balance of tank up front. Not under the seat.  I feel the bike is balanced better.
Some say no.  Its probably me and the way I sit on the bike.
Power steering?  More weight and another thing to break.  More money to start with.
Diff lock? Pull handle or flip of the switch.  I like the handle, pull when u need, let go, its off.
Price, warranty? 
Upgrades available?  Winch mounting?  Location and easy to get to?
Just some of the issues you might want to consider!  Good Luck, with whatever bike you choose.

I presently own a Kaw BF 750, Polaris 400 Trailblazer.
Recently sold a 04 polaris 700, and a 04 650 rincon and a 01 Honda rubicon.
Hondas were Great!  Rubicon, great mudder. Rincon, great trail bike and light mud and lots of water.
Polaris was a trip to ride.  Gorilla kit on 29.5"  Too tough to ride on the trails.  Unequaled in the mud.
Brute Force, good all around bike.  Fast and fun.  Trailblazer 2x4,  fun to ride.
Not one of them gave me any trouble, owned all of them for at least 3 years each.

Don't listen to those young studs like Anoriginal and Keeter. I'm balder, taller, fatter, older and uglier than both them guys and I recommend only the big bores with both EFI and EPS, since you hope to keep your's for 8 years. But, I'd also wait for the 2010s, as well.

Hey now, are you sure about that?

I mean Keeter is pretty darn ugly.  ;)

Keeter ugly  ::)

I have an Outlander 800 Max (I needed a two-seater) that I loved up until this past weekend.  The machine is roomy, very comfortable, extremely powerful and handles well for what it is, although it will push in a high speed turn.  My only previous complaint was the brakes were noisy when wet.  My new complaint is that it does not tolerate deep water at all (deep meaning above the wheels, which ain't too deep).  The belt gets wet and slips like hell.  After a quick Google search, I found I'm not the Lone Ranger in this complaint.  So, now I'm going to have to install a CVT intake and exhaust snorkel if I'm going to continue to use this machine up at the Ranch this summer.  So, based upon your riding preference, if you ride mud and trails mostly, the Outlander is a good machine to consider.  But, you do say water so if you buy the Outlander, be prepared to install snorkels.  One good thing is that there is enough room under the faux fuel tank that you can do a stealth snorkel system pretty easily, one that will work until the handle bars are ready to go under.

Holy crap!!! UGLY!!!!  You three are the poster children for Ug-Ug_ugly

Aint-curly  Anorigin-moe and Wacker-larry   LMAO   

You better quit or I'll put a midget terrorist inside your cooler.