Weapon of choice ?

[DEZADX]

OK.  In the market for a new (or used) quad of 500cc or greater.  My last ride was a Polaris 330 4X4. It did well, yet I felt that more power was needed in certain trail situations.  If possible, some input from some of you on your weapon of choice for the piute trails.  Some of the quads I have been eyeing so far are the 700 grizzly (with or without power steering), Kawasaki brute force 750i or 650i ( I have a thing for green), and the Polaris 500efi. 
     On the Polaris, I wont go with anything bigger than the 500.  My Dad had the 600 and we were less than impressed.  I know I dont want the side by side twin.  But I have heard the V-twin is smoother. 
     The Honda rincon and the Suzuki King are not out of the picture, I just haven't looked into them yet.  Unlike buying a car, there is no way to really test ride one of these first.  Out in the So Cal desert there are a lot of quads, but they are the sport stlye quads.  Fast, sleek, and agile, but I doubt their usefulness at slow speed on, say.......Rock Canyon. 
     With that said, I am also considering renting a quad for my early summer trip to maybe see what one suits me.  Any input on the best rental places would be helpful.   Planning on camping near Tropic reservoir or staying in Marysvale, around the end of June of the first week in July.
     Anyway, sorry for the long post by a newbie, hope to hear from you all soon.  Thanks.

[Starter Bob]

Here is some information for you, remembering that it is only my opinion...

Talking to some local mechanics, the machine that they like to work on least is the Polaris.  I personally have only changed a belt on a 700, so I don't know why they have that opinion.  Fact - the Polaris has the cushiest suspension.  Another fact - there are more Polaris' at the Jamboree than any other brand.

My wife and I have had Kawasaki Prarrie's for the last few years and I have really liked them.  Adjusting the valves or changing the jetting isn't too much fun (not hard, just time consuming).

I just bought my wife a Grizzly 700Fi w/power steering.  We are going to Moab this weekend and I will be able to tell you more about it next week.  She chose this one over all of the other wheelers she rode.

Here are some observations: 1) the v-twin motors are smoother  2) only buy a machine that has fuel injection  3) only buy a machine that has dual independant rear suspension  4) steering dampeners, or power steering, are nice here in UT (lots of rocks) 5) Because of the very fine dirt here in UT, DO NOT use a K&N air filter (it allows the fine dirt right through and plugs up your fuel injection system)  6) Get a four wheel drive "couch".

I have ridden the Polaris 700, the Grizzly 700, the Brute Force 750, and the King Quad.  Any of them would be good choices.

[DEZADX]

Thanks for your input, Bob.  Look forward to hearing from you after your trip to Moab.  Will be interested to know how you and your wife liked the grizzly with the power steering, and if you felt it was needed.  Time permitting this weekend, I was hoping to visit a couple of local dealers just to sit on some rides.  This months issue of QUAD magazine had a good write-up on the King Quad and the Brute Force. 

Again, thanks for your reply, and have a safe weekend.

[Starter Bob]

I didn't get a chance to ride the wife's Grizzly over the weekend, she was having too much fun on it.

These are the impressions that I got from her though.  She was worried about the power steering at first because it seemed too easy to steer.  About ten miles into the ride, she quit saying anything about it.  By the end of the day, she loved it.  We rode 40 - 50 miles a day for three days.  She wasn't sore at all in her arms or shoulders (I was because it was the first time riding this year).  She still comments about the vibration at an idle.  Her Kawasaki was so smooth that the Grizzly seems different.  It doesn't seem to effect her while she rides.  On Saturday we rode some pretty rough trails (Gemni Bridges, Bull Canyon, Metal Masher) by Moab.  She really loved the power steering then.  After the Kawasaki, we both were impressed with how nice the suspension seemed.

Wish I could do the same ride we did Saturday with all of the brands.  A lot could be learned.

BTW - On Thursday, I was crossing the stream (10 feet wide) in Ten Mile Wash and found a hole that was over five feet deep.  After we winched it out (it floated, barely), I spent 90 minutes getting water out of everything (cylinders, clutch, crankcase, air filter).  It started and I rode it 15 miles back to the trailer.  That's a heck of a reccomendation for any motorized vechicle.

[Milehioutlaw]

My last machine is the Arctic Cat and I'm happy with it )7 700cc w/ EFI. But the point is that I will never buy another machine that does not have EFI, that is a must riding the the mountains. It is always jetted right. In fact when you leave Richfield it is jetted for 5000 and when you restart it on top of Monroe mountain it is jetted for 11,000. With material jets you have to pick one elevation and be happy with that. Jetting for 8,000 leaves a lot to Desirer when at 5,000 or 11,000. Plus my 700 with EFI get better millage than my 06 500 Arctic Cat that does not have EFI; about 8-10% more and that is filling it up at a gas station where I know now many 1/10 of a gal were added.

[kingquad]

Though I realize the person in Feb. probably already has a machine, someone else may read this.  I fully agree that a machine needs EFI.  I would not consider anything else.  I have   Kingquad 700 and LOVE the bigger machine-"there is no replacement for displacement".  Not that it is  so much a rocket, but traveling  in difficult situations, it requires less effort.  My machine gets 125 miles on a tank of gas-I pushed it one trip( with spare gas with me.)  I have heard that the Grizz is thirsty, but, they have set the standard w/ the PS.  I would never buy another machine w/o decent tires.  The MAXXIS Bighorns should be a standard t the dealer-although I realize the imports do have a 603(?) weight import restriction.  I would also get  a battery charger W/ pig-tails so as to save you from buying a new $100 batty after sitting a long winter.  THough I am not a Polaris fan, there is a sweet ride this year in their line-up.  A 550 w PS and a transversed placed engine that makes for a narrower seat.  Good luck to all and see you @ the JAM.

[DEZADX]

My update on my search.  Late July, I came across a 2007 Polaris 700 efi with only 55 miles on it. Original owner, never in dirt.  So I bought it.  Price was to good to pass up.  And if you read my opening post on this thread, I did say that I did not want a polaris larger than a 500.  My Dad had the 600 and it wasn't friendly at all.  However, this newer 700 is much smoother.  The story gets even better. Five days later I came across a  2005 Polaris 330 4X4 Magnum.  Mint condition with not a mark on it.  Again, price was to low to pass up....so.....I bought that too.  So now, in the course of less that a week,  I have aquired two quads that I had no intention of looking into.  We rode them last week in Arizona, and they both performed wonderfully.  And to quote Kingquad, " there is no replacement for displacement" happens to ring true.  I may not always need this kind of horsepower,  but its nice to have on hand when I do.
         Anyway, thats the story for now.  I will definetly be at the Jamboree in a couple of weeks.  This brings me to ask the question if anyone has done ride #2 white mountain loop.  I am not sure exactly where this is.  Apparently, we must travel to Willow Creek.  I've looked on the Paiute ATV trail map#708, yet I can't locate it.  Let me know if someone knows. 
         Hope to see some of you on the trails real soon!  Thanks, Dezadx.

[russ swinney]

I bought a new Polaris 800 Sportsman in 2005... It is a very comfortable, powerful machine... But the consequence of having so much power is terrible fuel milage... With a 4.7 gallon tank my safe fuel miles are about 50... I now have about 4000 hours, recorded on the on board meter, and it has never, never missed a beat...

[DEZADX]

I bought a new Polaris 800 Sportsman in 2005... It is a very comfortable, powerful machine... But the consequence of having so much power is terrible fuel milage... With a 4.7 gallon tank my safe fuel miles are about 50... I now have about 4000 hours, recorded on the on board meter, and it has never, never missed a beat...

I would have to agree on the fuel mileage with the Polaris.  Being a twin cylinder, it does have a tendency to drink a little more fuel. 

I've had my polaris 700 for a year and a half and so far it has not let me down.  I did have to replace the t-bap sensor.  Seems to be a somewhat common problem on these.

I did sell the 330 magnum that I bought around the same time as the 700. Although it was a great little workhorse of a machine, riding at some of the higher elevations would cause it to labor a bit.  And, after riding around on the 700 EFI, yeah, you start to like the power delivery a little more.

Of course, independent rear suspension is nice too.

Dezadx.

[g.t. roach]

I bought one of the first 700 Sportsman in 02 and was disappointed in the weight and poor milage especially as it only held 3 3/4 gallon. It's interesting that apparently even with EFI it's still thirsty. In 06 I bought a 800 Bombardie that was 110 lb lighter and much more powerful and got far better milage with a 5.3 gallon tank. I think if you are planning to ride in the sand much I would recomend a high horsepower bike but for trail riding in Utah a 500-600cc single cylinder is fine. I have ridden my Bombardie twice in Richfield and except on tight rides like the Butch Cassidy I thought it did well but in tight places the torque and horsepower were a pain. Also where I could only trust the Sportsman for about 50 miles the Bombardie easily would go 80 to 100 miles. Last year was the first for our Polaris RZR and it will go 80 miles without problem but still gets better milage than my old Sporstman. Sorry to ramble on so long but that's my 2cents, gerry

[Starter Bob]

We picked up a sweet Grizzly 700 at the Jamboree last year.  Because it was so "pretty" (rims, tires,etc.) my wife got the new one.  Of course this mean that I got her old camo one (the sacrifices we make for our spouses).  Anyway, we are both on '08 700's now.

We went to Moab in Mar. and rode some really tough trails.  I have never been so happy with a wheeler.  My Grizzly doesn't have the acceleration of my old Prarrie, but doesn't need it.  It is a very tractable torque machine.  The suspension and handling are great.

Now I have a much harder time deciding if I should ride my bike or my wheeler when we go camping.  Guess I'll settle for 50/50 now...