Best ATV for trail riding & places to ride?????

[worddoer]

My son and I went on a guided ATV ride in the mountains of Pigeon Forge today. This was my very first time on an ATV. We both had such an awesome, wonderful time that we would love to do ATV riding more often.

I am assuming that even in the NE part of the state, there would be places to ride.....so I am considering buying a nice used ATV.

We both rode Yamaha Kodiak 450's. We were driving over 5 gallon bucket sized boulders and terrain so steep and rough, I believe it would have been very difficult to walk. I was really surprised how the Yamaha soaked up the rough ride. I have had back surgery and was concerned if I could even handle the easy "family" trail. My back does not like sudden jerks and twists. We rode well and safe enough that they allowed us to go on the "advanced" trail. That was pretty challenging and fun. What surprised me the most is that after almost all day riding, my back did not bother me at all.

The kicker is, I don't know anything about ATV's. I don't know if the Yamaha is a good option for a used, durable, and reliable ATV......or if there is something better. I realize I will probably be looking at an older unit. So parts availability will also be important.

I do have a pretty tight budget. I would prefer something in the $2,000 range....but my max is $3,000. I figured I will have to buy from an individual on Marketplace or Craigslist.

INGO - is the Yamaha the best option? What else would you recommend? Do you know of any good places to ride in the NE part of the state?

 

[gunrunner0]

I too have been in the market for a used 4-wheeler for awhile. I don't think that $2-3k is going to buy you much right now. The market seems to be softening, and I expect that to continue. But the $2-3k machines are old and pretty beat, generally with some issues. This is the case locally, at least regarding name brand machines in what I consider to be an appropriate engine size. Seems like $4k and up is where the market is at depending on model, age and engine size.

As to brand, Yamaha has a good reputation for durability. I'm specifically looking for a Yamaha, Honda or Kawasaki. In that order. I think most name brand machines are going to be fine, but stay away from stuff that looks like it's been used hard. In my area it seems like a lot these used machines have been setup to run mud bogs, with snorkels etc.

 

[DragonGunner]

I’m assuming you were on a 4x4 quad. If so not finding much in that price range. You will find Honda 400EX in there that good and reliable but not 4x4. Badlands in Attica is a great place but opposite direction from where you want.

 

[two70]

My family has had Yamahas since the early 80's and all of them have been reliable with almost no issues of any kind. The original one was still running great after 17 years of hard use and was only sold to buy a bigger, more powerful model.

Depending on exactly what you want to do with it and how rough of a trail you intend to use, you may not need a 4X4. A 4X4 is nice for really rough terrain or deep mud but if you get stuck, then you're usually really stuck. There is something to said about a model light enough that you can pick up one end or the other to get it out of occasional trouble.

 

[Leadeye]

I like Honda, we have two old ones, 4x4, from the 90s and they are still running strong, a 300 and a 450.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

Really depends on the type of riding you want to do. For utility ATV's, I am a Honda guy, for sport atvs I prefer Yamaha but Hondas are still good sport atvs.

If most of your trails are tight and there aren't big mud holes I prefer a lighter machine that is more maneuverable. My little 250 Honda recon will outrun my dads Honda 500 Foreman on tight trails, but his is better on wide open trails, in mud with 4wd, hauling wood, and back roading.

Sport ATV's and dirt bikes are a blast on trails too, as long as their aren't deep mudholes or big boulders to climb. I have been a dirt guy since I traded in my 300ex for my Yamaha TTR230 at age 18.

 

[worddoer]

Thanks for the info. I looked on Facebook and CraigsList and it did seem that I needed to get in the $5k - $6k area to find something nice. I was hoping there was a hidden gem that others may know about to get me into my price range.

I have dug around in the inner-webs and the common 2 brands that keep making the top of many lists is Yamaha & Honda. Do these brands keep good parts availability in the US?

I don't know much, but I do think I want 4 wheel independent suspension. The Yamaha's we rode had that and I suspect that was part of the reason the ride was so soft. I also want an automatic. I grew up driving stick cars. But I would think driving a manual ATV would be very, very different from a manual pickup/car. I also want 4 wheel drive as well. More for versatility than anything. I don't plan on doing any mud bogging.

For me, I don't plan on running fast or hard. It's more about taking my time to explore hard to get to places. I can go much further on an ATV than hiking considering my back and knees (all of which have had multiple surgeries).

I have bought plenty of used cars/trucks through the years and got good deals because I knew what to look for. My dad was a mechanic for many years and taught me a lot. i do the vast majority of my own maintenance. But since I don't know ATV's well, would I be better off going to a dealer?

I guess I will need to start a fund and save up for one. This may end up being a long search with all my stipulations.

 

[vitamink]

I have a Polaris 570 with power steering. The power steering aspect is amazing and the thing is really fast…I get up to 60 before I crap my pants. I have a friend with a Yamaha grizzly and he loved it before experiencing my power steering. If you can find a Polaris 570 that’d get my vote. I’m also a big fan of Honda. I’m looking for a second polaris myself, but this time an 850…because I’m an idiot.

 

[42769vette]

2k-3k isn't going to buy you much.

I have owned a dozen or so ATV'S in my life. Bought my first at 14, and ride for work or play close to a few times a week.

I would strongly consider looking at a UTV. Your not going to do it for 3k, but the ability to take the wife, or kids who are younger along is a huge win.

As far as brand, I've always been a Kawasaki guy. I've had 3 Brute forces, before switching to the teryx. I just switched again to a talon because I wanted a transmission not a belt. In the next few weeks I intend to sell my teryx 4 that I replaced with a talon 4 seater.

 

[ghuns]

I have a Polaris 570 with power steering...

When I was looking for one a several years ago, I kinda scoffed at the idea of power steering on an ATV.

I bought a low hour, 2008 Polaris 800HO without it. Now I wish I had power steering.

But overall I love the thing. It's a complete beast. MUCH, MUCH faster than I need it to be. Just stupid amounts of power. Will easily pull my 4X8 trailer full of firewood. Will push my 60" snow plow through any amount of snow it's encountered. Rides smooth, even across rows in a corn field at speed. And it been 100% reliable.

It's biggest drawback is its size. She's a big girl at around 800 pounds. Not really an ATV that you're gonna use your body weight to sling around.

 

[jkaetz]

We're a Honda family here. Dad still has a 4trax 250 from 1984 and a 15' or 16' Rancher with 4x4 and Power Steering. While our comparison is a bit skewed because of the age difference the power steering on the Rancher is a game changer. The 4x4 also makes crawling over things much easier in addition to being functional in deeper snow.