Anyone here an ATV expert?

My family just purchased some land in the mountains of West Virginia (7.5 acres) and we're thinking about buying some ATVs. I have some experience riding these, but not enough to know which brand/model is the best of the best. What I'm looking for most is reliability and won't-get-stuck-ability. I've ridden 3 different kinds of ATVs, two of them we're extremely un reliable, slow, and got stuck all the time. One of those two was a Yamaha Breeze, I don't remember the second one except that it was a Suzuki. The third kind I've ridden that I thought was the best was a Honda Rancher ES, which was really reliable and quick, but it still got stuck too easily (although it was only a 2WD one). With reliability and ruggedness being the most important factors, what would you guys recommend?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

The county I work for provided me with some 2001 Polaris with a winch on the front I like it..its a auto and is pretty fast and wont get stuck ever because it can be switched to 4 wheel drive.

but.............

I'm a huge fan of the new bombardier Outlanders 800 EFI....things are wicked fast and have the most power...but what I have is good enough for what I use it for.

 

Whew that's tough with so many great ATVs out there. Personally I am a yamaha fan. I've had a kodiak 400 since 2001 and it has been great. I've put some more aggressive tires on it and it will go almost anywhere They have a kodiak 450 out now. I am pretty sure it has a locker for the front differential which really makes a difference when getting through some nasty terrain. It small enough to be fairly nimble in the woods and it's not too heavy. What type of riding do you plan on doing? More towards trails or more towards mudding? Oh and also what type of transmission you interested in?

 

if u wanna truely have fun..you have to get a manual..not auto....i was look into the Yamaha Raptor series quads...theyre fast adn fun.....the 660 is amazing...deffinately dont get that one for it is too powerful for people w/o much experiecne...maybe a 400 would be good for you....

or even better.....y not go w/ a dirtbike....a yamaha yz250f is a nice bike..its a four stroke which means u wont have to mix gas and oil together...yz125 is equivialnt to the 250f but the 125 is 2 stroke and some states are trying to get 2 stroke dirtbikes outlawed....these 2 are moto-x bikes and are fast out the ***

the wr250f is an off road non competition bike.....electric start, head/tail lights....a true off road cruise machine(great buy get this one if u dont want to go uber fast)


theres my $.02

EDIT: if u can...get a newer used bike (2001-2004) that looks pretty good...cause u dont wanna really have to baby a brand new bike when u just wanna beat the hell outa it..haha.

 

Honda is your best bet for reliability, especially the 350 Rancher, and 450/500 Foremans and Rubicon. They are really tough machines. As for not getting stuck, a lot of that is the rider, but the quads with the irs have more ground clearance, for Honda that's the 650 Rincon. The Rincon is great for trail riding, the 500 Rubicon is more for work... My family has owned several of each and they are all good.

A Honda with the same size engine as a quad of another brand will usually have less power, they are a little weaker but as a result last longer. They also dont have belts (transmissions are gears not a CVT belt system) that will slip and need to be replaced.

The Kawasaki 750 Brute Force has lots of power but it's a belt drive and it doesnt handle as well as the Honda Rincon. Polaris ATV's pretty much suck although they are getting better, they arent nearly as reliable as Honda.

If you want a tough, reliable machine get a Honda. If you're trail riding, the Honda Rincon is honestly the best trail rider out there, that's what it was specifically built for. The 2006 model is 675cc (or 680?) and has EFI so it should be great for in the mountains!

 

here is my baby i rode when i was 5..haha...i over heated the engine and gave it to a dude that restores old bikes....still fun as hell w/ the 3 speed:

 

that's crazy cause i was at the ATV dealer today and my friend just bought a Polaris Outlaw http://tinyurl.com/z5n8u

This thing is really really fast and the independent rear suspension is sick. I've never been a more comfortable 4 wheeler with so much speed. I'm actually going back tomarrow and i'm thinking of buying a Honda 450R. I def like that bike. If you want comfort and speed...that polaris is the way to go. He got a great deal too. He paid MSRP out the door. That's what i plan to do tomarrow. can't wait. If i get it i'll post pics.