Honda or Yamaha

[Shank]

Admittedly one of them shredded because my wife was on the back and he was doing 60 or so on a connecting road and forgot to take it outta 4x4. Lol. Even two is a lot, but maybe that's normal for a 1000cc outlander, I'm not sure. His machine has more power than I could ever imagine, but it seems to also need a lot more work than the rest of ours does. Lol.

I don't have a ridiculous amount of miles (500-800ish?) on my 2020 RZR Turbo, but I haven't had a single issue with it (other than bending a control arm - not really it's fault.....) and those miles were all pretty rough trail riding. I do take care of it. It has scraped the top of the ROP from being driven almost completely on it's side and been over some extremely difficult terrain... I do keep a spare belt in the toolbox just in case though. I have actually never once had a belt issue on any of the 3 Polaris machine's I've owned.

 

[Shank]

A Honda Pioneer was my first choice for a SXS in 2021. I was told it would be six months by the largest dealer on the eastern side of the U.S. before they could get one due to the chip shortage that was going on at the time. My local dealer wouldn't even entertain the idea of trying to get one for me. As I understand it, if you are a high volume Honda dealer you get first priority over a smaller dealer.

Ended up with a 2021 Ranger, close to 2k miles, lots of those miles have been on H&M in WV so they haven't been easy. What are the main issues that you see with the Rangers ? Just trying to avoid any potential repairs down the road. No reverse chain in mine since it's a 2021 1000XP.

What model Ranger? Personally the biggest thing I've seen in these machines is suspension bushings and wheel bearings. Keep after your recommended service intervals on all components (change those difs and trans oil) and they seem pretty reliable. Also helps if you don't treat them like submarines...

 

[sloeffle]

What model Ranger? Personally the biggest thing I've seen in these machines is suspension bushings and wheel bearings. Keep after your recommended service intervals on all components (change those difs and trans oil) and they seem pretty reliable. Also helps if you don't treat them like submarines...

I don't want to derail the OP's thread.

It's a 2021 XP1000. Oil and diff fluids are changed every 100 hours. Try to keep out of as much water as I can, a little hard at H&M sometimes, but around home it gets no water. No belt issues or clutch issues so far.

 

[Shank]

I don't want to derail the OP's thread.

It's a 2021 XP1000. Oil and diff fluids are changed every 100 hours. Try to keep out of as much water as I can, a little hard at H&M sometimes, but around home it gets no water. No belt issues or clutch issues so far.

Understood.

No lift, only marginally larger than stock tires, maintain it and I bet it will be just fine. Seems more prevalent on older models, turf mode had some issues.

 

[duramaxman05]

A Honda Pioneer was my first choice for a SXS in 2021. I was told it would be six months by the largest dealer on the eastern side of the U.S. before they could get one due to the chip shortage that was going on at the time. My local dealer wouldn't even entertain the idea of trying to get one for me. As I understand it, if you are a high volume Honda dealer you get first priority over a smaller dealer.

Ended up with a 2021 Ranger, close to 2k miles, lots of those miles have been on H&M in WV so they haven't been easy. What are the main issues that you see with the Rangers ? Just trying to avoid any potential repairs down the road. No reverse chain in mine since it's a 2021 1000XP.

I have a pioneer 1000-5 deluxe. It's been good so far. Had a couple issues. As far as rangers go, a-arm bushing, wear the inside the tires front and rear, propeller shaft u-joints(they switched to a cv style joint for a bit and was worse, so they went back to u-joints), front yoke on the propeller shaft gets slop in it and wears the front pinion shaft(have done several and are expensive), key switch problems,(when cranking, it have an spark, as the gas builds up in the intake and it actually does spark, it blows the intake apart,have done a fee of them). That's just a few main problems. Parts are expensive for polaris

 

[Secondaryburns]

I've got a 1996 Yamaha Big Bear 350 full time 4x4 and a 2003 Honda Foreman 450 ES.

I'm a huge Yamaha fan, but the Honda walks circles around my Big Bear in every single category. The only thing the Big Bear has going for it is that it's narrow and one of the lightest 4x4 ATV's ever made. It's a good machine, but sees very little use now that I have the Foreman. I'm actually intending on selling it this year to get my wife an automatic since she'll be using it strictly for off-road and doesn't want to learn to shift.

If you're intending on doing a lot of hauling and firewood with it, you might want to steer away from CVT transmissions. Neither of what you're looking at has one that I know of, but Yamaha was one of the first to jump on the bandwagon (and arguably has one of the better CVT systems on the market) I say this as a might solely because I'm sure there will be people who will likely want to argue with me about this and really have no interest in doing so, simply sharing my ongoing personal experiences.

CVT transmissions make the ATV go significantly faster on the trail, but have a bit of a trade off. I do light off-roading with the Foreman with a crew of 6 other ATV's and I'm the only geared machine there is. My Foreman tops out at about 40mph, and I've taken joy rides on my buddies machines who easily go anywhere from 65 to well over 100mph (Can Am Outlander 1000 gets real sketchy in the front end around 90mph lol) and it's impossible for me to keep up at times.

What I've seen though is that in slow speeds, such as going up small steep hills (and this would also apply to plowing or towing say a trailer with 800lbs of wood in it) that belts can slip and/or start to burn. I've seen belts slip and burn at slow speeds in hill climbs and towing out stuck friends in mud. Everyone's miles may vary of course, and I'm sure some brands are more prone to this than others.

Something to consider potentially for folks ATV shopping -- I've hesitated to upgrade to a newer CVT machine for this very reason. My buddy has gone through 3 belts on his Cam Am this past 2022. I'd rather go slower on the trails and be assured that I can reliably always tow wood from my piles to my rack on my deck.

Why i ended up with another Honda their manual transmissions are indestructable.Along with a back up pull start.I will trade reliability over speed and comfort any day

 

[Secondaryburns]

I have a pioneer 1000-5 deluxe. It's been good so far. Had a couple issues. As far as rangers go, a-arm bushing, wear the inside the tires front and rear, propeller shaft u-joints(they switched to a cv style joint for a bit and was worse, so they went back to u-joints), front yoke on the propeller shaft gets slop in it and wears the front pinion shaft(have done several and are expensive), key switch problems,(when cranking, it have an spark, as the gas builds up in the intake and it actually does spark, it blows the intake apart,have done a fee of them). That's just a few main problems. Parts are expensive for polaris

You mentioned some issues i had with my 2020 polaris 450.There are so many grease points on their atvs and the bushings seem to wear out quickly even when greased regularly.I replaced the keyswitch on mine twice,fuel pump and voltage regulator all under 2000kms.Then internal valve problems.Even changing the oil or sparkplug was a pain.Repaired and sold good bye

 

[j7art2]

I don't mean to speak ill will of any particular brand nor to necessarily contribute to the derailing of the thread, but the experience I've seen with Polaris has been extremely similar to some of the others here. Every single one I've come across has needed constant work with Can Am coming in second. Being that the Can Am's are "high performance" machines, I feel like they have at least some excuse though. Lol.

I recall going into my local stealership to price out a Grizzly (Yamaha, Polaris, Honda, KTM dealer) and being absolutely shocked that their entire inventory of vehicles was GONE during the height of the pandemmy. Bone dry of all vehicles with the exception of 2 dirt bikes. The tech chuckled and said "the only thing keeping us in business right now is Polaris repairs."

I know they have their fan boys, but that is one brand I simply will not own.

 

[brenndatomu]

There are so many grease points on their atvs and the bushings seem to wear out quickly even when greased regularly.

Same with Yamaha...lots of grease zerks, had to replace wear points at a rate that was many times that of the non greaseable Honda's.

 

[Shank]

I don't mean to speak ill will of any particular brand nor to necessarily contribute to the derailing of the thread, but the experience I've seen with Polaris has been extremely similar to some of the others here. Every single one I've come across has needed constant work with Can Am coming in second. Being that the Can Am's are "high performance" machines, I feel like they have at least some excuse though. Lol.

I recall going into my local stealership to price out a Grizzly (Yamaha, Polaris, Honda, KTM dealer) and being absolutely shocked that their entire inventory of vehicles was GONE during the height of the pandemmy. Bone dry of all vehicles with the exception of 2 dirt bikes. The tech chuckled and said "the only thing keeping us in business right now is Polaris repairs."

I know they have their fan boys, but that is one brand I simply will not own.

At risk of being a fanatic, it is difficult to compare reliability of machines that are 1.5-2x more powerful. There are things you simply do not have the power to break.

I have yet to break anything on a trail on a Polaris (except fried a starter as the PO hadn't tightened battery cable - should have caught). In my 700 atv's they were solid, but you can't pin the throttle everywhere and jump them.

I will not deny the bushing issues, they do seem to be rather poor. There are a couple other things that are annoying to me, but they haven't failed.

In the realm of performance side by sides, Honda doesn't even have a remote comparison to Can Am or Polaris. It's not hard to expect issues when you have well north of 100hp and see how people ride these things...

 

[walhondingnashua]

Why i ended up with another Honda their manual transmissions are indestructable.Along with a back up pull start.I will trade reliability over speed and comfort any day

So do the Yamahas not have back up pull start? Have a back up manual starting option is a must for me.

 

[Gearhead660]

So do the Yamahas not have back up pull start? Have a back up manual starting option is a must for me.

Think it depends on the model. Kid's Timberwolf has pull start.

 

[walhondingnashua]

Same with Yamaha...lots of grease zerks, had to replace wear points at a rate that was many times that of the non greaseable Honda's.

So I can grease the Yamahas a lot, but will still wear out and the Honda with no greasing options last forever. I Like having grease fittings but maybe doesn't matter in this situation.
All of the discussion (including about brand reliability, transmission types, etc) is valuable to me. I still haven't ruled out a early-mid 2000s model if the price is right and in good condition. Having in/out 4x4 isn't a bad thing. However, I will not buy a Polaris because of experience and not a chance I buy an electric shift Honda. This is all helpful. Please keep it coming.

 

[brenndatomu]

So I can grease the Yamahas a lot, but will still wear out and the Honda with no greasing options last forever. I Like having grease fittings but maybe doesn't matter in this situation.

Basically, yes.
I have to confess that I do own a 660 Grizzly though...it was more about the price I paid for it than "its the best one" though. The CVT type 4x4 Yamaha's do have some nice features though...I like the ride of the 4 wheel independent suspension, but they are less stable though too...easier to roll over, especially when hill climbing...you get one of the rear wheels heavily loaded and leaning to that side they go over way too easily, compared to swingarm bikes.
And the newer stuff is so stinkin big, and heavy! My 660 Grizz is kind of a big ole pig (she'll scoot though!)

and not a chance I buy an electric shift Honda.

I would tend to agree with you, although I'd still buy one for the right price...do you know they have a manual shift option for "emergency situations"? Its a little shift lever that pops onto a shaft that sticks out in the usual shift shaft spot. A little awkward, but they work. At least the earlier ES models came with them...might not anymore, dunno?

 

[j7art2]

At risk of being a fanatic, it is difficult to compare reliability of machines that are 1.5-2x more powerful. There are things you simply do not have the power to break.

I have yet to break anything on a trail on a Polaris (except fried a starter as the PO hadn't tightened battery cable - should have caught). In my 700 atv's they were solid, but you can't pin the throttle everywhere and jump them.

I will not deny the bushing issues, they do seem to be rather poor. There are a couple other things that are annoying to me, but they haven't failed.

In the realm of performance side by sides, Honda doesn't even have a remote comparison to Can Am or Polaris. It's not hard to expect issues when you have well north of 100hp and see how people ride these things...

The Polaris I have the most experience with is a 2005 400 or 450, very similar to my Foreman. Not much different in the performance department engine wise, just faster because of the CVT, but yeah, I understand what you're saying. The Yamaha Grizzly 700 absolutely hangs with them though, and so far, nary an issue on my buddy's 2021. I'm truly shocked at how powerful that machine is and how closely it feels to the Outlander despite being 300cc's less. Yamaha nailed it. I don't know the exact pony difference, but riding a decked out 2020 Can Am Outlander back to back with the 2021 Griz, they're both beasts that can wheelie you across the yard without any effort at all. I personally prefer the Griz, which is why I was pricing one out, hoping to find a previous year model. It's been a good machine for my buddy, they both try and out do each other in mud holes all the time. Can Am has needed to replace the entire brake system entirely, has needed a new thermostat, and has blown 3 belts since new, the Grizzly hasn't needed a thing. Owners aren't necessarily equal though, Can Am owner likes to put his stuff away dirty and filthy, doesn't do much preventative maintenance, Griz owner takes care of his stuff more too. Suspension wins in the Can Am because they're Fox air shocks, but I honestly feel the Griz handles better despite the better suspension. I'm seriously looking at getting a 2 up since that's how I typically ride the Foreman (which leaves me with only 3 choices total) so if I had to choose between the 3 brands that make them, Can Am it is.

So do the Yamahas not have back up pull start? Have a back up manual starting option is a must for me.

Older models do. My Big Bear does. Newer models, or at least, the 700 does not. My Foreman does also. My buddy's '21 Grizzly is a no go, but I couldn't imagine trying to pull start a 700 without a decompression system. This seems to be a trend across the board effecting power sports in general -- I come from a dirt bike background long before riding ATV's, and there's not a single dirt bike on the market in 2023 that has a kick start that I'm aware of. Trend started in the bike world around 2020ish. Back when I still had a bike, I carried a small jump start in my riding pack solely for this reason.

 

[walhondingnashua]

Basically, yes.
I have to confess that I do own a 660 Grizzly though...it was more about the price I paid for it than "its the best one" though. The CVT type 4x4 Yamaha's do have some nice features though...I like the ride of the 4 wheel independent suspension, but they are less stable though too...easier to roll over, especially when hill climbing...you get one of the rear wheels heavily loaded and leaning to that side they go over way too easily, compared to swingarm bikes.
And the newer stuff is so stinkin big, and heavy! My 660 Grizz is kind of a big ole pig (she'll scoot though!)

I would tend to agree with you, although I'd still buy one for the right price...do you know they have a manual shift option for "emergency situations"? Its a little shift lever that pops onto a shaft that sticks out in the usual shift shaft spot. A little awkward, but they work. At least the earlier ES models came with them...might not anymore, dunno?

Solid rear axle is a must with the son and wife using it. Lots of hills here in Southeastern Ohio, especially on my property.

 

[duramaxman05]

Basically, yes.
I have to confess that I do own a 660 Grizzly though...it was more about the price I paid for it than "its the best one" though. The CVT type 4x4 Yamaha's do have some nice features though...I like the ride of the 4 wheel independent suspension, but they are less stable though too...easier to roll over, especially when hill climbing...you get one of the rear wheels heavily loaded and leaning to that side they go over way too easily, compared to swingarm bikes.
And the newer stuff is so stinkin big, and heavy! My 660 Grizz is kind of a big ole pig (she'll scoot though!)

I would tend to agree with you, although I'd still buy one for the right price...do you know they have a manual shift option for "emergency situations"? Its a little shift lever that pops onto a shaft that sticks out in the usual shift shaft spot. A little awkward, but they work. At least the earlier ES models came with them...might not anymore, dunno?all honda

Basically, yes.
I have to confess that I do own a 660 Grizzly though...it was more about the price I paid for it than "its the best one" though. The CVT type 4x4 Yamaha's do have some nice features though...I like the ride of the 4 wheel independent suspension, but they are less stable though too...easier to roll over, especially when hill climbing...you get one of the rear wheels heavily loaded and leaning to that side they go over way too easily, compared to swingarm bikes.
And the newer stuff is so stinkin big, and heavy! My 660 Grizz is kind of a big ole pig (she'll scoot though!)

I would tend to agree with you, although I'd still buy one for the right price...do you know they have a manual shift option for "emergency situations"? Its a little shift lever that pops onto a shaft that sticks out in the usual shift shaft spot. A little awkward, but they work. At least the earlier ES models came with them...might not anymore, dunno?most all the hondas have a shaft and a tool to shift manually. They hydraulic driven units have a valve you turn and usually puts it in 2nd gear. As far as pull starts go, I had a 700 king quad that had a recoil back up starter. It was useless. No compression release. Talking about a bear to pull over. I could never get it started with it

 

[brenndatomu]

I haven't paid much attention to new models since leaving the dealership in 2006...all this talk about some new models that I'm not familiar with prompted me to do a little surfing while eating lunch today...ATV and snowmobile prices!!
The kids ATV's cost twice what the biggest baddest ATV's cost in the mid 80's (dating myself here I guess)
And the Honda CBR 1000 Fireblade MSRP $29k!
I'm glad to see that at least the Goldwings haven't had price increases that track with the percentages that the ATV's have had!
I'm just lucky I didn't choke!

 

[sloeffle]

Very interesting conversation.

I equate this kind of purchase to buying a car. Every one is going to have their own opinion. X person's opinion doesn't necessarily match Y, and Z might have a totally different experience. X person might do zero maintenance to their ATV / SXS / car and say it's a POS, Y person has the same ATV / SXS / car and does the maintenance and his machine runs great. Have a friend who had a Dodge Intrepid and put over 500k miles on it ( I saw the odometer with my own eyes ). The engine was never opened up and was on its second tranny. Not in a million years would you expect a Dodge product from that era to be able to run that many miles. He was very meticulous about about the maintenance though.

Guess my point is, everything is going to have their problems not matter the make or model.

We use something at work called KT to buy new products. Might be worth spending the time and doing a KT analysis for your purchase.

 

[j7art2]

Basically, yes.
I have to confess that I do own a 660 Grizzly though...it was more about the price I paid for it than "its the best one" though. The CVT type 4x4 Yamaha's do have some nice features though...I like the ride of the 4 wheel independent suspension, but they are less stable though too...easier to roll over, especially when hill climbing...you get one of the rear wheels heavily loaded and leaning to that side they go over way too easily, compared to swingarm bikes.
And the newer stuff is so stinkin big, and heavy! My 660 Grizz is kind of a big ole pig (she'll scoot though!)

I would tend to agree with you, although I'd still buy one for the right price...do you know they have a manual shift option for "emergency situations"? Its a little shift lever that pops onto a shaft that sticks out in the usual shift shaft spot. A little awkward, but they work. At least the earlier ES models came with them...might not anymore, dunno?

The 660 Grizz is a nice machine! Doesn't handle as well as the 700, but my friends is dead nuts reliable. My buddy with the Can Am also has one (wifes machine), finally gonna get rebuilt this year. It has 25,000(!) miles on it, all original. Bottom end is in great shape still and needs virtually nothing, top end is completely toast and his wife has been riding it fogging us like a 2 stroke for the entire riding season last year (we do 1000-2000 miles a year) until it finally gave out on us and started spitting coolant out the base gasket. He's getting the 700 drop in kit and expects it to be back up and running this spring.


I should also note that despite my odometer not working on my Big Bear, i estimate it to have approximately 10,000 miles on it. Zero smoke, starts up instantly, still a bugger to pull start (but has the button).

 

[walhondingnashua]

I've noticed that, in the age range I'm looking at, the Hondas are $500ish more. Not a huge deal, but the wolverines and big bears are wearing on me, especially because they are a bit cheaper.

 

[brenndatomu]

I've noticed that, in the age range I'm looking at, the Hondas are $500ish more. Not a huge deal, but the wolverines and big bears are wearing on me, especially because they are a bit cheaper.

Honda vs Wolverine/Big Bear...is worth the extra $ IMO

 

[j7art2]

I've noticed that, in the age range I'm looking at, the Hondas are $500ish more. Not a huge deal, but the wolverines and big bears are wearing on me, especially because they are a bit cheaper.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy either. I'd still be using my Big Bear regularly to this day if my father in law didn't simply give me the Foreman. He put 50 miles on it since purchasing new in 2003. It's now got almost 3800 on it. For firewood and trail use the Bear is fine, but the Foreman is hands down a better machine in every category. They both top out at about 35-40mph. I've used the Bear for years hauling firewood, plowing the driveway, and off roading. It's done everything I need it to other than keep up with my friends. lmao. It needs a little brake work, front wheel bearing just started clicking, and needs a rear dif oil change, but that's really the only work it's seen in the 10 years I've owned it. The previous owner was an old man who used it as an ice fishing machine to haul his shanty and that was it.

The Foreman is worth the extra 500 over the Big Bear, but the later model Wolverines were in a sport package -- essentially a sport ATV with 4x4 capability. They're pretty slick for off roading. Once the Big Bear sells, it was a quad that was high on the list to look at for my wife and for me when I wanna joy ride.

One thing to note too that hasn't been mentioned before hand.

Both the Big Bear and Foreman are drum brakes.

Drum brakes suck in the mud. Expect to replace pads yearly and/or adjust pads multiple times a year. I believe the Wolverine is disk in the later sport versions. You CAN upgrade the Foreman to disk with a kit, but I struggled to get a straight answer as to what replacement pads and rotors I needed or what they cross referenced to. Disk is marginally better in mud -- at least you can clean 'em out much better when you're done riding.

 

[trx250r87]

I vote Honda over any other brand. Better reliability and better resale. Look at how many ATC's are still running today that were made 50-60 years ago!

I have personally owned at least 14 different Honda dirt bikes, ATC's, ATV's and small engines over the years and only had one that Isort of regret buying (1984 ATC200X that I beat the crap out of at age 16).

I currently have an '07 Rubicon that is pretty bullet proof. It might not win any races but will never leave me stranded..

Eric

 

[brenndatomu]

1984 ATC200X

I wanted one so bad that I could taste it...(spent hours staring at the brochures!) ended up with a 350x though...and still have it!
Nice ATC's bring twice (or more) their original selling price these days!