OT: ATVs and geocaching.

[umc]

I know this has been discussed before and I put the OT in there for a reason. I am in the market for an atv and was hoping to find some answers here. I have visted the atv forums out there but would like opinions from here. I threw the geocaching part in the title just incase someone wanted to discuss that. Anyway

 

I am looking at some of the big utitlity atv such as:

 

Polaris Sportsman 700

Yamaha Grizzly 660

Honda ???

 

You can find review on them here

 

I'm leaning toward the Sportsman, are there any atv owners out there (br) who have some suggestions on what to look for or have first hand experience with any of the above models?

 

I will be using the atv for icefishing, and trail riding for the most part, possible some work around the yard.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Coming Around, New Owner Of a Garmin GPS V Received on 10-03-02

[The Face]

UMC, this topic is one I know well.

 

first off,if ice fishing is your primary reason for a 4 wheeler,DONT do it,get a snowmobile. I bought a Kawi. Bayou 300,10 years ago for just that reason,most of my friends also have various models that we all use for icein' and hunting.

 

Problem with 4 wheelers and ice fishing is 1- they only work in say 8" of snow or less,here in northern WI. thats normally is only a month or so,then your digging or pushing alot. 2- slush on the ice,also common here at times and on certain lakes,wreaks havoc on ANY moving parts,brakes,axles,foot levers,brake cables,chains,ect, 3- the cold kills those little batterys unless your religious about keeping them charged. 4- starting them can be a problem on the real cold days.

 

That said, keep in mind that I fish pretty much every weekend,often We stay on the ice all weekend in the shanty. If You fish inland lakes a sleds the way to go,if You mainly fish Great Lakes bays and HUGE bodies of water ,then often the snow doesnt stick to the ice and what bit of it that does crusts over hard enough to use a 4 wheeler 95% of the year,then a 4 wheelr is better for getting around,chains help a ton also.

 

Brands?, well heres where your gonna run into lots of opinions. personally I've seen nothing but problems with polaris,maybe they've worked out some of the bugs but the 2 of them that I see used on a regular basis are junk,plus the belt idea SUX for hills. suzuki makes a real nice machine, I love My kawi,but I know they had some issues a year or two ago. honda ,from what I've seen is the best all around machine.

 

Models? well thats a decisionYou need to make depending on what you really want to use it for.but I do know BIGGER is not usually better. burried in the mud or snow? try lifting one of those monsters out by your self! going cross country in the woods?smaller machines have a much smaller turning radius. some of the bigger models barely fit(or dont) in the back of a pick-up.

 

Did I miss any thing? to be honest,if I was to buy another I'd probaly get a 2 wheel drive.

[+Desert_Warrior]

The engine. Two cycle engines produce more HP, but are less reliable, and require some type of oil lube in the fuel.

 

Four cycle engines make less HP, but usually more torque. There are more moving parts, but they are more reliable overall. Fuel and oil are separate.

 

Water cooling is best way to go, provided you keep it up. Keeps the temps more stable.

 

All this being said, I had a 40 hp 2 cycle for the desert. A friend had a 32 hp 4 cycle. I could out-run him across the open desert. We were nearly equal in the mountains, his torque made up for it. And at least once a year he towed me out of the desert when my 2 cycle would suck a piston skirt.

 

The choice is yours. Good luck, you will enjoy it.

 

Mike. KD9KC.

El Paso, Texas.

 

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom.

 

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS!

[shrekTBA]

I have older Yamahas, 1 is 4 wheel drive, the other is 2. On the dry the 2 does as good as the 4, but when it gets icy, hands down the 4 does better. I would not buy new, and I would not buy 2 stroke.

 

It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home.

[dave and jaime]

for what it is worth my dad has a sportsman 500 and loves it until it begin to snow and then it gets relegated to snow plow duty. we both have snowmobiles (yamahas 250's) and their great for general purpose traveling in the last few winters. but my opion is that the ultimate vechile for all seasons, terrain, and weather would be the argo. these things go anywhere. they are slow compared to snowmobiles and bikes but snow, slush, sand or anthing else for that matter doesnt affect them.

[+quantumkid]

I have a Honda FormanES and really like it.The ground clearance is not what I'd exactly call great for serious off roading.The electric shift took some getting used to but very nice when I did.I have a cigarette plug-in up front on my light for my GPS(which saved my butt one dark night).I've also been thinking of purchasing a Polais 700.The extra power for deer hunting could be an advantage.Polaris is the only true 4X4 out there unless things have changed in the last month.The polaris has over 11" of ground clearance.My Forman can carry 60# up front,and120# in the back.The Polaris carries 100# and 200# respectively.The Griz is a fine machine also.

 

Two Feathers

[+Planet]

My nephew had his fingers and his hand taken off on an ATV. The doctors were able to reattach two fingers, a thumb, and the hand after 20 hours of surgery but he can't use it and it will need to be amputated. They were going slow. They had been pulling sleds all night and were headed home. There was a rope hanging. He grabbed it to have something to hold onto. It got caught in the mechanism and pulled off his glove with his fingers, then the hand. The cop found the glove later just by chance, so they had the fingers to reattach. This really sucks for a 16 year old kid, or anyone. I don't like ATV's, they are not safe in many other ways too. So just learn all the safety measurements and don't let kids on them without supervision. And never wrap a rope around your hand that is attached to something stronger than you are.. like an ATV or a horse. Thank you for listening.

 

Cache you later,

Planet

 

I feel much more like I do now than when I first got here.

[Mr502go]

I ride dirt bikes here in GA, so a lil off topic there, but wanted to ask if anyone has done any geo-caching w/atv's or other off-road vehicles?? I know I've found (on accident) some really INCREDIBLE places on the bike that would be somewhat difficult to get to on foot. Anywho, was just a thought. If only I had a GPS then, I'd post the coordinates.

[Buckrider]

There are a good number of ATV sites that have a lot of info on just what you are looking for. Here are a few...

 

www.highlifter.com

 

www.muddyatvs.com

 

www.atvextreme.com

[+Brokenwing]

Forget which one to buy, anyone got any ideas on how I can convince T-Storm that an ATV would be essential caching gear?

 

Scott / Brokenwing

 

-There's a thin line between geocaching and walking in circles like an idiot.-

[Mr502go]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brokenwing:

Forget which one to buy, anyone got any ideas on how I can convince T-Storm that an ATV would be essential caching gear?

 

http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching/

 

_-There's a thin line between geocaching and walking in circles like an idiot.-_

---

 

Easy, find a really scenic/easy to ride, but interesting place to ride, borrow a buddy's bike/atv and take her riding, with her on her own vehicle if possible, try to find another female rider to go along on her own vehicle. Let her try it a few times, and she'll be hooked

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I just returned from a hunting trip to Colorado. We mostly saw people using the Polaris 500 (One was dragging a dead elk back to camp).

We were on some pretty rough terrain, but they had no problem handling the 6 inches of snow and mud on the ground.

I'll have to add the Polaris to my Christmas list...

[+BrownMule & Jackrabbit]

I have been riding and working with ATV's since their conception. I work with a state park system and we use ATV's every day. I have done years of research on the various brands and I have written specifications for the purchase of ATV's for our Parks. That being said, you must buy an ATV for what you are using it for. We use the utility ATV's for our needs and with as much ground clearance and as low of center of gravity as we can get. We also need a transmission that is as water tight as possible. Also my research tells me that anything over a 500 hp is overkill for our needs. I personally like the Honda rubicon 500 for the all around utility ATV. That is my pick. There are many other good ones though. The worst ATV for our use has been anthing by Polaris. They have numerous mechanical problems and there center of gravity is way to high causing tip overs. Just my opinion based on field trial of just about every utility ATV out there. To stay on topic, my wife and I Geocache on our Hondas all the time. We own Honda 400's that we bought way before the rubicon was thought of.

 

ENJOY THE OUTDOORS

[+Ltljon]

I got mine for reasons that might not pertain to you but it's some of the best money I ever spent. Some of my friends have all different makes & it seems we've all got some features that the other one doesn't. They're all good & it usually comes down to price & parts availability anyway. A winch is a very good investment & "Bark Busters" are really important. Had a friend lose a finger by not having them.

Like most have said, Be careful!