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Thread: The ATV Thread

  1. #1
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    Default The ATV Thread

    Thought we could use thread for ATV's. I just picked up a Polaris Sportsman 500 HO, and am looking forward to getting some good riding in this year.

    What are you guys riding?

    Any good suggestions for areas to ride other than McLean Creek? I live in Okotoks, so I'll be frequenting the Forestry Trunk Road and its crown land trails....but other than that I don't have many other ideas.
    I've been looking online and can find lists of areas to ride, but would like opinions too.
    freshprince
    -Jan 2006-

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    I have always been interested in getting one.

    I know absolutely nothing about them.
    Any advice on what to buy and what to look for when getting my first quad?

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    Originally posted by soccernut
    I have always been interested in getting one.

    I know absolutely nothing about them.
    Any advice on what to buy and what to look for when getting my first quad?
    Well, I just picked up my first one, though I have ridden before. First thing I did was to look into what size to get (i.e. cc's). There are massively powerful quads out there these days, that much power with a new driver is dangerous. I've flipped one before because I wasn't prepared for how much power it had. I decided on a 500cc quad. That will be plently of power for now, once I get more familiar with driving and trail riding, and if I really like it, I might look into getting a more powerful one.

    Also, try to decide on what type of riding you'll be doing. This will help you decide what kind of quad, be it a 2x4 rear wheel quad for higher speeds and more racing style riding, or a 4x4 for more offroading a trail riding.

    Also make sure to consider how you will transport and store the quad.

    Good luck.
    freshprince
    -Jan 2006-

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    It's kinda my main thing. I ride a Can-Am 1000 Outlander. I think the can-am is best of breed but big $$$. They all make a pretty decent machine now. A few years ago I wouldn't have touched a polaris but I considered it this time, they have improved a lot.

    Around here you pretty much need a 4x4, the 2wd sport quads are just too limited. I actually ride more in the winter and a 2wd would be useless.

    I'd try to book rides at the demo days and get a feel for the machines, Bow Cycle and Bowridge are each having a demo days in early June, one's on saturday and the other on sunday. That would be a good opportunity to try a machine.

    We ride everywhere, my favourite is Waiperous, since you're way south you may want to check out Indian Graves, it's probably the closest for you.
    Last edited by hedge; 05-17-2012 at 03:31 PM.

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    I got an 08 Outlaw 525S. Bought it for the KTM engine. Its retardedly fast, and absolutely useless in mclean since it has such high gears. I bought it for sand mostly and wide open going fast.

    I'd go for a midsize 400-500cc if its your first unit and your looking at something newer. Polaris is the best unit out there for value, since they are the cheapest. Just spend the extra dollars on extended warranty. They arnt the most reliable quads, but they are good if you take care of them, and like anything, dont abuse it. Otherwise I started on 1985 Suzuki 230 and it was a blast for years. Still is fun to ride. Doesnt matter what you got, you can still have just as much fun. But Everything is pretty ripped up around here these days. You could have a nice neat clean well maintained trail. But it only takes one person with 30" tires and a 24 of beer to ruin that.

    You can spend $500 to $20,000. I'd recommend just finding a nice clean used unit.
    Life is too short to drive boring cars.

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    I ride a raptor 700. My favorite spot to ride is the porcipine hills near Chain lakes. Its not all torn up like mclean and waiprous.

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    Originally posted by fiveowed
    I ride a raptor 700. My favorite spot to ride is the porcipine hills near Chain lakes. Its not all torn up like mclean and waiprous.
    I've added it to my list! Thanks.
    freshprince
    -Jan 2006-

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    Just did a Ride out near cow lake/rocky mountain house. Best Quad Ride I've ever been on in my life. Amazing trails out there, and millions of them. I met up with some people and one of the guys said hes rode there his whole life (30 years) and he still finds new trails. Plenty of wide open room to wind out all 525cc's and enough un rutted holes to keep you dirty.

    I honestly dont think I'll ride around calgary anymore.
    Life is too short to drive boring cars.

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    I have a Raptor 250, it's small and light and I've only ever been decently stuck once in 2 years, but want something closer to 400CC now and 4x4 with mudflaps without spending a lot of money, suggestions?

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    Originally posted by soccernut
    I have always been interested in getting one.

    I know absolutely nothing about them.
    Any advice on what to buy and what to look for when getting my first quad?
    We have a 2007 Suzuki Vinson 500. Its a damn good unit.

    Stay the hell away from these retarded 700cc or bigger quads. Some of these new units are 1000/1L engines with power steering even. Thats WAY too much.

    A good 400-500 should work for you. They have enough power and are still manageable. Meaning they dont weigh a ton and they wont scare you with their power; which is really not needed unless you're pulling trucks out of the mud.


    we've had really good luck with Suzuki. Our last quad was a '96 Quad Runner 300 that we put 11,000 kms of trouble free riding into. They design their quads quite well I've found with a very easy design & layout if you ever have to work on them.

    Perhaps post ones you're interested on here and we can steer you in the right direction. If you're unsure of the mechanical aspect of them, always get them inspected at a place like Blackfoot or whatever. its $150 or so, and can save you countless hundreds or sometimes thousands of repair bills. Its hard to tell if a fairly new quad has been outright shit-beat or not, so its always good to have an opinion of a person that works on them for a living to help make a good choice.

    If the seller isn't okay with you having it inspected, move along.
    "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side"

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    Buddy of mine is selling a 2008ish Polaris sportsman 800. It has a brand new engine/transmission in it. 27" Tires and he only wants $6000. The motor blew a hose and melted down on a ride. He replaced it with a drop in but never had a chance to use it as his family expanded by one. He already sold his 500. He takes good care of his stuff, but he does use it for its intended purpose. Your basically getting a $11,000 quad for $6000.


    My next unit will likely be a Kawasaki Prarie 360. Or another 525 but with IRS. Then I'll snorkel it and put big wheels on it hahaha.
    Life is too short to drive boring cars.

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    I have a 2008 Special Edition Raptor 700 that I might sell

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    Just removing the factory winch on our Suzuki yesterday, I didn't even read the warning placard it came with originally, because of obvious and pointless they are. I thought this was hilarious, read the small print.
    Last edited by Graham_A_M; 05-22-2012 at 10:41 AM.
    "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side"

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    Originally posted by Graham_A_M

    Stay the hell away from these retarded 700cc or bigger quads. Some of these new units are 1000/1L engines with power steering even. Thats WAY too much.
    I'm pretty happy with my retarded 1000 with power steering [lol]. I wouldn't even consider a gutless little 500. I guess if you just want to putter around then they're ok but when I'm halfway up a climb I like to know I'm not going to run out of jam half way up.

    You also need to be aware that sometimes you need to buy the flagship model to get things like locking diffs, power steering, winches etc.

    PS, my 1000 comes with 2 keys, a performance key and a normal key that reduces the acceleration and top speed for beginners.

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    I got out to the trunk road over the weekend and rode some trails around the Johnson Creek camping area, just past Indian Graves. First trip on the new quad was awesome! I'm really happy with the Polaris Sportsman 500. The AWD is great. It handles really well and cruises the bumps effortlessly. I'd like to do a full day ride at some point, start at the staging area just beside Indian Graves and go all the way up the mountain, anyone know how far those trails go?
    freshprince
    -Jan 2006-

  16. #16
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    Originally posted by hedge


    I'm pretty happy with my retarded 1000 with power steering [lol]. I wouldn't even consider a gutless little 500. I guess if you just want to putter around then they're ok but when I'm halfway up a climb I like to know I'm not going to run out of jam half way up.
    Interesting, I've towed a 4 ton tractor around the farm with my "gutless" 500, and have done tons of other stuff such as tow a 1200 pound fuel trailer out to the middle of very soft dirt field, and never once has power been an issue, not even once. About the only complaint I have would be a lack of traction/ weight.
    So not entirely sure WTF you're talking about.
    Last edited by Graham_A_M; 05-22-2012 at 02:09 PM.
    "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side"

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    Come ride with us sometime and you'll see. It's still 90% rider anyway but a more advanced rider can use the extra power, not saying I am but I ride with some guys that can ride.

    towing something at low speed really doesn't test the power of a machine, that's just gearing. It's when you're halfway up a deep snow climb where it matters.

    anyway, each to their own. I do agree with you that a beginner shouldn't be starting out on a big bore machine.
    Last edited by hedge; 05-22-2012 at 03:16 PM.

  18. #18
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    ^ Perhaps, thanks for the offer. Its staying way out in Sask where we need it otherwise I would. Quads have become one of our most valuable tools practically, we use it everyday. There is all of nobody to go quadding with out here, and no real quadding areas, so its hard to compare apples to apples. For the shit we need it to do its done it very well. Surprisingly it wheelies quite well going up hills in 2wd. A bigger machine would be nice, but not needed.

    Even pulling that trailer it didn't have trouble doing 55-60 on the dirt roads.

    Dont get me wrong I totally see the point of 700-1000cc machines, but for a beginner rider (which is exactly what that whole post was geared towards) I really think its overkill. Like I say for a noob starting out, I think investing in some considerably more expensive larger unit is really overkill.

    To that Soccernut.... too bad. I sold that old Suzuki Quadrunner 300 for $1k not too long ago. With 4x4 & Diff lock it would have been a great unit for you. Even as a 300 it still did 80kph on the dirt roads.
    Last edited by Graham_A_M; 05-22-2012 at 03:54 PM.
    "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side"

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    Though I would post up a recent project of mine. Bought a 2002 Kawi 650 Prarie off of my Dad. It had a spun rod bearing would not turn over at all.

    This was my first full engine rebuild. I was pretty excited to being.

    Start:

    The clulprit: Spund rod bearing.





    Next I took inventory and started to get some new parts in. I orders the following parts:

    Stock Parts:

    2 Rod's + bearings, new crank, valves.

    Performance Parts:
    Fundy 665 engine kit- j/e high comp pistons 2mm over, stage 3 cams, dual valve springs.

    Muzy exhaust, moose power commander (dad had it on previously), pink epi clutch spring, fundy high flow water pump.

    The cylynder walls looked okay, I had them bored out 2mm over stock. This ups the displacement to 665cc. Mild port and polish on the heads.



    A few rebuild pics:
    Test fit





    Still working on some minor things to get it fine tune, but it seems to be running pretty strong. Hard to keep the front tires down, even with some 27'' mud lites.
    Last edited by troyl; 06-03-2014 at 07:22 AM.

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    ^^^ Very cool project. Careful with the "farm" riding!
    freshprince
    -Jan 2006-

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