Help!...Sport or Sport Utility atv?

[B2ATV]

Hi All,

I have a dilemma...I want to puchase my first atv, and I'm torn between a sport (KFX 400) -vs- sport utility (Vinson 500 shift) atv. I want something FUN and somewhat sporty to ride. Not planning on doing any major utility work with it (snow plowing, ranch work, towing, etc.) and I'm not going to race it. I plan on trail riding only. I was all set to purchase the KFX, then spoke to a local trail riders organization president, and she strongly recommended a 4X4...she said she see's a lot of non 4X4's getting stuck where they ride. I'm assuming they must ride a lot of hilly/muddy areas.
How many of you "trail riders" have any problems getting stuck with your KFX/Z's? Can more aggressive tires on the KFX help with muddy trail riding? Anyone have any experience riding both kinds of atv's...what would you recommend? I know a lot of you are going to ask - what kind of trail riding are you going to do?...but I'm not 100% sure what I'm going
to find here in the Rochester, NY area for trails.
Any advice would be welcome...I'd hate to make a $5-6K mistake!
Thanks!

[YFZ450Ridr]

i dont have a z400 but i do trail ride on muddy/rutted conditions on a sport quad;250ex. I plan on buying a kfx once summer comes. i think it is one of the best trail quads around. the only thing you would probablly want to invest in is some 22 inch rear tires because it will give you and inch more clearance in the swinger for the muddy conditions. My uncle has a grizzley 660 auto and it is nice but it is just really big. i dont see why you would want to ride trails on a 600 pound beast. i say go for the KFX/Z.

[bonified5]

you could get a yamaha wolverine, which is the mix between sport and 4x4. Also, you could get the Polaris Scrambler 500 which is a sport 4x4.

[cds]

I have seat time on the Z and on an Arctic Cat 500 4x4 manual shift (has the same engine as the Suzuki Vinson).

The Arctic Cat (AC) has a _very_ plush ride and TONS of torque. IMO, it is great for mudding and hillclimbing. It is really fun to ride when the going gets rough :) It has decent acceleration, but not like the Z. The AC is also a heavy beast that can feel like a handfull sometimes. Above 35-40mph (it has a speedometer), the AC feels like it could wander off easily to the left or right.

The suspension on the Z is NOT super plush, but it is not punishing either. It feels very stable at speed. The acceleration of the Z is brisk :) It doesn't move quite like a strong motorcycle, but it really gets a move on. The Z corners well, IMO.

Not getting stuck is largely a matter of riding skill. It takes seat time to learn how to approach each situation.

Granted, in some situations, no 2wd quad has much of a chance. Like in deep mud.

I am one of the "weight sensitive" quad riders. To me, a quad should be as motorcycle like as resonably possible. I gave up riding 2wheelers because I am trying to conserve what is left of my bad knees.

Most of the time, I prefer zipping around on my ex or my brother's Z to riding a heavy quad. I tend to wear myself out quickly on sport quads because they're just so much fun to ride fast on!

OTOH, The AC is great for "taking a break" from the sport quads.

Regardless what you get, go have fun with it. The only quad that's not fun is the one that never gets ridden, IMO.

HTH,

[kevo081]

wolverine. plain and simple. its a mix of both worlds

[chevy19]

problem solved just get a prairie 650 or 750 and you will blow most of the sport quads away and have fun doin it withits insane amounts of torque and hp the power is crazy

[2004400exa]

ya the power of a 700 praire is fast my friend has one with a penland exhaust and when i race that at the start with my stock 400ex i get smoked cause of that v twin but when it comes to long runs i can smoke it which the top speed of a praire is pruobly 65 to 70

[400exc]

I would get the rincon 650, if u ask me, or the king quad 700, they r some of the best utilities out there, even though the rincon dont go as fast as all of the rest, but it is powerful my nieghbors hasnt got stuck yet, and it throws mud like a devil! it is insane, but the 700 king quad would be good for you, or if u wanna geta sport, get a yfz, or a 450r, or the raptor, they r all nice quads, hope ya choose the right one, and the prarie, will get stuck easily, i beat my friends in the water easily with my 400ex, and he had it in 4 wheel drive, and his belt goes bad alot and loosens, and the 4wheele drive kicks in with out him even pushing the button, they have good suspension, but not to powerful, but everyone will probably disagree with me.

[bonified5]

Why would he get such a big machine? He said hes not doin any work with it....just trail riding. It is the biggest waist of money to get a 650 or 700cc atv if he doesnt plan on using it the way they were intended to be used. Also, he said its his FIRST QUAD. Are you trying to make him kill himself? O well, just my opinion.

[exrider44]

The kfx is a great trail bike. My neighbor has it and it rides really nice. And its not slow either. I would go for it. 4x4s are fun for rock climbing and mud bogging. If your looking to do that then go for that but I personally prefer the 2wd in the woods.

[mike nash]

Find out what type of trails your going to be riding otherwise you won't make a good choice. I have both Rincon and 450R, I ride the 450 on the same trails as Rincon I just stay away from big hills and spots where I can't turn around(no reverse on the 450). The kfx/z400 is a great choice I go through mud all the time on purpose. The biggest prob you'll have is your rear getting stuck where the 4x4s went deep. Good luck.

[Mike Walker]

if fun fast trail riding on a utility quad is what you are after, it's very hard to pass up the shear power & sport handling of the 700 Prairie... my next choice would be the new 650 Brute Force... which is basically a 700 Prairie, with the new Brute Force plastic, & an easy to hop up 650 motor... they are pricing the 650 Brutes as a 500cc class quad, & it's one of the best deals out there... Next, the 500 Vinsion I've been very impressed with the fun factor of them, also the 500 Scrambler... IMO, any of these quads will put a permanent smile on your face...

there are lots of good smaller utility's but IMO, these quads listed here are where its at...;)

[MR.BIG]

They are totally two different machines. My friend just went through this dilemma and he bought the BF750. For fast trails go with the sport quad because they are more fun and a lot lighter.
If you are riding where the trails are tight and really rocky and muddy go with the 4x4! It's only money buy both problem solved. lol!

[DvxDirtSlinger]

ive got a Dvx400 (same as kfx/z) and i trail ride with it, ive never had any problems with it getting stuck, never had it in any deep mud tho either, ive had it in deep enough mud to drag the swinger and as long as i had some momentum it pushed right through it, if i were to stop in the mud i would be done for tho, id go with the kfx, they are a pretty good trail machine IMO

[bwamos]

My opinion.....

Do a little research.. buy what you "think" you want.. but buy it USED. That way when you get some seat time and 6 months down the road you wish you had another quad.. you can resell the one you have for only about a $100-$200 dollar loss. (1 day rental fee) ;) And, buy a used one of what you really will want.

Just my opinion. I think you'd like the wolverine.. like the others have said.

get the Z they are so much more fun

[gpd005]

buy used, and just get one of each that way you know your gonna be happy!:D

[400exc]

i would get the vinson, even though the kawi is good at climbing, the vinson has 4x4, and has all more round power, just put a lift kit on it, and u got yourself a machine on your hands

[HondaRancherES]

I'd get a Rancher. I love mine for trail riding.

[Vmann]

Go with the kawi unless you like taking things at a slower pass. The kfx will pretty much go anywhere and do anything the utilety ones will without all the wieght. Also when you get a chance to run them open nothing bets the feeling of a sport quad.

I would recomend the wolverine also. Its a great cross between the two evils. You could take it to the dunes and have a awesome day and the next bury it under 2 feet of mud. Plus it still gives you the feeling of a sport quad. (light and agile)

Like someone said earlier mud has more to do with rider than machine. I take my little 250ex trail riding because its guick agile and light. Ive had it up to almost the gas tank in mud and just simply rocking side to side will get it out of most spots.

Go to your local dealer and try a couple quads out even in the parking lot to get a feeling for how they ride and what your really going to like.

Good luck on the purchase. Hope you end up with best suits you.

[Chad W]

I went through the same dilemna when I purchased a quad a couple of years back. It was either a Z400 or Wolverine and I went with the Wolverine. While the Wolverine has been a good bike, I wish that I had gotten the Z. The Z's power dwarfs the Wolv and it goes very well on the trails. I have a 424 on my Wolv and ride 98% of the time in 2wd. I will say that 4wd has come in handy on a few occasions, but I would rather get stuck now and then for the pure fun factor of all that speed and torque.

[Travis712]

Hilly areas are easy with sport quads. Its the mud where they pretty much suck. My experience with sport quads is that they kick *** until I come to a water hole or mud. It sucks.. I want a 4x4 now. Rancher 350 or something.

[Mike545]

having go from 400ex to 450r, having a back injury looking for something gentler on the back, 05 king quad to 05 rincon, id say a rincon is a sport bike with 4wd, love it go anywhere.