ATV'S

[mitchell]

2005 Yamaha Kodak special edition love it no problems

[Bigboy]

2 X Polaris, 330 and 400 cc. Moderate trail riding and work around the cottage, both have over 2200 kms with no issues.
Buy what you like based on what you are going to use it for, lots of opinions about what is best, "they are crap", "they have a lot of issues..." good and bad experiences with all major brands. I have towed some of the "bullet proof" makes out a few times too..

[robster]

Do you have to have the bikes safetied and etested?

Not yet! But as clubs push for legal road usage I can see the Govt. making $$$ with yearly license sticker renewals like snowmobiles.

[outback]

Kinda strange that Polaris is the only bike manufacturer with a service shop. I took a lot of flack from some buddies when I bought my Polaris 550 Sportsman. Quite satisfied with this bike. The only thing I can and have complained about is the front and rear rack system. The plug and twist accessories are a bit of a pain as they sometimes get loose ( the Koplin ratchet grabber) during the ride. One of the lads who was dishing out some of the flack blew up the engine in his Honda and guess,,, just guess what he bought? Yup that's right a, should I say it, ok then, a Polaris. He is more than happy with what he previously referred to a junk bike.

Buy what YOU want and can afford. Here in the real world some folks have the "best" atv's, guns, cars, boots and such because they own them. You can argue with some folks about this but you will always be wrong because you don't own their brand. You will get varying opinions on an outdoors forum, at the bar, at work but in the end you have to assess your needs, your expectations and budget then move on to researching the atv manufacturer that fits your needs.

Good luck with your search and hope you find your atv .

outback

[MikePal]

I strongly believe in customer/service reviews...plus all the other decision making stuff...

I randomly googled 2010...type in all years and get and overview:

http://www.atv.com/specs/utility/2010.html

Why don't they like Polaris, what kinda of isssues?

Can't remember why, lots of 'spitting on the floor' when Polaris was mentioned Of the 10 bikes at the camp, a mixed bunch of names, not a single Polaris.

You can see in the reviews in my link in the previous post they don't rate very high.

[last5oh_302]

My front bumper comes in handy for pushing Hondas..lol

[delmer]

Is it hard to find parts for the older machines or do the shops carry them. I guess there isn't a aftermarket ATV parts store like Benson's or CAPS.

There are non OEM parts suppliers. Royal Distributing, Parts Canada, Motovan, are a few I can think of off the top of my head that are Canadian.

[terrym]

Royal Distributing will carry most parts you are likely to need for normal wear. Quite a bit of useful accessories like skid plates and racks too. If you buy one the first thing to do is buy a full length skid plate.

[sawbill]

Polaris got a real bad rap when one bike in particular had a ton of problems. Their Head Office in the States did not offer any support to the owners and their rep went downhill from there.
As well, they came out with a belt drive for a few years and this was a problem when the bikes got into wet areas.

[terrym]

Buy Japanese. Then just ride.