Buying A Used ATV

[livinisfishin]

Hey im thinking of buying a used atv. I would mainly be using it for joy riding but possibly for snow removal aswell. I have no idea where to start in order to find one that i can do both with. I could really use some advice on makes and models as well as how old i should go with one. I would really like to have one that will last me a few years. I also need to know what i should be looking for so i dont end up getting a piece of crap. Thanks

[ravinerat]

I've owned a few so here is what I would look for. You need to make a list of what you want/need then find a model to fit that list. For me it was four wheel hi and low. Independent front and rear suspension. A large gas tank so I could get some miles out of it. My last new Atv was an Arctic Cat 400 Auto. Loved it except for the brakes. Seem to always have to double squeeze but that's another story.

 

so for a used Atv some additional things would be do a compression test on the engine. Lift it off the ground and check out all the wheels. Grab and shake to see if the bearings are gone. Any war wounds from accidents. Check the speedo to make sure it hasn't been disconnected. Find out where he has it serviced and talk to them. Or buy a used one from a shop with a warranty. I like the 500cc Atvs. Not too small and not too big. Don't forget about insurance. It really climbs when you get into the larger cc.

 

Check out some of the Atv sites to see what guy who own those models are complaining about. You can find some common problems with some Atvs. Here are a few sites.

 

arcticchat.com

mudhole.ca

atvtime.com

 

 

Enjoy your new toy.

 

RR

[Curtis]

I am guessing you aren't planning on buying new, if you are i would advise against it. Put it this way the one sitting in our garage is worth close to 11 000 new and now it would be pushing our luck to get 3500-4000 for it atleast from a dealership.. I would sudgest buying one from a private seller if you do this try and find someone who bought the bike new that way you know what its been through. If you want one for fun and play go with a 4x4, i know its a guy thing to go big but to be honest anything over 550 is kinda over kill because they aren't that much faster and all they do is burn more gas basicly. The only reason we have a 700 king quad is because we run tracks on it in the winter and the extra power is needed.

 

Any brand is good basicly they have all been building atvs for years stick with the main 4 tho. Honda, Polaris, suzuki, and yamaha. The more recent Can ams are also great but the older ones tend to be more like tractors than atv's power to weight ration is way off.. One thing i would check when looking at a bike is wheel bearings, play in the steering and maybe even take it as far as checking for water marks in the air box. I know this sounds ridiculous but ppl who trail ride tend to like to get wet and i will be honest i have sunk ours before.. LOL

[Fisherman]

When you check the buy and sell paper, pay real close attention to the SCAMs, late model ATVs going for next to nothing. We have a couple of Yamaha 400's at work, enough power to get you around, independant suspension and lockable diffs. Both are used for plowing our parking lot in the winter, no problems with them.

[T Fisher]

Buy a Honda or a Yamaha nothing but...... DON'T BE FOOLED BY IMITATIONS.

[Rattletrap2]

I plow snow with a Polaris 500 cc machine. It has enough power and weight to do the job.Of course me sitting on it helps out in the weight department as well!

I went for fuel injected and it really makes it nice to start in cold weather.

 

I don't think you really need anything bigger in power anyways.

 

Try to find something that was used around a farm by someone a bit older. Young guys like to beat these things up pretty good! LOL

[Fishnwire]

Unless I knew the previous owner was not haywire and hadn't done things like swamp the thing, roll it, bury it and generally drive the poop out of the thing, I'd be hesitant to buy used...but that's just me. I'm not particularily handy at working on them myself, and I like to take mine to some pretty remote spots, so an older machine that didn't come with a three year factory warranty and may or may not be reliable did not interest me. I'm sure there are some good deals on quality used machines out there, but I didn't feel like taking any chances.

 

Everyone who has a bike that's under 500cc will tell you that anything bigger is pointless. Aparrently, their machine is the perfect size, and larger engines simply burn more gas and make noise but don't produce more power. Nonsense...especially for someone who is more interested in "joy riding" than anything else.

 

You can't go wrong with a Honda or Yamaha as far as quality goes, but they're more money than Kawasaki which you should have a look at aswell, IMO.

[discophish]

I don't have a quad, but I have been riding and fixing motorcycles enough to know to be careful of the purchase. I know this may not be a direct answer to what you should look for mechanically, but this is an important consideration to a person who may potentially overlook this matter. Make sure the vin matches the ownership. Many casings and frames match on older bikes, but there are also many bikes that have both frame and motor assembled at different plants with unmatched vins. Same for quads I'm sure. You can get all the info from a vin number. You may purchase a year x registered frame with a year y motor (seller switched at some point). Just be careful. Also, you don't want to end up buying something that is owned by the bank. Make sure you know the history when you buy it. You probably already know all of this.

 

Compression test is good like someone already mentioned. Note any difference in measure among cylinders, not necessarily what it should be at. Oh yeah, make sure the wheels are round. Square wheels are really old fashioned and obsolete.

 

Good luck!