What’s good mileage for a used ATV?

[Fisherman]

18 hours ago, buick14 said:

I owned a Polaris, now own an arctic cat and a can am....according to some these are the worst out there.  I have had no major problems.  If you want to be a fool, be brand loyal.  Only thing to stay away from is beaten up not taken care of units, particular models which have known issues and kinda no name Chinese manufacturers.

high kms is relative, look for a clean non beat up non rusty unit which isn't caked with mud.

and nevermind the brand loyal Bull.  If somebody got an "x" model, it would be the next best unit because they owned it.

It has absolutely nothing to do with brand loyalty.  When you see and encounter some of the junk out there and wonder why they can get away with marketing it, it goes back to $$$$.  You can buy brand X for 1$ and then spend the other $$$ keeping it going.  Or you can do it right from the start.   I've seen more Polaris break downs in the last 10 years that keeps me from ever going to them.  I'm not including their snow mobiles as I have no interest in them.  On the other hand 2 brand new Arctic Cat 570's had to go back right away to have the bendix replaced and also the head units.  One day you went 70km, the next you went 7000.  The mechanics just shook their heads.

[buick14]

So I think what you forgot to mention was 

buy x it costs almost twice as much as buying x but it technically oftentimes lasts twice as long, however not necessarily 

and I'm still holding strong especially when it comes to atv etc ppl tend to be way to brand loyal which is fine, but tend to enjoy hearing only the bad.  There are crummy models throughout all of the lineups and years, make sure you compare apples to apples 

you stick to any of the big companies,  weigh the pros and cons, do research on particular models your interested in and look at the history of those and u should be doing well.

arctic cat electric issues one several model years i've heard are a problem, and have also heard it's straight forward and cheap to fix.  For a while some of their motors were Suzuki which was top shelf, so again I'm not sticking up for cat it's just an example of understanding.  Electrical issues can be common, man it's junk. Nevermind that Suzuki in there, or that there are easy fixes that last ...just look at the bad 

Whatever you do, I hope you find what you want and that it will be relatively trouble free for years to come

 

Edited December 14, 2017 by buick14

[pike slayer]

I bought a 2016 Polaris sportman 450. For the price I couldn't say no. I now have 50 hrs on it and I'm more then happy other then a few junky plastic parts. 

[ch312]

On 12/11/2017 at 3:47 PM, Fisherman said:

After market seats do not cut the mustard when stopped on trails or roads.  They are not legal unless on your own property.

After a dozen or so weekend long trips (2,000 kms or so) up north in groups up to 20 machines on top of the 6,000+ kms+ I have logged between London and Toronto in groups over 100 machines on big poker runs, I have yet to see a single case where someone was pulled over and handed a ticket for the sole reason of having a passenger on their single rider ATV's. Sure, a few warnings, but never a ticket for anyone I have rode with despite guys riding with passengers "asking for it". 

Basically, the two up law is irrelevant for most. Buy the machine you want and ride. 

 

 

[Fisherman]

1 hour ago, ch312 said:

After a dozen or so weekend long trips (2,000 kms or so) up north in groups up to 20 machines on top of the 6,000+ kms+ I have logged between London and Toronto in groups over 100 machines on big poker runs, I have yet to see a single case where someone was pulled over and handed a ticket for the sole reason of having a passenger on their single rider ATV's. Sure, a few warnings, but never a ticket for anyone I have rode with despite guys riding with passengers "asking for it". 

Basically, the two up law is irrelevant for most. Buy the machine you want and ride. 

 

 

All I can tell you that the OPP have handed out about tickets in our area.  I don't poke the bear.

[ch312]

22 hours ago, Fisherman said:

All I can tell you that the OPP have handed out about tickets in our area.  I don't poke the bear.

The two up law is basically the same as driving over the speed limit in your car. Nobody really cares as long as you're not being stupid and drawing attention to yourself. I'm not saying it's okay to disregard the law, but an ATV being two up would likely be one of the last thing's I would be looking at when buying an ATV. 

 

I'm currently shopping to replace my 07 Grizzly 700 and was all gung-ho about buying a new Grizz and have took a couple for a rip, but I am seeing too many reports of the 2016's and newer being lower quality and nowhere near as reliable as the older machines. Now I am torn between keeping my machine and putting a couple grand into it to make it like new or do I sell it to buy new and hope for the best. 

 

 

Anyone here an ATV mechanic or know of one in SW Ontario that'll rebuild the engine? I've heard too many bad thing's about local shops. 

[Fisherman]

Sometimes better to fix/update what you have than jump 2 feet into the fire.  Don't know anyone down your ways for engine rebuilds.