Investigating Quad Bikes

I am investigating getting a quad for hunting. I’ve done a bit of reading and the Honda TRX350 and 500 seem to get good reviews. I liked the idea of the TRX420 for size but they seem to have some bad history? Suzuki King Quads look good too but what models?

Some criteria that I am considering:
Reliability
Stability with loads and on uneven / technical terrain
350 - 500cc range
Gearing / off-road ability

If I get one I won’t have a lot to spend so looking at around the 2000 - 2012 sort of range bikes. Thoughts?

The 2005 onwards TRX500 are good machines. The 2005-8 manual models do chew out first gear if towing a trailer a lot, this was generally fixed up though when the motors got a freshen up. Mines done nearly 38000kms and going strong, its been serviced every 100hrs from new though. It's a bit of a tractor compared to current stuff, never had an issue in the rough as long as being sensible.

I have a 2011Honda TRX 500 PS manual for sale, havent had a chance to take some pics and list it. Hands down the best quads made were the trx 500 in 2011 and 2012.

Cant speak for the newer trx's but i used an old TRX 300 at work for 10 years, and it was showing signs of age back then.

Very hard to kill off.

Just kept on ticking.

Would've been distressing if I'd been wanting management to buy me a new quad.

TRX 350 2005 model. Done lotsa back country work and hauled many big stags. Never misses a beat. Servicing is the big thing and not letting anyone else ride it.

Have a TRX300 that has been with me since new, done approx. 4000km on 300 hours. They have their limits towing but are an ideal hunting bike.

2015- trx420 are dogs compared to the older ones, we bought one brand new when we first went self employed, it was quite an investment for us but we thought we were making the right decision that would look after us in the long run.... the bloody thing lasted a grand total of about 3 hours before it was off to the shop for the first time, fried fuel pump solenoid because they put it in a stupid place right beside part of the exhaust route, they replaced it and then we had it back for about 2 weeks before it happened again, off to be repaired again and about a month later it started having electrical problems again, again related to a solenoid or similar giving up the ghost due to its placement close to exhaust. By this stage we had had enough of it because we needed to rely on it and couldnt afford to be getting stranded without a quad every other week, Honda would just keep fixing the issues but would not give us our money back and we didnt want to have to sell the bike at a loss (nor should we have had to) and we ended up making threats via a lawyer involving the consumer guarantees act as the product was not fit for purpose and was causing considerable loss of productivity , they took the piece of shit back in the end and we moved on with life but it left a bad taste in my mouth. We still run Honda 2 wheelers and bought 3 new ones this season but despite their salesman's best efforts we wont be going near any of their Quads or Side By sides again, they may have fixed the issues but were an absolute bunch of assholes leaving us in the lurch like they did with the lemon they originally sold us.

I notice a lot of bikes including the honda’s don’t come with a diff lock. I know how good they are in a 4x4 vehicle, are they that valuable on a quad too or is it no big deal?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

I notice a lot of bikes including the honda’s don’t come with a diff lock. I know how good they are in a 4x4 vehicle, are they that valuable on a quad too or is it no big deal?

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A winch will make up any lack of a diff lock.

I am only familiar with the older 300cc Honda/Suzuki/Kawasaki.

Those older hondas are as reliable as an axe but rust out the bottom chassis rails.....ones ex dairy farms probably dont even exist anymore.
The same generation Suzuki has a far better 3 speed transfer case and front diff lock and independent rear end but has carb and fuel valve issues, technically much better than the Honda but its not a Honda.
The Kawa of the same capacity and era is kinda the awkward sister to the other two, didnt do anything great or badly but didnt get market share.

On the 420 I borrowed one off of a dealer to take Toby for a hunt and on new tires it was mercilessly thrashed breaking trail in deep snow 2up on high country tracks and it performed well there but the two people I know who own them have had electrical problems and one of them is at the end of his tether with it and will get it going(again) and sell it.

If I was to buy one of those older quads it would be the Honda or Suzi simply for parts support.

In terms of stability with loads on uneven terrain am I correct in thinking a rear diff with twin shocks is best? The three main variances appear to be diff with twin and single shock options and then IRS.

King quad all the way. IRS, diff locker, awsome transmission, great ground clearance, great engine. Especially the big bore models. The front diff locker makes a huge difference yes you can have a Winch but they are a pain in the arse, most of the time the diff lock will pull you out of what ever you are stuck in. I've had mine in some horrendously deep bogs and it does the business. Honda, kawasaki,can am I wouldn't bother with, other then a king quad I'd be looking at a grizzly.

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Originally Posted by Magnus

King quad all the way. IRS, diff locker, awsome transmission, great ground clearance, great engine. Especially the big bore models. The front diff locker makes a huge difference yes you can have a Winch but they are a pain in the arse, most of the time the diff lock will pull you out of what ever you are stuck in. I've had mine in some horrendously deep bogs and it does the business. Honda, kawasaki,can am I wouldn't bother with, other then a king quad I'd be looking at a grizzly.

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That would be a novel way to die

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/use...2405221213.htm

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

In terms of stability with loads on uneven terrain am I correct in thinking a rear diff with twin shocks is best? The three main variances appear to be diff with twin and single shock options and then IRS.

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Way too many people put a ute load of gear on their quad and then expect it to have stability...rear diff only quads are useless under load and on uneven terrain.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DavidGunn

Way too many people put a ute load of gear on their quad and then expect it to have stability...rear diff only quads are useless under load and on uneven terrain.

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What setup is do you think is the best for stability with loads? IRS?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

What setup is do you think is the best for stability with loads? IRS?

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if ya wanna carry a ute load, get a ute...or tow a trailer...the more weight on top of the quad the less stable it will be and it takes sweet-fck-all to roll any quad...the smarter people carry deer in the foot well rather than on the load carrier, getting the COG as low as one can.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stagstalker;950024[B

]I am investigating getting a quad[/B] for hunting. I’ve done a bit of reading and the Honda TRX350 and 500 seem to get good reviews. I liked the idea of the TRX420 for size but they seem to have some bad history? Suzuki King Quads look good too but what models?

Some criteria that I am considering:
Reliability
Stability with loads and on uneven / technical terrain
350 - 500cc range
Gearing / off-road ability

If I get one I won’t have a lot to spend so looking at around the 2000 - 2012 sort of range bikes. Thoughts?

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:);)
KH

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DavidGunn

if ya wanna carry a ute load, get a ute...or tow a trailer...the more weight on top of the quad the less stable it will be and it takes sweet-fck-all to roll any quad...the smarter people carry deer in the foot well rather than on the load carrier, getting the COG as low as one can.

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Yup I realise that. Obviously when I’m talking loaded it is a pack, some basic recovery gear and then a couple of deer on the way out if successful. Have used quads for said purposes with the mentioned loads plenty of times over the years with my old man, just never paid attention to what systems they actually were. The best stability when loaded is more important to me then comfort for just cruising along hence my question.

Seems to be some mixed opinions on the subject from what I have read. Some say a diff with twin shocks takes loads better especially when leaning sideways etc as IRS will tend to dive down on the low side. But then others say the IRS is more stable haha.

Irs is more stable when just your self but as soon as you put a uneven load on the bike the solid real axial would be better & with irs you can travel over rough county faster but when traveling faster can mack it a lot easyer to loose control I would only buy a solid real axial bike my self it dosing matter to me if it 1 or 2 rear shocks

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Originally Posted by hunt08

Irs is more stable when just your self but as soon as you put a uneven load on the bike the solid real axial would be better & with irs you can travel over rough county faster but when traveling faster can mack it a lot easyer to loose control I would only buy a solid real axial bike my self it dosing matter to me if it 1 or 2 rear shocks

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Good info, thanks

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I am only familiar with the older 300cc Honda/Suzuki/Kawasaki.

Those older hondas are as reliable as an axe but rust out the bottom chassis rails.....ones ex dairy farms probably dont even exist anymore.
The same generation Suzuki has a far better 3 speed transfer case and front diff lock and independent rear end but has carb and fuel valve issues, technically much better than the Honda but its not a Honda.
The Kawa of the same capacity and era is kinda the awkward sister to the other two, didnt do anything great or badly but didnt get market share.

On the 420 I borrowed one off of a dealer to take Toby for a hunt and on new tires it was mercilessly thrashed breaking trail in deep snow 2up on high country tracks and it performed well there but the two people I know who own them have had electrical problems and one of them is at the end of his tether with it and will get it going(again) and sell it.

If I was to buy one of those older quads it would be the Honda or Suzi simply for parts support.

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The old Suzuki 300 with locker and big rear tyres is a winner in the rough sticky stuff. I've given up making the rear suspension work though. Tried different shocks, in length and spring weight and it'still rock hard. I suspect it's a lot to do with the geometry of the linkages.

Honestly mate, for what you want it for (a hunting bike essentially), any reliable model quad will be fine. 400cc minimum, especially on steeper country. Honda or suzuki are the only brands I would buy 2nd hand. Don't buy one that's been on a dairy farm, preferably a drystock farm that's inland and not too steep if possible. Find one with decent tyres on already. Our 10' TRX500 has 47,000 kms on it and the speedo stopped a couple of years ago.

I've found the older Hondas the best for stability. I've had an older Foreman 400 and then "upgraded" to a TRX350. The TRX350 does the job but the foreman was a bit more stable and that slightly extra grunt made a world of difference.
I've never had a suzuki but the handful I have ridden didn't feel anywhere near as stable as my older hondas.

I've ridden most brands over the last 20 yrs.for my money it's hard to beat honda.The old 300 was legendary. The 420 have had issues (what brand hasn't?).I personally like the 500 with solid rear,the newer ones have front diff lock.Get a manual gearbox the auto's are shit.I don't think anyone mentioned this but in my opinion tyres are more important than what suspension you have.Big chunky tyres will get you farther than diff locks.just my 2 cents

When I bought mine, I could get a brand new Polaris Ute 570 with power steering, independent suspension, 180kg payload and 'proper' mud tires for not much more than a second hand Honda or Suk.
Now for all the Polaris haters out there, I figured that puts me on a brand new bike with warrantee versus an old second hand with 15-20,000km on it. Which ones going to cost me more in maintenance and which one is going to be more reliable for the next few years?
That said, I dondn't make a living from my quad (no longer farming), so mine does prety low hours per year now.

I've had two and three up on the Polaris Ute, and two up with the meat from three boned out red hinds in the back without issue, and I consider myself pretty risk adverse. When needed, I kick the passengers off before tackling particularly difficult terain.
The Polaris Ute has a slightly longer wheel base than normal quads which helps with stability.

I’ve got my eye on a tidy TRX350 that looks good and tidy but thinking a TRX500 might be the go if I can find a good deal. Thanks for the info thus far

@stagstalker I've got an early 2000s TRX 350. It's a beaut, pretty sure it's had an engine recon because it doesn't blow a puff of smoke, ever and uses zero oil. You can also open up the exhaust port with a die grinder and get some better performance out of them as well. They're nice and small, not too heavy if you get in the shit. I need a new starter motor for it, but if you want to borrow it to see how you like them, I can bring over next time I come up your ways.