Another Question on Quads

reilig · 20-02-2011 11:35am #1

I'm still looking at quads. Have followed people's advice and have been looking at Honda's, Suzuki's and Yamaha's (but mostly honda's).

Have visited a few dealers and have a few more to visit. For those of you with quads, what's the deal on hours? I have seen several quads with between 30 and 200 hours. One with 120 hours had 800km on it. Another with 55 hours on it had 1700km? I haven't a clue about them. What would you regard as an "as new" quad? How many hours/KM on a quad till you would need to be putting parts into it like brakes, bearings or bushings?? What's the service interval on your quad - do you service it yourself, bring it back to dealer or would a good car mechanic be capable of servicing? What does a service involve?

I'm looking for a 400cc + quad, 4wd. I have a budget of EUR4k. (might be persuaded to stretch to Eur5k). Can anyone advise on what I should be looking at or give me links to ones for sale??

Can quads be clocked?????????

MOC1972 · 20-02-2011 12:29pm

Hi quads can be given a very hard time driven hard not serviced people
will stop the clocks when I was buying my quad Honda were coming out with a new model and I was told after a lot of research that the older
450 foreman was way ahead of the newer stuff.
It has been easy to use easy to service I got my quad from a dealer in the
north and he will find what you want most with history I got all the origanal books heated grips and new tyres filters oil and plenty of adivce
In the uk people with estates will have more than one quad and they will
be driven right serviced and cleaned after use.
I have been away and not started my one for 6 months charged the battery and away she went very little electronics.
Hope this helps:)

ihatetractors · 20-02-2011 1:17pm

We have a Honda fourtrax with 11k km on it going well, get it serviced once a year with a mechanic usualy put on 2300-2500km a year never too much hardship

dar31 · 20-02-2011 3:26pm

ive noticed our quads would usually do about 10 times the amount of km as hrs,usually trade them with 15,000km an the clock every 2-3 years.
usually service every second time our selves, and do all bushings and bearings, brakes our selves, dont touch the engine.
current honda 420 with 13000km on the clock is due brakes and tires all round, has had all back axle and front redone, it dosent have and easy life though. probally should have been traded sooner, but the last few years werent the best for free cash. if they were still doing the 0% finance i would change in the morning.
the old 350 was a thougher bike only fault with it was it was permanent 4wd.
dont think any other makes are any better than hondas when it comes to workhorses, other makes are more fun to play with, but dont take the hardship as well.

Bodacious · 20-02-2011 3:55pm

I bought a honda foreman from uk environmental agency 100 hrs on clock and it was imaculate... honda engine they reckon change oil evey 100 hrs and clean out air system and spark arrester in exhaust system every now and again and they grand:)

Sorry it cost me 3k and i was advised to go for manual gears (toe flick - less hassle/ stuff to go wrong)

dar31 · 20-02-2011 4:01pm

Bodacious wrote: »

I bought a honda foreman from uk environmental agency 100 hrs on clock and it was imaculate... honda engine they reckon change oil evey 100 hrs and clean out air system and spark arrester in exhaust system every now and again and they grand:)

Sorry it cost me 3k and i was advised to go for manual gears (toe flick - less hassle/ stuff to go wrong)

+1 electric shift keeps acting up, plus it is a nuisance when spot spraying

Bodacious · 20-02-2011 4:05pm

dar31 wrote: »

+1 electric shift keeps acting up, plus it is a nuisance when spot spraying

Another reason was my auld lad think he was a honda boy racer in his day loves the gears:D

Muckit · 20-02-2011 7:20pm

I'm no help to you Reilig as I've no experience of them. So maybe I shouldn't be posting .......... but I will:D

It just seems to me from what I'm reading on here, that quads are a costly piece of machinery. They seem to cost alot to buy a good one (which will probably mean having to buy a new one) AND an owner of one seems to want deep pockets to pay for their maintenance and up keep.

They seem to be the Irishman's horse, I couldn't see a Texas cowboy looking at them!!

johngalway · 20-02-2011 7:55pm

Muckit wrote: »

I'm no help to you Reilig as I've no experience of them. So maybe I shouldn't be posting .......... but I will:D

It just seems to me from what I'm reading on here, that quads are a costly piece of machinery. They seem to cost alot to buy a good one (which will probably mean having to buy a new one) AND an owner of one seems to want deep pockets to pay for their maintenance and up keep.

They seem to be the Irishman's horse, I couldn't see a Texas cowboy looking at them!!

Purely from my perspective, a quad would be invaluable over our land. Tractors are great, but even our 35 would either do too much damage, be dangerous, or simply not go where we'd need it to.

Quads will:
Carry stock & materials such as wire, stakes, fert, feed, hay, etc.
Quad can spray, spread, harrow (ish)
Saves the legs checking or gathering stock if the land is suitable...

List of uses and pluses are endless.

But, if the persons land is trafficable by tractors or jeeps as a matter of course, I see no great advantage in having one.

reilig · 26-02-2011 5:55pm

Went to a dealer today to look at Honda Quads. 420's are coming in at around Eur 4200 for a 07 or 08 with 150 to 200 hours. There's no moving on that price. I could buy off donedeal for 200 or 300 less but I'd have no warranty and no dealer backup. Honda 500's are coming in at about 5k for the same years and hours. He offered me a Yamaha Grizzly 400 (2008 model) with 70 hours on it at Eur 2800 to include a 6 month warranty. Am I mad to consider it. I know that the resale value of Yamaha isn't as good as Honda, but I plan on keeping the thing till its dead. What are the Yamaha Quads like for reliability???

vanderbadger · 26-02-2011 7:30pm

reilig wrote: »

Went to a dealer today to look at Honda Quads. 420's are coming in at around Eur 4200 for a 07 or 08 with 150 to 200 hours. There's no moving on that price. I could buy off donedeal for 200 or 300 less but I'd have no warranty and no dealer backup. Honda 500's are coming in at about 5k for the same years and hours. He offered me a Yamaha Grizzly 400 (2008 model) with 70 hours on it at Eur 2800 to include a 6 month warranty. Am I mad to consider it. I know that the resale value of Yamaha isn't as good as Honda, but I plan on keeping the thing till its dead. What are the Yamaha Quads like for reliability???

have a kodiak 450 2006 model, they are called grizzly now , probably a fairly similar bike, bought mine on ebay in 08 and ive no problem since, i just actually brought it in for service today for first time so will see what they say after taking a look at it. im very happy with it anyway, sucj an easy bike to ride, 4wd at push of button, has independent rear suspension and seems to have loads of power, like your self i wont be trading, honda is honda i suppose and cant be faulted but 2800 is good value for a bike with so few hrs, look up 400 on youtube, no doubt there is a 1000 videos of redneck yanks doing their best to break it, you should get a fair idea of its capability there
by the way i heard once that coillte had changed all their quads to yamaha, not sure how true it was

johngalway · 28-02-2011 5:17pm

Did ya buy it in the end?

irishh_bob · 28-02-2011 5:44pm

reilig wrote: »

Went to a dealer today to look at Honda Quads. 420's are coming in at around Eur 4200 for a 07 or 08 with 150 to 200 hours. There's no moving on that price. I could buy off donedeal for 200 or 300 less but I'd have no warranty and no dealer backup. Honda 500's are coming in at about 5k for the same years and hours. He offered me a Yamaha Grizzly 400 (2008 model) with 70 hours on it at Eur 2800 to include a 6 month warranty. Am I mad to consider it. I know that the resale value of Yamaha isn't as good as Honda, but I plan on keeping the thing till its dead. What are the Yamaha Quads like for reliability???

very difference between yamaha and honda in terms of reliability , honda are IMO a little bit stronger built though but are also uglier to ride IMO , id have no qualms about buying a yamaha

reilig · 02-03-2011 4:22pm

johngalway wrote: »

Did ya buy it in the end?

Its all over. Bought a honda 500 last night. Its a 08 model, manual, has 600 hours on it, new tyres, never had a ball hitch on it and absolutely spotless and fully serviced. Cost me €4200. Decided to go that extra little bit for extra power. Also looking at honda quads on donedeal that are 10 to 15 years old - anything that is well minded is still selling for good money. Made me think twice about buying any model other than the honda. Getting it this evening so hopefully it will work well.

Muckit · 02-03-2011 11:23pm

Well did you come in off it yet? No sleeping out in the shed now

Best of luck with it!

djmc · 02-03-2011 11:43pm

with all this talk of quads I want one too now:o

reilig · 03-03-2011 12:01am

Muckit wrote: »

Well did you come in off it yet? No sleeping out in the shed now Best of luck with it!

Got it earlier and had it out for an hour but It'll take a while to get used to. Half day tomorrow so I'll test it then.

Lads, who among ye have one of these 500 or 420 honda's?? I haven't a clue about the clutching and I'm afraid I'm making a mess of it.
Its a manual quad. Gears are changed by foot using the pedal on the right hand side. The brochure for it says that it has an auto clutch??? Is the clutch lever not the lever on the Right side handlebars???????? Or is this a brake??? What's the proceedure for shifting gears. Do I need to clutch when I am moving up or down gears or do I just move the pedal up and down without clutching or will this burn out the clutch?????

I've only ever driven 1 other quad which was an auto

dar31 · 03-03-2011 12:15am

reilig wrote: »

Got it earlier and had it out for an hour but It'll take a while to get used to. Half day tomorrow so I'll test it then.

Lads, who among ye have one of these 500 or 420 honda's?? I haven't a clue about the clutching and I'm afraid I'm making a mess of it.
Its a manual quad. Gears are changed by foot using the pedal on the right hand side. The brochure for it says that it has an auto clutch??? Is the clutch lever not the lever on the Right side handlebars???????? Or is this a brake??? What's the proceedure for shifting gears. Do I need to clutch when I am moving up or down gears or do I just move the pedal up and down without clutching or will this burn out the clutch?????

I've only ever driven 1 other quad which was an auto

no clutch what so ever, just let off the revs a little and shift up or down.
better buy a few jenny cans for the 500 or you will be to the pumps every other day.

ive managed to wear out a lot of things on our quads but have never had to touch the clutches in them.

guess what will give in, in the morning:o

Bodacious · 03-03-2011 12:16am

reilig wrote: »

Got it earlier and had it out for an hour but It'll take a while to get used to. Half day tomorrow so I'll test it then.

Lads, who among ye have one of these 500 or 420 honda's?? I haven't a clue about the clutching and I'm afraid I'm making a mess of it.
Its a manual quad. Gears are changed by foot using the pedal on the right hand side. The brochure for it says that it has an auto clutch??? Is the clutch lever not the lever on the Right side handlebars???????? Or is this a brake??? What's the proceedure for shifting gears. Do I need to clutch when I am moving up or down gears or do I just move the pedal up and down without clutching or will this burn out the clutch?????

I've only ever driven 1 other quad which was an auto

Good man Reilig, well wear

500 manual you wont go wrong.. loads of power there.

Auto clutch = No clutch - when changing the Only thing you have to do is kill the revs and up with the toe - left foot it should be though, foot brake should be on right when seated on her

Bodacious · 03-03-2011 12:21am

dar31 wrote: »

no clutch what so ever, just let off the revs a little and shift up or down.
better buy a few jenny cans for the 500 or you will be to the pumps every other day.

ive managed to wear out a lot of things on our quads but have never had to touch the clutches in them.

guess what will give in, in the morning:o

I just had her away there getting both front wheel bearings done but im told this is common enough in Hondas did you experience this also? Guy told me its the muck getting in at the front of her:mad:

reilig · 03-03-2011 10:14am

Thanks for the info guys. Bodacious, you're right, my mistake, the gears are at the left foot.

What is the lever on the right handlebar so? Is it a brake??? I thought it was a clutch????

vanderbadger · 03-03-2011 10:47am

dar31 wrote: »

no clutch what so ever, just let off the revs a little and shift up or down.
better buy a few jenny cans for the 500 or you will be to the pumps every other day.

ive managed to wear out a lot of things on our quads but have never had to touch the clutches in them.

guess what will give in, in the morning:o

you just gave her the kiss of death alright

vanderbadger · 03-03-2011 10:51am

reilig wrote: »

Thanks for the info guys. Bodacious, you're right, my mistake, the gears are at the left foot.

What is the lever on the right handlebar so? Is it a brake??? I thought it was a clutch????

one is probably front and the other rear brakes reilig, just let her idle on hill and move off gently and test them seperately
did the lad that sold it not give you a few pointers
best of luck with it anyway and stay off the side hills till you get used to it

reilig · 03-03-2011 10:59am

vanderbadger wrote: »

one is probably front and the other rear brakes reilig, just let her idle on hill and move off gently and test them seperately
did the lad that sold it not give you a few pointers
best of luck with it anyway and stay off the side hills till you get used to it

I got a friend to come with me who is a mechanic and has some experience of bikes. He checked it out before we bought it and brought it for a spin and said that it was perfect. So I didn't even ride it. He collected it for me yesterday too. So it was just there at the house for me to figure out last night.

Bodacious · 03-03-2011 10:35pm

Great day for trying out the new machine:D

Right hand lever is front brake i think

Left hand is rear brake and red button down and engage lever and toe down past neutral for reverse if its the same as mine.

Only thing i kept doing was not being able to start her as wasnt poperly in neutral sometime you have to rock forward or back in seat to get into neutral:cool:

zitaron · 09-03-2011 7:41pm

Right is front brake
Left is back brake - as is right hand foot pedal
Be sure to change the oil every 100 HOURS or 800kms
Drain the diffs and replace with fresh gear oil every 2 years.
Keep tyres soft 3.2 psi.
Use a funnel with a strainer in it when filling petrol.
Yamaha or Honda will both do the job. As will some Suzukis (but their back up has all but disappeared from Ireland). You usually get a bit more value with a used Yam.

C0N0R · 09-03-2011 8:57pm

Bodacious wrote: »

Great day for trying out the new machine:D

Right hand lever is front brake i think

Left hand is rear brake and red button down and engage lever and toe down past neutral for reverse if its the same as mine.

Only thing i kept doing was not being able to start her as wasnt poperly in neutral sometime you have to rock forward or back in seat to get into neutral:cool:

I know on one of the Honda bikes we have here is you pull the right hand brake and try starting it then you can start it while in gear, makes like a hell of alot easier.

Bodacious · 09-03-2011 9:05pm

C0N0R wrote: »

I know on one of the Honda bikes we have here is you pull the right hand brake and try starting it then you can start it while in gear, makes like a hell of alot easier.

All a matter of getting used of her i suppose but i was stumped on day 1 why she wouldnt start

Young neighbour wasnt long shouting across the field at me " rock her a bit it must be still in gear!

Right he was!!

reilig · 10-03-2011 12:28pm

dar31 wrote: »

better buy a few jenny cans for the 500 or you will be to the pumps every other day.

I have it over a week now. I drive it every day for an hour or 2. The old man uses it to look at the sheep every day and to bring meal to cattle and stuff. I filled the tank on day 1 and to be honest, when I checked it yesterday evening, it is still only 2 inches from the top and the gauge reads full. Its very easy on fuel compared to what I thought it would be.

It will be getting a proper test at the weekend. I have willow hedges to coppace for a neighbour on bogland and I'll be pulling out each tree with the quad in order to saw off the branches and saw up the useable logs for my boiler.

Bodacious - I have also found that she won't start when not in neutral and she needs a little rock over an back to get it out of gear sometimes.

But so far so good. I'm very happy with my purchase.

zitaron · 10-03-2011 12:40pm

Get into the habit of dropping it to neutral when you stop - good practice .

Username John · 10-03-2011 12:54pm

Glad to hear you're happy with it Reilg.

And good to hear the updates. Interested to hear how it works out for you. I guess am especially interested in how it performs fuel economy wise...

I dont have one now, but am planning to get one sometime... Next year at the earliest tho...

Best o luck with it anyways.

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