Thread: Quad bike recomendations

Some random thoughts on the subject:

I had a Honda TRX500 FE for a few years and found it outstanding for most country I hunt. The advantages were obvious... light, agile and easy to operate but could handle a good load. Unfortunately the disadvantages soon became evident and they were somewhat unexpected. First, the parts were quite expensive. Unnecessarily so for what they are. Secondly, because I had transport that could go places I always seemed to have others who wanted to join me. Going places with two people plus gear suddenly became a pain in the ass. Third, I came across a reluctance by landowners to let me take the quad onto their land due to the high level of publicity directed towards them in recent years.

Eventually it all got too much so I sold the quad in favour for a Pioneer 700-2P. This has been entertaining too. Now, instead of another person wanting to join me I typically find three-up to be normal. Three people is a piece of cake. Spotlighting off the back is great and a crew of three works really well but you can do four-up if required. The Pioneer is not so agile as a quad but still gets you places a ute won't. I thought the quad was thirsty but the Pioneer sure sucks the gas by comparison. And if you think quad parts are expensive.... HA!

On the whole I have to say I'm really happy with the SxS vs. a Quad. Missions where you're on your own are far better on a quad but in all the time I owned a quad I only ever did a few solo trips. Probably the biggest downside for the SxS is that everybody else wants to drive it and I hardly get a look-in myself. My daughter (13) is the worst offender. Good driver training for when she's old enough to get into a car though.

I'm still learning with the Pioneer as I've only owned it for 18 months but there is one location I go regularly where the climb-out is really steep and I can tell you it definitely gets light on the front feet when you have a heavy load in the back but what would take two trips on the quad can be done in one trip with the SxS. The quad would struggle too but having the ability to put the load up front meant it didn't get too light. I would still prefer to be in the SxS though.

The independant rear suspension on the Pioneer is better than the single rear axle versions of quad and in that regard I think the Can Am quads and some of the bigger Honda's would probably be a better ride. The higher capacity of the regulator makes the SxS better for spotlighting as it can handle the load of a handheld as well as Light Bars.

In summary I would say that if you hunt alone then the quad is great, but if like me you have a family who enjoy hunting and a bunch of friends with whom you regularly enjoy adventures then the SxS is a better option. Whether I'm driving the team around chasing down rabbits or whether I'm shooting and somebody else is driving is irrelevant to me - I'm out there doing it and having a blast. Teamwork and SxS's go hand in hand.