Hard to drink a beer and ride on an electric shift. Not impossible just aggravating. Foot shift is so much tougher as well.

I have an 03 Foreman es and have had no problems with it shifting. I guess 17 years is pretty good reliability with nothing but a carb rebuild I did myself and a few batteries.

That's great, and there are others that never had a problem with the ES..............but there is no denying that the ES models are more prone to transmission issues than the foot-shift. It's simple, proven fact

I’ve always had Suzuki 4-wheelers. I bought a Honda Foremann 500 manual shift a couple years ago because of all the hype. I wish I had bought another Suzuki.

Before I bought that Foreman a few years ago, I almost bought a Suzuki Vinson...only reason I didn't was it got sold out from under me. I liked the Foreman fine but I'd always heard the Vinsons were good machines too.

Whatever you get, go with the power steering

Thanks for chiming in with your vast knowledge.

There are lots of good atvs out there and most all of them are plenty good for someone that just uses around the house and hunting occasionally. I am another vote for honda but I average about 2000 miles a year on one. I would not be afraid of the rubicon with automatic transmission. I have put them to the test with no issues. Problem right now with the used market is it seems like 75% of them are snorkeled with bigger tires than my truck.

You're quite welcome!

I didn't know they made anything other than a Honda........I've owned 3 all manual shift. 95 fourtraxx, 2006 rancher 4x4, 2008 foreman 4x4. All still going strong.........

All the Honda folks talk about both how tough they are and how many different ones they have owned. I've never owned but one - a Timberwolf 250 that we've had for 25 years. Why do you guys have to replace your Hondas every few years? An ATV should be a once in a lifetime purchase if it's any good.

Well, I will admit that the old Yamaha is about done for, but then I am too, so it may yet last a lifetime.

I gave my 95 to my best friends son, my 2006, 2008 I bought those on craigslist so the kids, wife and I could all double up and ride. They were bought at the same time.

I have an 87 Kawasaki Bayou and a 98 Yamaha big bear.
Both of em get used almost every day and still serve me well.

The Timberwolf has a partially blown head gasket, but it will still run ok. I don't know how much longer it will do that, but it held together long enough to spray the chufas and put out N this year. If it run enough to plant the clover and do some spraying this fall it will have made another year of work. I don't know if it's worth spending the money to fix it or not. I have always tried to wash it off good after putting out fertilizer, but the frame still has a lot of rust. I may just junk it when it dies. Guess I will buy a Honda if I am still alive when it happens.

I have a 95 kodiak 400. Thing is still going strong other than me burning the winch up trying to pull out a 6000# Kubota RTV. I have to say the full time 4x4 does not make it a fun riding machine due to it wearing a guy out. But for pulling deer out of steep terrain I'm not sure I've been on a more balanced one. I've come out of some nasty holes with one deer on the front and another on the back and sometimes an extra passenger. I ride in in and out 9 miles each way to my favorite deer stand and so far it has kept going.

I've also got an 88 Suzuki 250 that I keep at dad's house just for spraying round-up.
The little Suzuki probably doesn't get used more than 6 to 8 hours a year, but she cranks every time and does what I ask.
I believe Honda is a great machine, both tough and dependable, but any of them last many years with proper care.

My frame has some new welded tube because of the fertilizer issue. That stuff is really hard on metal.

The only time I've seen issues with ES, it is after a freezing rain. Water got in the contacts and froze up while we were duck hunting (was in shed overnight, so wasn't affected when we left out).

I have a 22 year old Polaris, the belt will slip if you get it in deep water. Had some dang rats chew up the wires once but that aint nothin against Polaris. Its a great machine, I also have nothing bad to say about Honda. With atv's its all about how you take care of them, run em hard put em up wet you will eventually have problems. Also I have learned its not good to just let them sit up, gotta run em every now and then.

I have also had a yamaha warrior that was an 86 or so that I sold around 03 that always ran well but went through a lot of chains and sprockets and I still have a suzuki king quad 300 from around 04 that has no problems so I am not just a honda guy. Also had a few yamaha 3 wheelers and a couple honda 3 wheelers in the 80s that were good to go. All mine were maintained fairly well but they all sit outside 365 days a year.