The TL125 was recommended to me many years ago, and I was assured of quality and reliability. Maybe that honda was a lemon. I used to ride every weekend, and I can count on one hand the times the honda didn’t break down. It was in service a lot. Finally, it threw a rod. The warranty had just expired, so I sold the remains of the bike. They told me I rode it too much, that you had to be easy on the bike, and go for short rides.
I rode an Ossa pioneer for a while. It was probably the nicest bike I’d ridden. Boring, though. I lent it to someone, and didn’t get it back when I moved.
In the 80s, I had a honda 3-wheeler. It was fairly quick, when it ran. I think honda replaced everything at least once under warranty. The shop had it more than I did. The engine siezed. The bike never ran again, and was used for parts. I noticed that most of the bikes in for repair were hondas. I was told that I was doing too much with it.
Then someone lent me their quad, a cyclone pioneer 250 factory racer. It was an awesome bike, but the owner moved, and I had to give it back.
I rode a KTM 570, IIRC, but it was a bit heavy for trail riding, so I got a honda 400. Honda deemed it a lemon, so I swapped for a 400ex. It was sluggish and underpowered, and also deemed a lemon. I moved to a 450R, which was a maintenance nightmare.
I changed brands to Yamaha. The Banshee was OK, but I tried the Raptor. Some serious weaknesses in each. Clearly opposites.
I got a Rancher, and the tranny just couldn’t handle the work. The tranny was rebuilt and replaced a few times. It sits where it died.
I’m not as young as I used to be. I got an 04 400ex again, but again, it was always in the shop. It was also just slow. No pep.
Changing brands again, I bought an 06 AC 400. I still have it, but it has more than 400 hours and about 2500 miles on it. I recently had to replace 2 torn CV boots and clean the carb, replace the fuel lines and the gauge. The battery is going, and it needs front tires. The quad doesn’t have much pep or speed. Nothing off the line. Since I want to trail ride again, I’ve found that the bike doesn’t keep up. Also, when turning, it really tears up the grass.
I’m looking for something with EPS, FIS, diff-lock, 4×4, peppy, and reliable. Honda keeps coming up, but so do Polaris and Yamaha. I want a utility quad, but nothing big and bulky. I’ve had terrible luck with Hondas, but maybe they got their act together.
I tried a can-am outlander 1000 for a week, and it was fast, lifted the front wheels on demand, but it was just too bulky.
I pull a trailer, but avoid mud and puddles. Any thoughts?
