Here's the update:
The ATV is in amazingly good shape for the mileage, I mean barely any rust in any exposed metal.
Rob the owner is a super guy! He rebuilt it himself, he's done other engines before and although this was new to him he managed to do it right. He's put around 500 miles since the rebuild so it's not a ticking bomb.
I think mechanically is pretty solid, although it needs bearings for sure.
Riding feels fine on the snowed street so I didn't have any chance to experience the solid axle vs. IRS.
What I didn't like is that model of Honda is a 4x4 all the time, there is no way to disengage the front diff so it will never be nimble (2x4 selection) and for any work all four must be up in the air. Also as others have said, the tranny is very sloppy until warm.
Something I pointed out was that either the brakes were dragging or the drivetrain is monstrously heavy.. I mean push that ATV on neutral is like pushing a small car (with more than twice the weight). That can't be good...
The price is fair given the condition but with the mileage is just over the norm so I'll keep looking.. (read below)
Can someone give me an idea on what it feels to push a grizzly a few feet on pavement on neutral?
And I stopped by the Honda dealership and they have a couple of old Manual 350s that I won't touch but they have this 2004 TRX650F (IRS and 2x4/4x4 selection) that is really-really nice.. the problem is the price, the dealership wants top dollar..
The Grizzlies in this part of the world are the most expensive and overpriced item for sale.. Some are just plain stoopid.. here's an example:
+Grizzly 600 2002 (high miles) just $4,500! (nowadays CAD and USD are the same)
+The cheapest Grizzly rust bucket-beat-to-hell is a 1998 600 cc for only $3800!!
+A nice 2006 nice Grizzly 600 is about $6000
Note: I'm not questioning that the value isn't there, I just want to show how expensive they're here.. and as m
I'll keep looking because the TRX650 at the dealership is in great condition but the engine brake is really not good as well as brakes (these two issues have been highlighted in reviews I found).
Wish me luck... Looking for the right one is part of the journey.
Here's a funny fact:
The ATV came from a place called Hay River
Google Maps Link and this place is so remote that the Natives can drive Off Highway Vehicles and the owner of this bike was always too drunk so he didn't have a license.. The cops gave up dealing with that cause as soon as they try to pull them to the side of the road they just go into the bushes... How's that for interesting freezing place to live in?