Considering buying a HONDA quadbike for hunting? 

My advice is buy one that is newer rather than older for several very important reasons.

Firstly,you do not want to be spending literally thousands of your hard earned dollars on a HONDA quad then have to spend the same again on an engine rebuild,parts & labour are expensive & it's a big job if you have take off all the plastics,dis-connect tailshafts & wiring to pull a motor out.

Many used quads are sold on or traded in at the end of their useful life & have suffered years of abuse & neglect,then patched up & sold off...don't buy someone elses troubles.

Washed up....

Beware of low kilometer but rusty HONDA 400/450/500 quads,these are ex-surf lifesaving quad's & should be avoided at all costs.

They have spent their whole life in a salt-water enviroment,riding through sand,waves,beach launching inflatable rescue boats and jet ski's in acid-like salt-water which corrodes everything metal including all the electrical wiring connectors & plugs that you require to keep it running and the sand grinds & wears everything including the internals of the motor.

Salt-water rust never sleeps or stops eating away at the metal,even after it's off the beach,all it needs is the moisture in the air.

Hello cocky...

Ex-farm quads can be a good buy if you get one from a hobby farmer that has not used it much & maintained it at it's 100 hour service intervals,avoid high use machines like 20,000km's or 2,000 hours,these high use machines are at or near the end of their life and always seem to have a broken or missing hour meter/speedo & the owner can't remember how many hours or kilometers it's done.  

Two or Four-wheel drive?

I own a 4WD TRX350FM & I've found it offers predictable all terrain capability with the benefit of 4 wheel braking & it goes over small logs and tussocks & through the bush like a horse,but better...no head-lights or reverse gear on a horse.

I'd be lost with-out one for hunting,I've set mine up with a padded rifle rest & swivel mounted and hand-held spotlight and it can't be bettered as a one-man shooting rig,pull up straight on target everytime with-out having to say to your mate driving,over-there...over-where?........gone.

Two wheel drive is a bit easier on your arms but 4 wheel drive is the best all-round choice in my book.  

Manual,electric shift or auto?

HONDA quad gearbox shift types can be identified by the letters on the end of the model type,eg:TRX350FM is a 350cc,F (four wheel drive) M (manual).

A two wheel drive would be a TRX350TM or electric shift would be a TRX350TE and the auto, TRX350TA.

One thing to consider with the electric shift versions,if the on-board engine control unit senses a stiff or sticky shift it will stop shifting gears & the auto clutch may need adjusting or your shifting style may need to be altered & the computer reset,at the HONDA dealership......buy a M for manual shift,race tested for reliability on postie bikes.

How much to pay?

Use the free for private use REDBOOK vehicle value website to value used quads or any other vehicle for that matter.

Use the trade-in value as a starting price to pay for any second-hand quad as it will not have warranty or after sale service if you buy privately which is always much cheaper,you will also want to do a REVS and stolen vehicle check on it's numbers & check to see if it's got finance owing on it and it's not an encumbered vehicle,that will have to be paid off BEFORE you buy it or you might find it being re-possessed.

I've seen the light....

I hope that's shed some light and given you some insight and ideas on a quadbike for hunting and one last piece of advice I would give you is stay away from cheap Chinese made quads,they almost look the part but are un-reliable and won't last & are poor quality and design and will let you down when you least need or expect it,out in the bush,miles from anywhere,you can't push a dead quad-bike very far.

Spend a little extra on a low use Honda and you'll not regret it.

Many thanks to all those who have voted for this guide,You may wish to read my other guides I've written and feel free to contact me via the eBay system if you want to ask a question.