I have been riding about 20 years. In that time I've ridden Honda and Yamaha mainly. The Hondas were my choice, the Yamahas not.
There is a lot of riding done around here. Here's my rough observations based on that and 20 years of riding.
1. A 2wd with good tires and an experienced rider will go most places a 4wd will.
2. 4wd has slightly more maintence due to CV boots and a front gearbox.
3. Independent rear suspension (IRS) has CV boots also.
4. Winches are useful if you have something to winch to. I always get stuck in the middle of a dirt pit or something with nothing to winch to. Often a winch on the REAR is more usefuly than the front. There are winches that have quick releases and are for either end.
5. I have no winch (see #4), but have had good luck with a hand winch at times. I carry between 150 and 200 feet of rope with me so I can reach something to tie to.
6. My BEST tool for getting out of the mud, other than another 4 wheeler to pull me out, is a 3 foot long shovel. I have gotten out of more stuff with it that ANY other method.
7. I have a cheap mag lite on the front rack in a clip on holder.
8. I also carry $20 in cash and a cigarette lighter in a pelican box.
9. The new Hondas have WORKING brake lights, not just tail lights. This will save you from getting rear ended by your buddy on the trail.
10. A 4wd is tougher to get stuck, but it is also tougher to get unstuck.
11. Guy down the road, with 9 (yes, 9) Honda models had this to say: His rancher 350es 4wd with aftermarket tires on it will go through more mud than any of his other machines. This included his $8000 tricked-out top of the line 4wd Honda with $1500 worth of tires and a lift kit on it.
12. I asked local repair shop about the current state of the market.... what machines he does NOT see come through his shop. One model, Suzuki. Yamaha does not polish their transmission gears. They let them wear in, which contaminates the engine oil (transmission and engine oil are the same). Honda uses polished gears. Honda's current models with the sideways engines leaves the pull start right by the rear tire. Mud thrown from the tire destroyes the seal by the pull start. (I have a Honda.... I'll keep you posted on my seal)
13. I swear by the Goodyear mud runner tires on my 2wd. I can go through more stuff with them than anyone I have seen with stock tires on a 4wd.
14. Hondas have a 12v socket by the handlebar.... this is useful.
15. If your bike only has lights that point straight forward, you're gonna need some extra lights to do anything useful at night.
16. My setup (if you're interested): 2004 Rancher 350 2wd manual shift. Front rack: 150' rope, hand winch, mag lite, aux lights point off at 45 degrees on each side, shovel. Rear rack: empty. Built-in cargo box: pelican box with $,lighter, rag.
17. My plan on getting out when there's nothing to winch to is to get a 4' piece of steel bar with a point on one end and an eyelet on the other. Carry this and a slegehammer on the rear rack. Hammer this into the ground and winch from it. Either than, or start digging with the shovel.
18. Speed: Anything available will haul butt.
19. If you get a 4wd model that does NOT have 2wd ability. Warn makes an aftermarket kit for several models to switch between 2wd and 4wd.
20. Aftermarket tires (for mud) will load the engine more. Expect this.
21. Engine cooling. Some/most models have engine oil coolers as standard equipment now. What you MUST get is a fan. Most of the larger bikes will come with one. If they don't make sure you can get one aftermarket. I almost burned mine up in the first week I had it because of this. It was hot enough the oil *almost* caught fire inside the engine. Honda wanted $300 for the fan. I got one off ebay for $35.
22. I'd recommend an hour meter. This will help ensure you know when to change the oil. Some of the nicer bikes come with them (along with a tach, speedometer, GPS, etc). If not, you can buy a tinytach for about $30.
23. Belt driven bikes.... no experience here.
24. Air intake snorkel: how deep of water can you ford before trashing the engine? Check on this. You don't want to find out the hard way.
25. Clutches: unless I am wrong, no utility bikes require a hand clutch. Sport bikes are another story.
26. More ground clearance = easier to tip over.
27. 4wd: check your mfg docs on this as the salesman will likely NOT know, or will lie. The front diff may be like your car..... one wheel is all that really pulls. Some models have procedures to lock the front diff for TRUE 4wd action. Some models are auto locking.
28. Helmet add weight, don't wear one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
29. My rancher has an electric carburator heater. It's supposed to enhance cold weather operation.
30. Might wanna check the amperage output of the charging system. I have a sneaky feeling you're gonna add extra lights.
31. Most models should have good skid plates.
32. Turning radius. If this is important. Not likely though.
33. Trailer hitch: does it come with one? how much are they? You need one to have an easy point to hook to for people to pull you out.
34. I like the Rancher's floorboards that have footpegs also. I can really grip the pegs with my shoes and the floorboards go a good job for keeping my somewhat clean. They also prevent me from getting my leg hung under the rear tire (don't ask).
35. Some models (polaris?) have 1 lever that controls front and rear brakes. I don't care for this as it is nice to be able to slide the rear end sometimes. Be aware that ANY model in 4wd mode will have full-bike braking when using either front OR rear brakes.
36. I *really* like Honda. I am somewhat concerned over this seal thing though. I'm gonna keep a CLOSE eye on mine. Honda have simply lasted longer and gona through more than any other bike I have ridden. I notice little things like plastic coated brakes cables (they don't corrode or have a lot of friction), REALLY good sealed brakes assemblies (all the Hondas I have ridden are still on their first set of pads, and this includes the one I grew up with. I put 1.5-2 gallons of gas through that bike Monday-Friday for 4-5 years and it's still going strong).
Questions?