I guess you might have a point, Honda and Yamaha models do seem to be more expensive compared to Polaris. I'm sure many will argue that Polaris is just as reliable, that debate would be neverending. Same goes for ever other brand as well. I think any new machine coming out now will never have the reliability issues of past models. I do like Yamahas, I've owned both a 450 Wolverine and Grizzly 660 in the past. I guess the big question is, how much power does this new 708cc engine make? The 700 engine in the Arctic Cat side by sides makes over 60 hp, but that is a v-twin and this is a single. I'm thinking this engine might make about 55 hp, or about the same as the Polaris 800 engine. Depends on the clutching of the cvt as well. The Grizzly engages quickly and I assume this will as well. It probably won't have the highest top speed numbers in its class but I'm assuming 55-60 mph will be easily attained which isn't too shabby if it can muster that. The more I think about my previous comment, the more I think I may be selling this new machine short. It definitely deserves consideration if someone wants a sporty side by side but doesn't want or need the fastest or most expensive machine out there.

 

I,m not sure it would be that much since the 800 is a higher rpm twin cylinder with a 100cc displacement advantage as well. The 708 is not much bigger then the 48hp 686.
The 686 only made a little more power over the old 43hp 660 ,this may also be the case.

On the other hand this is a totally new DOHC and could be tricked out in some way like compression ratio. The 660 and 686 were only SOHC.

Can-AM showed it can be done with their new 450 single cylinder Outlander that makes 38hp! So only time will tell on this 708.

Yamaha knows how to do it for sure, they do have a 4stroke 500 twin cylinder in a "Venture Lite" snowmobile that makes 65hp stock.
Why they do not put it in a ATV is beyond me.

Imagine what Yamaha could do with a 800 Twin if they make 65hp out of a 500.

 

A 65 hp 500 twin that Yamaha already builds, seems like that would be a no-brainer to put that in an atv. I see the Phazer R-TX snowmobile also has a 4 stroke 499cc fuel-injected twin and it has 80hp, at least that's what Yamaha claims. That would be a very compact and lightweight engine that puts out a big punch. All Yamaha would have to do is modify the cvt transmission to accomodate this extra power. Why they won't utilize these engines they already have is beyond me. I would think it would cost less to simply modify and strengthen the frame and chassis to utilize one of these engines instead of designing and building new engines with less punch. These engines are already proven to be tough and reliable for off-road use.

 

We already have 80hp ATVs with the Polaris 850/1000 and Can-Am 800/1000 so that proves a ATV drive train can handle it.
All your saying is they can make that 80hp with a small lighter motor I guess.

I can believe it. I.m more into sleds then ATVs. You should see me on "Doo Talk".LOL

Same goes with Polaris they have a 85hp 4stroke Liberty 750 twin in their Sled and PWC for years now. Its even has a turbo version of it that makes 145hp.

Now a turbo might be a bit stupid in a Mud machine since sleds and PWC run in a much cleaner environment. Even without a turbo 85hp out of a 750 is not bad.
It does show you Yamaha and Polaris do not give it their all in ATVs.

If this new DOHC 708 single is something special like the new 38hp 450 Outlander I hope it finds it way into the Grizzly as well.

 

Well I guess I was emphasizing your point that Yamaha does build high performance engines. Yamaha has yet to release an atv with that kind of power though so some drivetrain upgrades would be necessary. Even if they detuned it a bit for an atv or side by side, it would still be more power than anything they've built up to this point. The yfz 450 is very fast. Yamaha's snowmobiles and jet skis are fast. They make fast dirt bikes and street bikes. But when it comes to utility atvs and side by sides, it seems that they choose to get a bit mellow on the power output for some reason. Take the Grizzly 700, for example. Basically in every shootout against other utility machines it ranks near the top in every category except in power. I'm not knocking it, its a great atv and the Viking and this new Wolverine appear to be very solid machines. But Yamaha could have really wowed everyone and they chose not to. The competition has set the bar high and Yamaha has yet to clear it.

 

I think once again, it comes down to price.

Honda and Yamaha will not half *** a UTV to compete with polaris or can am. They live off of their reputation for reliability (like most japanese manufacturers). In order for one of them to properly build a 80-120HP UTV that meets their standards of reliability and durability, they would have to charge too much. Same goes for their ATVs. This wolverine may not keep up with a RZR 900 in a straight line or up a hill but I'm willing to bet we will see them running in 10 years. You know what they say, pick 2 - cheap, reliable, fast. You can't have all 3.

 

The venture lite/phazer make 80HP but they rev out to 14k rpms. It's amazing how despite that, people are still getting 20k miles out of them. The manual for a venture lite states to adjust the valves every 10k miles lol.

You don't need twin cylinders or a DOHC design to make moderate power from a 700 though. The 700xx (also a 686cc SOHC engine) makes 55 Hp at the crank. The engine itself is pretty tame with a 10:1 comp piston and it makes a bulk of its power between 3500- 7000 rpms.

 

I always though it was odd Honda sticks with the OHC 38hp 680 in their Rincon and SxS when they have the 700xx motor and XR650 OHC.

The Grizzly CVT could more then handle a lot more power . If you looked it up part#s Yamaha uses the same Primary, belt and Secondary that the put in their sleds to save cost (use what you aready have and share it) .
Its not like they make a totally new CVT system for their ATVs over their sleds. If anything the CVT on ATVs are all under stressed if anything.
Since sleds start at 80hp and up.

Now if the tranny ,CVs and axles are up to it that a different story.

But in most cases like the 500 Outlander and 1000 Outlander or XP550 and XP1000 they share the exact same drive train, frame and suspension even though the Big Bores are almost double the power.

A guy could bolt a 1000 motor into his 500 Outlander in a afternoon.

It would just cost to much two make two different chassis.

 

Yeah, Honda probably would have the same problem if they wanted to compete in the power department. Hondas and Yamahas are more reliable than anything else because they don't push the envelope to make more power and negatively affect reliability. They both make solid machines that last for many years. Hondas and Yamahas are pretty much the only machines I look at when buying used and I only buy used because I can't justifiy spending the big bucks for a new machine. I guess the question is, do you want to have fun for 10+ years on a new Honda or Yamaha or go for the ultimate experience on something else only to have it not last as long and have to repair or replace it. Honestly, myself and others in this thread have already underestimated the new Wolverine and nobody has even rode it yet. It may be better than what any of us are anticipating. For example, the Viking isn't much slower than the Ranger 900xp and the Ranger has a lot more power. Granted that was a video Yamaha put together but it showed that clutching and tuning can make numbers lie a bit. Could be the same with the Wolverine, it might be close in performance to say a RZR 900 at least on low end and mid range with much greater reliability. No, it probably won't run 75 mph on top end like the RZR 900, that's where the greater power of the twin cylinder makes the most difference. This introduction video doesn't really show much, a real test will show what kind of performance to expect.