I was at my Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki/CanAm dealer today and i seen that they had a few 2007 Grizzly 700's in. I have had some expierence with a few Grizz 660's and i liked them fine. And now that it has EFI, EPS, and a more powerful engine its got me really excited.

HOWEVER

I got to crank the 700Griz and i could tell that it had more power than the 660 and that made me feel a little better. But i really want to know if i should wait until '08 to buy one. Are you owners having alot of problems with yours? I've heard alot about the overheating and horrible cold starting. Anyway, What do you owners think of your machine? Would you buy it again if you had to do it over? Thanks alot, and i appreaciate it.

 

I haven't heard of any over-heating issues except for someone that had discovered the fan wasn't electrically connected (a factory or dealer set-up problem). The cold starting issue seems to be a big one though, but mainly for people who live at higher elevations who try to start their quad after it's been outside in single digit temps or lower. Mine started fine at 14 degrees this morning (but my main environment ranges between 300 and 2000 feet above sea level which is lower than where most of the complaints have been coming from).

As for the ATV itself, it's my favorite 4x4 so far. It is full featured, has independent front and rear brakes (which I prefer to linked brakes on off-road equipment), has manually controlled 4WD (again, I prefer manual control so it stays in 4WD until I disengage it), it is comfortable, handles great for an IRS machine, has decent power and the power steering feature is great, especially under rough trail riding conditions...

 

I've got 250 miles on mine since December and no problems starting it up; and that includes the mountains of NH. The power steering is awesome and machine has great pick up.. I say go for it.

 

I'm happy with mine so far. I did buy mine when they had the 2 year warrenty going last Fall and that gives me some piece of mind as far as mechanical problems go. I haven't been ridding mine lately because of the cold weather, (not that it hasn't started, just too cold for me out). Last time I went out it was 17 F and it started fine. I'd reccommend the Grizzly for someone else and I think it's a very well put together machine.

 

Would it have more grunt than my 700 Sportsman?

 

I am very happy with my 700 griz. But if I owned two perfectly good machines like your 700 and 500 Sportsmen then I would absolutely wait another 6 months or so and get a 2008. I am quite sure that Yamaha will have some minor improvements such as with the cold starting and possibly the shifting linkage. The only reason that I bought a first year model was that I didn't own a 4WD quad and I had some trips for fall 06 and the 700 Griz had potential to justify the first year gremlins. No good reason for you to take that risk.

 

Buy it!

It's a great machine even without the power steering, but that feature puts it so far ahead of the rest for me that buying it was a no brainer. All big Quads will come with power steering very soon - it's that good.

My shift linkage was adjusted before delivery, but it's still a little stiff. It's getting better as it breaks in.

Starts fine even below zero, but it knocks until it warms up - probably normal, but new to me.

The 700 Grizzly is very smooth on tight rough trails and the power steering really enhances its plushness. It's not as sporty as some on fast open fire roads, but that's a small price to pay for comfort in the rough - it's the complete package for riding long distances on nasty trails.

I have the free 2 yr warranty, but I would have bought this machine without it - Yamaha has experience with everything on this machine except the power steering, and there is plenty of automotive experience with electric power steering with more weight and higher speed.

I needed all of the 3 year warranty to buy my 2003 Outlander because it was all new, but buying a first year Grizzly 700 is a much safer bet...

 

Great quad, I would wait a year or so though.

 

Jon,

I have talked to you on the polaris forum before, I have a 06 polaris 700 EFI, a can am 800 max xt and a Grizzly 700 that I bought in Nov. Of the three, the Can An is the Fastest obviously, but to my surprise the grizzly is faster than the polaris. After I checked the stats I believe it is because of the 600 lb weight of the grizz. The polaris rides softer and more plush than the Grizz. But, the power steering is ABSOLUTELY amazing. I would actually (GULP) would rather ride the grizz in most situations than either of my other quads. That was hard to say, because I love my polaris and outlander. So, I would say u cannot go wrong getting a new Grizz. I have had no issues with mine failing to start or even turning over more than a couple of timeswhen starting in cold weather. It was 20 degrees this weekend. And since we live in the same state I do not think u will have the starting issues some others are having.

 

As far as I am concerned this is not about if to buy a 700 Griz but instead of when to buy a 700 Griz. What difference could 6 months make when you already have all the rides in your garage that you can use. I think you have the potential to regret jumping the gun for no good reason if Yamaha comes out with some major re programing of EFI or other system in 2008. I can say from direct ownership experience that Honda made major changes on second year XR400 and GL1800 motorcycles and I suspect that Yamaha has often done the same.