In the process of choosing between Yamaha Grizzly and the Polaris Sportsman 500/600. I'm looking for reliability and of course the best buy for the $$. But, do I really need one of these "big" cats? Would it be best to start out with a smaller version, i.e., Kodiak, Eiger, etc? Or, is it best to buy one of the bigger/better units now and be sorry later that I didn't? Primarily going to use it here at the lake where my parents live and at several of the nearby ATV riding sites. Thanks for your help and/or suggestions!

Keith Allison
keith-h-allison@uiowa.edu
Soon-to-be-new ATV owner

 

well sometimes you wish you had a bigger quad.. and sometimes u wish you had a smaller quad.. well since u live in norht english and i live in williamsburg,, i suggest dont a a pileris they are nuttin but trouble i would acctually get a honda rincon rather then the grizz or a p650...lots of power and ground clearence so.. you dont get stuck in snow

 

I agree. A Honda is probably a good choice. I think if you are looking for reliability in any kind of bike, the Hondas have definitely got it. This may spark controversy with many, but I think it is the honest, proven (over many years) truth. As you can see, I ride Polaris. I give respect though to the bikes that deserve it.

 

If I were you I would go with either a 500 Sportsman or a 450 Kodiak.500 is a great machine and the specs on the 450 look great too.

 

Polaris vs. Yamaha
Well here it is. I have a polaris 500 ho and a kodiak 450 , I've talked to people who have had the
sportsman 500 and also have owned the grizzly, I like my sportsman 500ho and would diffently
buy another one ; but the truth is Yamaha builds a much better machine. I would get the grizzly
and be done with it very nice ride. My kodiak is just plan cool I love it and it dosen't even come
close to a grizzly.

500ho my ride
kodiak 450 ( girl friends)
Yamaha Breeze ( sons toy )

 

since honda jabed' first, buy the sportsman! honda's will make you drull like you never have. there to scared to push the envelope. they know that if they build a series of quads that break, there done. honda builds quads in the hope that they won't break, never! the end result is an extremely boring quad! take a look not only at polaris, but others that can provide not only reliability, but a great deal of fun & the same time! my personal opinion since about '92, honda sucks big ----![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

im with carver on this one. honda has a never break atv but polaris is (in all of my riding life) pritty much the same way but with more persanal fell to the ride. i bought my Magnum 425 new and tne only thing i dont like about it is the chain drive.

 

a lot of my friend ride polaris, and they take very good care of their machines, but they arent reliable, and all they have had is trouble with polaris. i have kodiak 400 and love it. i like how it is sporty enough to have fun on, and still good for utility.

personally from what i hear and what i have seen polaris are crap, and i would never buy one.

 

It makes me sick to hear people saying honda sucks because their reliability makes them a boring machine....i don't say polaris sucks because they're unreliable....i think polaris is one hell of a great performing machine...great ride, excellent 4wd setup, lots of power.....but for the mechanically uninclined people like myself who have no time for maintenance, it's just not the right bike for me....i want a gas and go machine....if that means that i lose a little in the performance area, then so be it...it doesn't mean that honda sucks just because you don't like it....it's people like you who contribute nothing to this forum...you think nothing matters only your opinion, and no machine is good unless it is like yours....puke...polaris is a great bike for you...enjoy it...don't blame ya there...honda is the right bike for me....don't insult my intelligence by suggesting that the money i spent was on a machine that sucks.....grow up.....there are lots of great bikes out there....and some are more reliable than others...most of the polaris machines don't fall in that category let me tell ya.....there are exceptional performing machines out there.....honda doesn't fall into that category....(maybe rincon, but i have never rode one so i don't know).....honda is a great work bike...rides like a tank, built like a tank....but more bulletproof than most others.....seems that the more reliable a machine is, the more it loses in the performance area...so which do you want....it's a choice....if someone doesn't make the same choice as you, it doesn't mean they made the wrong choice.....doesn't make them an idiot....only an idiot would suggest such a thing.

 

some poeple dont like the fact that they cant perform regular maintance on a machine.people talk about maintance like its a bad thing.just because you have to take an extra 5 min to grease a few zirk fitting doesnt maen its the end of the world,you can get it all done while the oil is draining.people who say they dont have time for this dont make time for it,get out of bad an hour early on ride day or what ever you need to do.the more maint a company takes away from the owner the more that owner is dependant on the company .if you have time to ride you have time to grease.