Andy

I think atv news says it has a rear anti-sway bar ?????

 

The reliability issue on polaris kept me from buying a sportsman about 3 or 4 times since 1998 when I got my AC. I've owned 2 yamahas before, and I liked them. I wouldn't say that they were as mechanically sound as the honda's that I rode and rode with at the time (we're talking 1980's here), but they were good bikes. I always liked Yamaha, but the dealers down here are high, and I couldn't see paying $1200 more for a Grizz than I could for the AC I got at the time. I make a bit more money nowdays, so its not as big a factor.

As far as automatics go, I would prefer a manual always. Still, the Yamaha system is constantly engaged rather than the polaris, which gives it a better hookup and less chance of shredding a belt soon. I guess they must have really good engine braking also. I don't like the water factor, but a ton of people ride autos in water all the time, so I guess I'm coming around on that. Plus, there isn't any other way of getting a 660, so I would just have to live with it.

The way I see it, this one has the things that the polaris didn't. It has a 4wd system thats not on-demand, so you have it going downhill. It also has the diff lock that most other quads don't. Disc brakes that Honda can't give you. The motor is bad ***, but I would still be in the market even if they had put the old 600 in this same chassis. All of the other features are what I'm really looking at. I like the display too. The racks are made of steel, and I never was big on the plastic ones that other manufacturers offer. It has a lot of splash protection also. Looks to me that they covered all the bases here. Its about time somebody did.

As far as a sway bar, I didn't see it, but it could very easily be on there. I just didn't notice one, but I didn't look to hard for it either. I'm pretty jacked up about this one here. I've been waiting for a non-polaris IRS quad for a while, and it turns out we've got one now that has diff-lock. Could possibly be the perfect quad, but I guess we'll see.

 

If you want to see what the diff-lock/4wd/2wd button looks like, check out the video's on the yamaha site. Its pretty cool

 

Yep damm nice machine but I guess I'll be the first to pick at it. The only thing I really don't like is the electronic diff lock, my expierence is that water, dust, mud & electrics don't mix, I like Kawy's lever better.

 

You have a point there. Of course the upside is that it is fully engaged as opposed to holding the lever on the kawasaki (not sure if that has a lock like a parking brake). Still, even if you have to hold onto the kawasaki, it wouldn't be much of a problem in the circumstances that you would need the diff-lock anyway. At least I don't think. I normally have both hands planted when I'm doing something that needs a lot of traction.

 

The videos of the Grizzly sure look awesome. You can learn a lot of things about it by studying the videos. First thing is, it definitely does have a brake light. Next, although it looks like it would be tippy, in the videos it doesn't lean much in corners. Also you can see how the On-command 4x4 system works. It locks in when the button is pushed for diff lock.

There's also the little details about the machine. 12L storage box. And, if you notice, the digital display is tucked way down by the front rack so it shouldn't be hurt in case of a rollover.

 

Andy, I was told that the sway bar is in front of the suspension as opposed to in the rear like the SP500

 

Yama,

There is nothing wrong with the AC 500 motor, untill the Kawasaki and Grizzly came out it was held the title of the torque monsters in the Utility class. It even beat out the 102cc larger Grizzly by about 10%. The only down fall to the AC 500 motor is that Arctic Cat didn't port the head enough to give it that extra high RPM power for top speed.

Now you are wrong about eh Grizzly's motor being the same as the Raptor, only the head is the same. Even angle of the top end is steeper on the Grizzly (for more Ground clearance and lower center of gravity according to Yamaha-- but I bet it also helps to allow for a larger fuel tank) than it is on the Raptor. The compression ratio is different, the oil filter is on the opposite side of the motor, and so much more. Yamaha doesn't even list the bore and stroke specs so you can compare them to the Raptor.

 

Dang it ! I swore that when it was time to get my new Quad next spring it would absolutely, positively not be a belt drive or a Yamaha. I have had problems with belts and cluthes getting wet and muddy on all three of my auto machines (xplorer 300, 99 grizzly and 2000 auto cat) I absolutely hated my vibrating, tippy, always full of mud rear drum braked, battery eating, overheating, plug fouling, headlight falling off, cracked rack all in 300 miles piece of crap Grizzly and swore to never again buy another Yamaha, EVER !!!!
Now I see this thing. Never is a long time ......I may have to give Yammi another chance. He,He,He

 

So Mike, what did you really think of your '99 Griz?
Heh heh heh, sorry, couldn't resist! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] That new Griz does indeed look like a nice machine. My question now is so how much truth is there to the 680cc Polaris rumored to be coming out this fall? Been reading the Polaris forum a bit lately to see what they unveil, if rumors are true, will be interesting to say the least. If they don't drop the weight at all, yet still only have a 20cc larger engine, it might just be a good competition between the Griz and new SP. Though, at a rumored 72 mph out of the 680, man that's fast!

So, how fast is fast enough? I mean come on guys, at 72 mph on a UTILITY quad??? Getting a little crazy isn't it? I can see guys wanting a good utility machine that will get places fast, but that kind of speed is up there with the sport bikes! With a pipe on there, jet kit, etc., topping out at maybe 80+??? DAMN! That's crazy! Guess that's why they call them SPORT/Utility machines now. So how about us working guys? Do we get to keep the solid rear axle, with a brute work horse that can still haul or tow a house off it's foundation, and while being quick, will it still run at sub-supersonic speeds? Power is nice, but with machines that size, I might just hurt myself! heh heh heh. Then, I saw somewhere that the engine is something similar to one they put in their sled line, and another rumor being that they have a 100cc upgrade kit, bringing it to a 780cc! Come on now, if such a thing did exist, now we're talking Jeep. So again, how fast is fast enough? Where do we draw the line between a sport bike and now the new sport/utility machines? Or, should these new top models be in a class of their own "muscle quads"?

Best of luck to everybody and with whatever they end up with in the next few months. Me-I'm keeping my 'Cat, at least for a few more years! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

Mike