Andy,

Don't take this the wrong way, but I just found this VERY funny since I just read it maybe 5 minutes ago.

I was reading the review of the Grizzly in the August issue of 4 Wheel ATV Action and just about everything you say is TOTALLY opposite of what they say. Of course,I've read other reviews by them that is TOTALLY the opposite of what I say too. But here is what I mean.

You claim:


<< The 02 Grizzly is basically no better than a standard swingarm quad at keeping all four planted. >>


They claim:


<< You will immediately like the feel of the Grizzly's IRS on any kind of uneven terrain. We rode some rough trails with nasty diagnonal rain ruts and the Griz ate them up like they were barely there. The more irregular the terrain, the more the Griz likes to show it's stuff. >>



You claim:


<< It is a virtual rocket >>


They claim:


<< It may have a Raptor-based motor but you aren't going to feel a Raptor-like rush when you hit the throttle. >>



You claimed:


<< The grizz doesn't powerslide or cut donuts well at all >>


They claimed:


<< Click it into 2WD and the Grizis ready to slide. You can get full-lockers out of the 660 with no drama. >>



You see what I mean?? Makes me wonder if the guys who ride them actually do the writing. Kinda like the Quadrunner 500 review a while back. They claimed that the top end and bottom end power was above average, with the mid range being less than average. I've alwayts found the mid-range power on the 500's motor to be the best area of power.

 

I gotta say I agree about the IRS, this is the first machine I have owned with that feature and sorry but it just isn't worth all of the fuss. My Rubicon isn't that much different, at least not enough to make alot of noise over. I mean it's nice but it wouldn't sway me on which machine to purchase. I also agree about the rocketship statement, I have a 440ex modded heavily and I still think the Grizz has great throttle response and a huge fun factor. I have been able to powerslide fairly easily though and even spin donuts I do use body english and maybe my fast sport riding helps in this category I don't know. I'm still feeling it out but so far this is one heck of a machine although there are points I like about the Ruby better I feel it was a good choice.

 

Wow what a joke &lt;&lt; It may have a Raptor-based motor but you aren't going to feel a Raptor-like rush when you hit the throttle. &gt;&gt; I supose that they would expect dodge viper like performance out of a ram v10. It is after all a viper based motor is it not. Maby no one told the magazine that the Grizz weighs 200lbs more and is an auto. I vote they change the name of the mag to &quot;Dumbass Quad Reviews&quot;.

 

Yeah, that article looked about like every other new quad article I've seen. Nothing but praise. Like when you read an article from two years ago saying &quot;The new Prairie 300 has fairly good engine braking on steep decents!&quot; A lot of colorful crap I think. I'll take some pictures of that suspension squat sometime. They are full of crap if they think it holds the ground. It does ride unbelievable, but doesn't have that plant that the AC does.

As far as being a virtual rocket, it is compared to a utility. Its not exactly going to be a raptor though. Have to drop some pounds and change a lot of stuff up first. (I guess it would be a raptor then) I would put it against any 4x4. The only one with a chance to beat it is a 650 prairie, and we've already heard of how it will smoke a Sportsman HO.

As far as getting the *** end to swing around, it wants to grab a lot. You really need to be in loose stuff otherwise you run the risk of it pitching you. Their ride reviews on first tests suck anyway. The waste 2 pages telling you the same thing they did in the first look, and then the other stuff is just about stuff you wanted to hear or expected. Sometimes in the shootouts though, they actually pick out things.

Remember the &quot;cut &amp; paste&quot; Arctic cat review? Same crap about the rocker shifter, same tourquey engine (they could have took that from the brochure), same body roll. They said the same damn thing in every review I think.

Sometimes it makes me wonder why I ever believe anything in magazines. Kinda like that 68mph. dirtwheels scrambler 500 the last 2 years.

 

Andy,
Have you run your Grizz through any water yet, and if so have you had any sputtering or missing yet? I have not tried mine yet, but I am hearing complaints about it not likeing water. I have told my dealer about it and he is supposed to contact Yamaha about it and see what is going on.

 

Good point, Richard. This thread has been full of great info, but I'm still waiting for more on this claimed water problem. Here in the Yukon we have a lot mud/swamp/creeks/tundra that we ride in, and any machine that can't take water will be off my list.
If anyone has any good fixes or snorkel solutions to the water issue, I'd sure like to hear about that too.

 

Hey there YukonRon,
Yes I am very interested in hearing more about the water problem, we have lots of it up here on our hunt every year. Maybe I bought too fast. I really like the machine otherwise though. I think if all the dealers put pressure on Yamaha something would be done quickly about the problem, if there is one. I have been too busy to go find some water lately, so I was just wondering if somebody had a real life experience with theirs and not just hear say. If there is a problem Yamaha should want to fix the problem as soon as possible.
Larry

 

Larry.
Sorry I messed up on your name. I guess Richard is your last name. I see you're from Alaska so you know exactly what I'm talking about. You'll be riding in the same kind of country, maybe even worse. What part of Alaska are you in?
This is the second summer in a row that we've had above-average rainfalls, so some of the water crossings have been pretty exciting. I've really come to appreciate the need for good waterproofing, and if that is this machine's only shortcoming I'd be willing to look to aftermarket solutions.
Just noticed my profile was wrong, so I've fixed that now to show Yukon. (I'm sure Whitehorse, Alabama is nice, but that's not where I'm from).

 

Haven't had any problems with mine yet, of course I haven't spent hours in the water yet like some do on here. I have done about a 30 yard creek crossing with the water up to the lights and once where I nosed into a swamp and buried half the front end with no sputtering. I also did a ton of other smaller water crossings at both high speed and low to see if it would occur during either of these with the same results. So far so good no sputtering and no belt slippage gotta admit I was a little nervous after reading some of these posts but have since relaxed a little.

 

Thanks for the reply 400freak. That helped a little, now if mine will go through the water like yours.
Larry