Looking to make a purchase in the next couple of days.

Have been considering purchasing either a Arctic Cat 500 Auto or a Polaris 500HO, but have recently found a good deal on a Yamaha Grizzly, alll are 2004 models.

Main use will be trail(logging roads) riding and hunting.

Friends all have Polaris', but I like to be different. I've road the Polaris in the woods, and liked it. Tried the AC in the dealers lot, and felt good. I've always liked the looks of the Grizzly, but am not able to ride one.

Prices are as follows: Polaris with winch - $6,229.
Arctic Cat with Winch and 2 year warranty - $6,199
Grizzly, no winch - $6,500

Between my three choices: which will be more reliable? which would you recommend and why?

Thanks,
Steve

 

Griz hands down. The Griz is one of the most comfortable machines made. It's smooth and has great low end torque. And unlike the Polaris or Arctic Cat, it has a true on demand front locking dif. The Arctic Cat doesn't offer this and the Polaris' front dif only locks if the back wheels start to spin. Whith the Griz, you can lock the front dif with a push of the button.

The Griz is faster than either machine and much more trail friendly. The Griz is an exceptional trail bike because of it's power to weight ratio. If you check the specs the Polaris and AC are heavier and they also don't produce the power of the Griz.

If you were going for a more work oriented bike then I'd probably pick the Polaris or AC, but for trail riding and the like, Griz in a landslide.

The Griz is also a great hunting machine with it's quick engaging tranny at low speeds in extreme terrain and it's high ground clearance. The Polaris and AC require more RPMs for their tranny to engage to get you moving, and in extreme terrain that can get a bit herky jerky.

If you want the ultimate hunting machine I would suggest the cammo Griz and then add the ATV Stealth Exhaust so they don't hear you comin [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

EDIT: I forgot to address the reliability issue. All 3 quads are pretty reliable. Polaris and AC (like all the other non-jap manufacturers) had reliability issues in the past, but recent competition has made virtually all brands the same in reliability. That last statement said, I still don't think you can get anymore rock solid than a Honda as far as reliability is concerned, those bikes can damn near take anything you can throw at them.

 

I would have to respectfully disagree with some of those statements. I have no experience with the AC, but do with the Polaris. I will give you my take on it. The Polaris On demand TRUE AWD is a great system that has been around for many many years and works great. The only diadvantage to it is that it doesnt provide 4 wheel engine breaking due to the design. When switched into AWD, it only takes 1/5 more turn in the rear tires for the fronts to engage. And once you regain traction, the fronts disengage. The system is seemless and I guerentee (sp?) that you will never notice it engaging or disengaging. It also allows for a fully locked front diff without having to pull a lever or push an additional button. This allows for very easy steering when in AWD too. A lot easier than trying to steer a Grizzley or Prarie with it in diff lock. The Griz is faster in a drag race, but when it comes to top speed, there is only a few MPH difference. But these are utility machines, not sport machines. Of course the SP500 doesnt have the same power as the Grizz, there is a 160cc difference!!!! Comapre the Griz to the SP 600, 700, or 700EFI and thats another story. The SP500HO has plenty of power to get you there and back, along with your gear and game. And as far as the Polaris needing more RPMS to move? I would disagree with that. The PVT tranny is VERY tuneable to your riding style. You can have it engae as low or as high as you want. And you simply can't beat the ride of a Sportsman. The cadilac of utilities when it comes to rider comfort. And for the reliability issue, I completely agree with that. They are all just as reliable as one another. Although it does seem like the new Hondas are lacking in the reliabilty department

 

Thanks for the replies.

I agree, that a more fair power comparision would be the SP600 or SP700. But, I've only included the three that fit into my price range.

Steve

 

Well put “crblick”. To summarize, if your future ATV plans include quick and / or technical trail riding the Grizzly would be the best choice among these three.

If speed is not an issue and you just plan to take it easy then you may be served adequately by the Polaris or AC (I’m not sure which one I’d put first, but I’d put either one ahead of the Grizzly in this case)…

 

The only reason I'm put off by the AC500, is the fact that my buddies SP500HO would be blowing me away when we're on gravel roads.

I've always liked the Grizzly and the Sportsman, but don't know that much about the grizzly.

Steve

 

The Grizzly has the biggest engine and weighs about 45 pounds less than the AC and 77 pounds less than the Polaris. Grizzly suspension travel is about the same as the Polaris but the AC has a little more. If getting from point A to point B the fastest is important to you, then the Grizzly has what it takes to give you the best advantage of these three. The AC would probably be the best at tackling the most difficult terrain if you aren’t in a hurry (with it’s advantage in suspension travel), however all of these machines are very capabile in the "difficult terrain" department.

However if you put these three ATVs into an actual trail riding situation most people wont push a big bore ATV to it’s maximum capabilities so the trip from point A to point B may actually be “won” by the person who is the best rider. If you throw in a lot of steep hills it’s easier for the most powerful one (the Grizzly in this case) to really pull away.

What I like about the Grizzly over these others is that it has the most power, lightest weight, pushbutton 2 / 4 WD, excellent engine breaking effect (especially so when in low range and in 4WD which is useful when going down very steep hills and traction is less than perfect) and independent front / rear brake control (useful in really technical situations where you need to control the amount of pressure that is applied to either front or rear brake). With the Grizzly being the most expensive of the three you will have to weigh the features that are most important to you based upon the cost and then decide on which machine suits you best.

One more thing to consider, I believe the AC has both an automatic and a manual shifting (5 speed) model, so if you want a manual shifter, AC is your only choice here…

 

I've got a Grizz.,and its a great bike! One thing you may want to check out however when buying any big bore, is insurence. Its more money, and its getting harder to get! Happy trails!

 

BIGBADSCRAMBLER, How do adjust the pvt to take off without much drag feeling? I like instant responce . My belt seems to be slipping somewhat. It won't hardly pull me up a small incline on pavement without punching the throttle all the wat and waiting for it to get up enough speed to feel like its not jerking a little. Dobie

 

Dobie- sounds like what you are looking for is a clutch kit. You may want to look into the Heelclicker clutch kit. Get ahold of Treedoc on the Polaris forum. He has a Heelclicker in his SP400 and SP500. He can give you a better idea on how they perform on those machines