I have ben away from ATVs for 8 or 9 years.. so i really don't know much about how the new ones rate.. But i am looking for a fast (dose not have to be the fastest) good handling and 4x4 basically i am looking for a sport atv that happens to be 4x4. My first option was a Polaris scrambler 500 because my friend has one and i rode it and liked it seemed to fit my needs.. I went to the local Polaris shop and asked about one and he said he had not sold many of them in a few years he did not even stock them.. he said the 4x4s now handle as good as the sports did the 8 or 9 years ago i was more knowledgeable about them. So i was off to my Yamaha dealer and asked him about the Wolverine and his comments where exactly what the guy said at the Polaris shop. And he told me i would be best with a Grizzly 700.. I just find it hard to get over my mindset that i had years ago about utility being slow and poor handling. well back then the biggest motor in a Atv was a 400 i think lol. he gave me the booklet that came with a dvd that compared it to comparable "big bores" and i was quite impressed with how it stacked up. I looked up it and the scramblers weight and the Grizzly and the grizzly only weighs 30 lb more. And i want something reliable and with as little maintenance as possible

So would the Grizzly be a good choice for me?

 

Welcome to the forum Blaster. Another thing you may want to consider is gas mileage. A 7-800 will burn a lot more gas than a 4-500. I've never had anything bigger than a Sportsman 500 and they have all the power I need or want. Whatever you get, I would suggest an EFI over a carb if available. You get more power and better mileage at the same time. Plus, instant starts with no choke, and no re-jetting for altitude anywhere in the world.

 

My personal taste runs toward smaller ("old school" if you wish) machines with manual transmissions and SRA's, but in every magazine shootout, the Griz comes out on top compared to absolutely everything!

I have ridden the Sportsman 500, and came away absolutely unimpressed! Instead of being well suspended, I felt the ride was "mushy" with a lot of body roll, and an absolute disaster waiting to happen in nasty technical off-camber conditions. Polaris has never gotten their ergonomics right either.

 

Scrambler 500, Wolverine 450, Renegade 500 & 800. I would think the Renegade will be the one to beat in this category, and if you don't need or want a big bore, the Renegade 500 still has lots of horsepower for a 500cc. I really wished yamaha would of went the performance route with the Wolverine, would of been awsome with a Raptor 700 derived engine. Ah well wishful thinking.

Try them out, only you can decide, but I would take a hard look at the Renegade if it fits into your budget.

The Grizzly 700 is one of the lighter big bores and would probably be ok for sportyish' riding, properly setup.

The Brute Force 650 SRA would be an otion as well, tons of power, solid rear axle for powersliding fun. But it does suck back gas and it isn't the most comfortable either.

Most newer big bores can rip pretty fast, generally 60+mph, heck the Renegade 800 should be able to top out close to 75mph, my buddy's Outlander 650XT Max will go over 70mph...pretty fast for any quad. But any big bore 'ute is going to be heavier than any sport quad.

-Krait

 

I also forgot, Honda Rancher 420 might work too. EFI, SRA, manual transmission, 'relative' lightweight, 4wd.

 

I agree with everything already said here, just want to put my vote on a wolvie 450 if you've been away from quading for awhile this has 2 and 4wd is sportish and does pretty good on gas.(atleast my 350 did)

 

Well I have to atlest be able to outrun my buddy's scrambler 500.. to go off and buy a new atv and not be leader of the pack would just be sad. How much handling would i be giving up with the Grizzly.. Compared to the ones that have ben talked about so far. I am not looking to jump or anything just ride fast and be able to power slide a little or not want to role over in fast corners .

The thing about can am is it is the only atv maker that dose not have a dealership in my town.

And thanks for the warm greetings and your input so far.

 

If you're really into powerslides and playing around I think a light sport quad would be better for you than a big top-heavy ute. If you want a sport quad with IRS instead of a SRA that narrows it down to one model, the Outlaw 525 IRS. And at only 395 pounds it will blow away your buddy's 571 pound Scrambler, and most other quads <u>big time</u>. It has 11" of ground clearance, compared to about 4" on some of the competitiors 450s, so it will go most places a 4x4 utility quad will. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

http://www.polarisindustries.c...RS/Pages/Overview.aspx

"Pair the ferocious KTM 525 engine with performance-tuned Independent Rear Suspension (PRO IRS), and the Outlaw 525 IRS lets you take on the roughest trails without hesitation. It's the future of the sport. Don't get left in the dust."

 

Actually, Honda has the 700xx that has IRS as well, also EFI. They claim it is marketed directly at ppl who buy 'Ute quads and ride them like sport quads. Check it out.

http://powersports.honda.com/a...008&ModelId=TRX700XX8


A Grizzly 700 would by no means be a bad handling quad. Thing is, you just have to adjust your riding style accordingly, use more body english, and set the quad up properly with better tires, offset rims/spacers, etc.

A Brute Force 650 SRA might do the ticket too, it has SRA so it will powerslide like a sport quad. Great fun bike for ripping fast on open trails and fire roads, just not as comfortable due to the SRA, and hard foam Kawi uses in the seat.

Outlaw 525 as Jumbofrank said would be something to look at also.

-Krait

 

That's pretty cool Krait. It's the first I've seen of it. None of the 20+ people I ride with has a Honda, so I don't hear much news about them. It has good suspension travel and the ground clearance is pretty impressive at 10.5". That would go 90% of the places a 4x4 would too. But it's 505 pounds with 3 gallons of gas in it. Polaris lists dry weight so the actual wet weight of the 525 is probably 85 pounds less than the Honda, not 110 pounds lighter. I wonder how long 3 gallons of gas lasts in a 700? If I had a buddy to haul some cans full of gas I'd be more interested in this new beast. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Are these the only 2 IRS sport quads now?