Just wanted to say hello , and you guys seems like a good helpful bunch. Well i am looking into picking up an ATV , want to do some lite trail riding , no crazy mudding or crazy rock climbing. Mostly would take it out for a cruise with my fiance or do some work around the house with it too. Would love to even maybe use it for hunting down the road.

I guess the top contenders here are the Grizzly 700 and Can Am Outlander 650 ?

Again , i need enough power to get the job done but im not trying to compete in races or mud wars lol . Or should i look into like a 450 or 500?

What would you guys recommend for me ? Should i give Polaris a thought as well? Im not too fond of that Honda suspension so i want to skip that. I am looking for something reliable and fun! I went to check some out in person and it made it that much harder for me haha. Also, i am not looking to break the bank so tryin to keep the price reasonable with what i would need. Thanks !

 

As my opinion I would go with the grizzly 700, why? is because of reliability, it would get work around the house done, also because of more power mostly because you never know what you would need it for.never really have problems out of the grizzly

 

If you need a 2 person machine for the times you have a passenger get an Outlander Max. The 650 is a great engine that will do anything you need to do including fun rides on fast trails. I do everything from easy trail riding, rocky hill climbs, deep water, mud, and snow, and I also move firewood and plow snow with it.

If you go with a single rider machine either one is a great ride and reliable. The Outlander is sportier than the Grizzly, the Grizzly probably has a little more low end torque for jobs. As I said, either one will do what you're asking it to do.

If you want a more work oriented machine the Polaris Sportsman X2 is the top of the heap work-wise. Has a dump box on the back that has a passenger seat that folds up out of the dump box. Newest version is a 550 with power steering. I had an older version with a 500. It treated me very well and was also very reliable. I only traded it because I needed a little more power for long uphill sections of trail that are smooth. In high gear with my gravitationally challenged 350 pounds it would top out at about 37 mph. This was in both winter riding and regular riding season. With the 650 I can keep up with just about anyone.

 

Do not go just by motor sized, My 350 Grizzly has a higher towing capacity(1100lbs) as a 680 Rincon(850lbs) due to the trannies. (Look it up)
The 700 Grizzly is the baddest Yamaha has. Put mud tires on it and low range with diff lock and it will do as good as anything out there even if you run into a mud war.

Really from for you want to do a 450 Grizzly or 550 would be more then enough.

Just make sure it has low range ,IRS and is at least a 400-450cc. Any brand but Chinese.
Don't over think the wheel barrel.

 

I have an outlander max, the 650 has more HP than the 700 grizzly i believe this is a new thing as of 2013. My wife absolutely love the second seat, so much so that she doesn't want to drive anything anymore just wants to ride along. I use it for everything and really enjoy this ATV.

 

Awesome information guys, the Outlander Max looks pretty sweet with the 2-up option. You can either ride solo with lots of room or add another person with still some good room. As far as reliability with Can Am products , how are they as a company with warranty and things like that?

I mean i am mechanically inclined and can wrench on my own stuff, but i also like to wait out a bit for new vehicles to work out any kinks or bugs they have the first year of being new with some technology or mechanical upgrade.

 

From my experience can am does stand behind their product, however this also has a lot to do with the dealer you choose. I have had problems with a certain dealer in my area (no matter what brand it was - honda kawasaki or can am) yet others have gotten things done with no problems. Can am knows what people are doing with these bikes and don't try to BS you around. They also have snorkel kits and radiator relocation kits that DO NOT void the warranty unlike other companies. I would ask the dealer if they own any atvs and what they do with theirs if your going to do any extra mods and see how they feel about different things. The dealer I use now mud races and he has no problem getting something warrantied so long as it wasn't due to the operator did knowingly. (For instance, if you drive it into a lake and get water in the crank case he isn't going to help you get it covered. But anything that is a default or wears out or something like its covered.)

On a side note you will find that with can am its easy to turn that 650 into a 800 or 940 when the time comes for a new engine. I have only had to rebuild a can am after it was sank never from the engine wearing out.