AKSrambler,
Finally sombody who has antifreeze flowing in there veins. The worst part about hunting is working all year and hunting for 10 days! My sp500 might be heavy etc etc, but I am the only one who can ford the river and not end up a mile down stream. If it wasn't for my machine the others (hondada, yamahaha) would not make it accross. Oh and the grizzly tried to pull my camp trailer accross with the usuall load and we ended up with a resque operation! Where all do you ride. I tried out one of the new sp 6X6 this spring! GREAT MACHINE!

 

I know I would love to come to alaska and atv wow some of the pics I have seen on this forum of alaska riding! wow.

 

Cowboy is right on the money!! I knew some guys who used to argue about Polaris/Arctic Cat/Ski Doo snomobiles like y'all are doin' here, and didn't realize what was happening in Washington until it was too late. Now all they can do is talk about how who 'could have' gone through the park trais better than the others (Yellowstone, etc.) Just my 2 cents worth. I'm not gonna get in the argument between Sportsman & Grizzly cuz my brother in law owns one & neighbor owns the other to keep the peace. That and the fact I don't like to argue with a 6-4 300 pound guy any more than I have to. I leave it up to you to guess which one it is.

Farmr

I think both are great machines from what I have experienced, just suited to different riding styles.

 

Chickenman you seem to be on top of this sport and I know you have a new SP are you thinking of getting the new H.O?My plan was to drive my bike till the wheels fell off because I could no see much differance in the newer SPs to change. Our dealer has a H.O Spostsman(green) on the floor that is not spoken for and I think it will be enough differance to make a Change without being on a waiting list.

 

I'm not bashing here, but I've owned both machines. The SP500 takes the cake. Better ride, true 4wd(there are alot of things to take into account with you winning a tug-o-war), cooler-running machine, better fuel mileage, frame powder-coated vs. yamaha's paint(believe it or not, all the welds on my grizz were rusting where the paint chipped off in less than 6 months), etc. The grizz was faster than my sp, but was much less stable at speed too. The engine on the grizz always seemed like it was running too fast for my style of trail riding. You couldn't just put around without the engine winding out. Something else: you don't even see anything being compared to the grizz in the magazine anymore. Everything has beaten it(SP500, Magnum 500). Need I say more? The grizz doesn't even sell good here in Louisiana. I would take a Kodiak 400 Automatic anyday over the grizzly. My grizz overheated on me continually. The drum brake on the rear of the grizz is a joke too. Any water or mud riding, and it's gone. I guess I'll stop now as it's no sense beating a dead dog in the ground. Still confused? Take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning.

 

Myself I think Bashing is talking about what you don't know and haven't experienced yourself.You hae owned both machinces and can compare what you did or didn't like about both.Not many of us are that fortunate.CM

 

True allot of us talk about other rides and really maybe we have driven them a little or have SEEN them go through some stuff but you really don't know a quad till you owned one of put in serious log time.

 

WALEXA,I'm really glad to hear that you are happy with your ride! Thats what counts most.I wasn't hacking on the SP 500, I was just saying that I won several direct pull-offs. I didn't mention that there were a couple off different situations we got into that he was clearly better than I was. And I freely admit that. Had it been wet and muddy out like it is in the winter he may very well have had to pull me out of a couple of spots. Then again there were a couple of spots that I made it look alittle easier. Can't wait to bump into him again. We had a great time, even without the 12-pack . Its alot funner riding with a quad that "might be better then mine somethimes", then it is riding with ATVs that just can't keep up!

 

I also have owned both and I think that the SP500 is clearly superior in everyway with the exception of straight line acceleration on smooth terrain. I also had porblems with my Grizz running hot. The ride was unstable and very rough. The rear drum was useless after a few trips to the mud. The oil would turn black from the heat after one week-end. Every grizz I have seen will puff a little grey smoke on occasion, and will use small amounts of oil. The front end also bottoms out on jumps that the SP500 takes with ease.

This looks like bashing, but this was my experience with the Grizzly.

Greg

 

01grizzly,

I wouldn't have taken such a strong defense, but your initial post was pretty stout. I appreciate you coming back with a different tune. You're right, as long as each of us is happy with what we ride, that's all that matters. Polaris has its good and bad points, and for me personally, the good outweigh the bad by far. Each of us has to evaluate what we want and what we'll be using it for. All manufacturers produce good bikes, and eventually, many of us will get a lemon, no matter which brand we're loyal to. I hope that for your sake, that my grizzly was a lemon. I hear of alot of guys that believe it is the hottest thing since sliced bread. I know of guys that have bought Hondas that turned out to be lemons. It simply boils down to different strokes for different folks. Later,

Waylan