Im new to the sport but i got hooked on my first ride! My uncle has a Grizzly 350 which was nice but im looking for just a little more and want the fully auto fuel injected and 4x4. and IRS so i was lookin at the grizzly 450 or this sportsman the guy showed me at the local shop

Honestly i dont really know much about either make or model was wondering if i could get your guys input. I went to go look and the guy showed me the Polaris which caught my attention had has all the options i wanted.
I have a budget though i was looking to spend about $6,000 im fine with buying a leftover as well.

its not something im going to be able to ride all the time so let me know what u guys think the pros and cons r between these to models i guessing all u guys are polaris fans but what are the things i should know b4 makin this purchase

 

Well, The polaris sportsman is alot better looking, comes with 3 star (6-ply) tires that have some decent tread. They ride 10 times better then a grizzly, and the accessory system (lock n ride) is a huge plus.

I have ridden the grizzlys and would not ever buy one after having owned a sportsman or 4.

 

Well this forum will be biased towards Polaris, But heres my 2 cents on which i would choose and my quote as always, First my choices were narrowed down to Polaris 500 efi and honda 500 rancher both of which are in the same price range, the one thing that helped me decide on the Polaris was the room and ride plus the fact that it had 10 more horsepower than the honda and more suspension and rides better than any other 4 wheeler out there.
I started at the top with Comparing a grizzly 700 to the polaris 500 efi and the only thing the polaris cant do is outrun the Grizzly 700 other than that it can hang with the grizzly 700 all day long and on a tight trail they would be even cause the grizzly cant use all that power. Kodiaks 450 and grizzly 450s cant even begin to keep up with a polaris 500 EFI , ive ridden with all types and makes and my special quote is if it isnt a Polaris or Honda I dont want it, Its hard to beat the quality of Polaris and Honda.

 

I was very close to pulling the trigger on the grizzly.Iwas after the power steering.After riding one i quicly realized the ride didnt even compare to the sportsman,and it seemed like a smaller machine.Ihave gotten pretty use to the plastic racks on the sportsmans.I did not like the clutching on the wifes 05 sportsman,it wont crawl,AND THE EBS IS WAY TO AGRESSIVE.As soon as i found out POLARIS fixed these issues,,and redesigned the clutching ,Ipulled the trigger on a 07 leftover 5oo HO efi.Iabsolutely love every thing about this bike.Of course this is our 4th polaris bike,and we have a sled .We have been pretty happy with the quality over the years with them,believe it or not i am not brand loyal[my sled is a SKIDOO].I made my choice ,not to buy the grizzley,and have no doubt it was the right one.
ALAN

 

I got the sportsman 500 HO x2 efi touring 2008 so far its a great bike lots of power great ride especialy when riding 2, good mileage no complaints, there is quite a few yamaha's around here N.B Canada and except for the 2003 models that used a lot of oil they seem like a good bike too. If your going to bring someone with you I would recomend a 2up they are designe for 2 peaple and ride great ,beside that I had a Honda foreman 400 and no complaints except a rough ride, before that a artic cat 400 and it was a good bike too, but the best ride so far has been my popo.

 

it all depends on what you want. If you want a good ride, plenty of power, good acceleration and an <u>american made machine</u>, buy the popo. I know that alot of people in this forum are biased but I have owned 3 different brand bikes and riden all major brand bikes. all had good points and weak points. I would have to say I like the yamaha least. That suprised me because I loved my 2 yamaha jetskis. The yamaha bikes just didn't seem all that nimble or powerful. The seem to hold up well, though. I realy love my polaris. It has plenty of power, decent looks, great 4x4 system and rides like a caddy. The only thing I don't like is the extra cleaning and maint. that a irs bike requires. It has about 3 times the moving parts that a stright axle ride does. But thats the price you pay for a great ride. But I think the grizz has IRS too so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

nyatvguy,

I saw that your budget was $6000. I did not see where you were from, but if your wiiling to drive there are some pretty good deals to be found. I have a Polaris SP500 EFI and a Grizzly 450. Both do an excellent job for what we bought them for and they have been very tough. The Grizzly 450 is not an EFI and it is basically the same size as the Grizzly 350 that you rode I ride a SP800 and have ridden a couple of Grizzly 700's with power steering. Now that I have said all of that, if you can come up with the extra money I would reccomend the SP800 or the Grizzly 700.

 

I will be the first to tell you I love my popo esp the suspension 2nd to none.

I am as well looking to buy something with EFI as after owning my Raptor I absoulutly love the EFI in the Altitudes (12000 FT.) here in Co. The Raptor has been such a good bike that I am seriosly thinking of either a 550 Grizz or the more than likley the 700. The places I like to ride are 3-5 star Jeep trails and you need to have a bike that is light (deff not Polaris) Agile (sorry POPO) and quick accelerating (500's do ok but I want somthing between my 600 and a 800 in terms of engine power) So yes I am waiting to see the new Popos and how well they are built for my needs but like I said before the Raptor has made me a huge Yamaha fan and I will deff be looking at there bikes for future purchases!

I know that what you are looking for will not be a new bike but I thought this would give you a second opinon on somthing other than the Popo's for the style of riding I do!

P.S. I will say if we can call the ride on the Popo's a Cadillac then I would say the Grizz rides like a Lincoln it is pretty darn close! IMO

 

Go www.powersportsnetwork.com to read reviews on all makes and models of atvs. just click read atv reviews. Polaris seem to have a lot of problems stick with Suzuki and Yamaha. Thats just from what ive experienced with my riding, and the things i read here everyday.

 

What's a Suzuki? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Do they make utility ATVs? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

All kidding aside, I haven't seen one of their utes on the trails yet.