Which one should i get a grizilly or a sportsman 500 .....The terrain i will be riding will probaly be mud woods and open fields and brush....thanks marc.....

 

The reason I got the SP was:
#1 4x system
#2 IRS
#3 Water cooled
#4 intake and breather is higher
#5 Disc breaks
#6 ground clearence
#7 All those zerks the honda,and yamy guys call high matinance.I like haveing them

I road them both and I liked the sp over anything else...Plus my bones are getting old
If you can ride them,then buy what u like

 

BIGBILLYBOB,

I would have to say the Sportsman. However, I should bite my tongue with this thread, because it will probably turn into a big bashing contest.

 

I have owned 2 Grizzleys ( 98 99 ) and just sold my Mag 500. The only thing the Grizz did better than the Mag was make power. But not much. The Mag was actually faster top end, quieter, a lot less vibration, and just all around more refined machine. I actually pulled my buddies Grizz out of the mud the first day I had my Mag. BETTER 4-wheele drive system!!! Add the Sportsman's ground clearance and IRS and there is no contest.

New Explorer 400 Coming
Muddin in Mich

 

I have a 00' Grizzly and a 01'H.O Sp. The Sportsman is in a class of its own. To me the Sportsman will outclimb,outrun,outmud,outride, and outperform the Grizzly! I thought the Grizzly was the best until I got the Sp. The Grizzly is still a good machine. But when copared to a Sp it looks bad.

 

Being a Honda guy, it pains me to say this, go with the Sportsman its the better quad.

Just kidding about it paining me.

I am also considering a new sportsman! The Sportsman has improved its ride every year & the reliabilitity has improved. In my opinion Yamaha has sat back & did nothing to enhance the Griz. I think the Kodiak is a better ride than the Griz.

 

I sorrt of agree with snowshark.
I would buy a Kodiak instead of the Grizz.
I wouldn't buy the Sportsman, cause NOTHING that heavy should have "Sport" in it's name. It may go lots of places, it may be fast, and it may have a nice ride, but it's not sporty.

 

The Sportsman IS a utility vehicle and a sportsman IS a hunter or fisherman (or anything along those lines), and NEITHER is an implication of something fast. The Sportsman is for a sportsman, not a sport freak. Jeesh, can't some people just answer a simple question without bashing a machine? He asks whether he should get a Grizzly or a Sportsman and your infinitely wise answer is the Kodiak? Answer the guys question, make some attempt at being helpful, respect other machines, or stick to reading the posts, rather than making them.

Man, I don't understand why Polaris haters hang out in this forum (or why anyone who doesn't have anything nice to say about a particular manufacturer would hand out in the respective manufacturer's forum). Not to mention how moronic and immature people sound when they flame people who post, or bash machines.

$hit, I love my SP500 HO, but I know the Grizzly is a good machine, too. Every ATV out there is the best quad... for somebody.

** Off my soapbox**

BigBillyBob - For the conditions you describe, I would without hesitation, recommend the Sportsman. If you were using it as more of a utility rather than recreational quad, I would suggest you give the Grizzly more consideration.

 

Sport is in the name, becuase it is meant for people who likle to hunt and camp fish things like that, it is a outdoors sports machine. people who could give a crap less about top speed and wheeling, people who want to ride and enjoy a machine that is capable, powerful, easy to use , will pull, haul and carry anything that it needs to. The Sportsman is the hard to beat the Grizzly won't beat it, I tried out allot of ATV's and none of them even come close to the Sportsman, the ride is awesome, the 500 liquid cooled motor seems to have endless power, and now it is the HO 500 which is just that much better. I have 1800 miles on my 2000 and it just keeps getting better. if you want power, EBS, great braking, smooth ride, muding capabilities that will shame every atv you meet, then the Sportsman is for you. It is the type of machine you can ride 100 miles and still want to jump back on it and go some more when you riding buddies are whining to go home. it is simply the best.

 

Yellow,
if you read almost any of the posts I've written you'll know that I don't hate Polaris, and that I would consider buying a Magnum, Xplorer or a Scrambler.
You also should realize that if I say I don't like the SP it doesn't mean that I'm calling you stupid because you do. Why do you take it as a personal insult if someone says they don't like the quad you own?
Man, if you take this forum that seriously, you really need to get a life.