At first I was tossing around the idea of a Honda Rubicon, it is now out of the question, I believe it is already outdated, now the question is between getting a new Sportsman 500HO, Grizzly 660, or the new Sportsman 700 (if there is one). This weekend I was riding a 1999 Sportsman 500 (non-HO) and another rider had a new Grizzly 660...he could smoke me!
No contest..we drag raced and right from the git-go he just walked away from me. I rode that machine and was amazed how quickly you could hit 60mph. He said he has had it going 72mph top end. It felt much lighter, turned easier, you could throw it around like a sport bike. I was very impressed to say the least. My question is, how much faster is a Sportsman 500HO compared to a NON-HO Sportsman 500? Will it keep up with a grizzly 660?
It doesnt sound like even if the 700 is for real that it will be any better than the Grizzly 660, heavier and probably going to cost more (he paid $7000 for his).
Also, if the 700 comes to life, will the 500HO go down in price?

 

SlyFox-
If speed is your thing, sure the new Griz is fast, but I'd be a little leary of that "72mph" bit. Check Andy's post over in "Yammy land", he GPS'd his at a whopping 60.0 flat, max speed after a wide open run. Others are in the 64mph range, with one guy claiming 69.4 or something like that. Even with the outliers there (statistically speaking), I think 72 is a bit far-fetched in reality. Possibly the speedo reading? I didn't think they read that high though, none the less, with a GPS reading, I'm sure it would be substantially less than 72mph.

As for the SP700-if it is real, which is sounds like it just may be, I'm sure it will be a great machine, but I do agree with you that I doubt it will be that much better than the Griz, or even the Kawi. With it's weight and considering it's in roughly the same HP class as both the Griz and Kaw, I just don't see it "dusting" the competition like some claim.

And, to your comments about the Ruby-I couldn't agree more. That thing was outdated before it even hit the showroom floor. For the SP/HO part, isn't there about a 25% increase in power from the SP to the HO? Seems like I've heard speed readings for the HO around mid 60's, like around 65 or so??? Will it keep up with the new Griz? I don't think the HO will have any trouble with that, and I believe the ride is actually smoother-from what I've heard, the Griz is pretty stiff riding, and won't keep all four on the ground all that well. Again, take a look at Andy's posts, his old '99 'Cat with the ACT rear swing axle keeps all fours planted, while in the same test, the new Griz had one wheel 4-5" in the air. With the swaybar disconnected, it helped some, but still had the tire 1-2" off the ground. Sounds like the SP's still got the top IRS performer for keeping all four wheels planted. Will be interesting though when the new IRS 'Cats come out-the pictures of that in action and the videos are pretty cool!

Best of Luck with the decision, when it comes down to it, I think the $$$ will be the deciding factor among today's new high performance SPORT/utility machines.

Mike

 

I sold my SP to a good friend last October and picked up my new H.O. Where's the beef? It had a stiffer ride and about 2% more power. I tried to hop it up. AAEN cam, roller clutch, white spring, trick exhaust, jetting, K&N. Nada. ZIP. Maybe 3% faster than the SP.

Looking for real power at this point I bought a DS-650 Bombardier and have been in heaven, or maybe at least an episode of Star Trek doing warp 7,ever since. I had kept the H.O. for work around the ranch and an extra ride. But it was so outclassed. So I sold it to another friend, and bought a new 660 Grizz. This is the only utility that can almost keep up with the sports. And I am talking DS and Raptor.
The Grizzly's only shortcoming was its narrow track. It did not handle as well as the wider Polarises. It would not powerslide on the fireroads and trails around here so a set of Douglas wheels and Spidertrax tires came to the rescue. Track is up from 43.5" to 49" in the rear. This is something Polaris has always done right and Yamaha seems to have a problem with, the Raptor needed widening too,
It got a Durablue Axle right away. Here's a link to some pics of what a Grizzly is supposed to look like,,,
WIDETRACK 660 Grizzly[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

And hey, I agree with Cowboy, the original SP had the best ride and was the most sure footed, with very pliant suspension, even with a sway-bar. But widening the Grizz leverages the suspension and improves the ride. I think the Widetrack Grizz is about the same as the H.O. suspension wise, even top-speed wise. But the Grizz gets there in a few yards, where the H.O. needs a long straightaway. Accelerating out of a corner is something you can really do with the Grizz, and really CAN'T do with either the SP or H.O. Plus it feels lighter, more nimble, more fun to ride. And the much narrower engine makes it easier to stand through the rough stuff, like riding a dirt bike instead of a horse.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

fourlix, you said the new Grizzly is the only utility that can almost keep up with the sports. Doesn't the new Prairie fit in here quite well too? It is almost as fast on the top end and is at least as fast from the start, so I'm told. I haven't ridden the Grizzly yet, but I know the Prairie really jumps from a standstill with its quick throttle response, and its very low center of gravity makes it handle really well. At least that was the impression I got on a short test ride. It also has the nicest sounding, most vibration-free engine I've ever driven in an ATV. I hope to go try the Grizzly soon. By the way, nice pics. That is a wild looking Grizzly! Do the Spidertracks wear well?

 

I agree jscyoung. In my opinion, the prairie 650 is sportier than the grizz 660.

 

The question isn't "is the Sportsman 700 coming out?" , its "when?" and "how is it?" It definately is coming out.

Polaris is actually a smart company if you think about it. Why do you think the aired that Sportsman 500 comercial alot? It seems like I can't watch a baseball game on Fox Sports without seeing it at least twice. They say "Dirtwheels Magazine ranked it the fastest, best suspended ATV in its class." And included "its the only ATV with independent suspension." The reason is obviously because they want mores sales, but I also think they wanted the consumers to know that they were the first ones with IRS.

Also it seems everyone is trying to have at least one thing better than the other. Besides speed, the Kawi650 beats the rest in lowest center of gravity, and braking. I also like the dash too. The Grizz obviously was just out to compete with the Sportsman. It comes with everything a Polaris owner wanted from the Sportsman... less weight, lighter sterring, and MORE POWER. The SP 700 is just Polaris trying to climb back to the top by adding more power, and maybe a couple new innovations along the way, like the self bleeding radiator (if its true).

Just stuff that popped into my head as I was reading. Don't know if it's kinda off the topic tho [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

There seems to be around 25% - 30% more power with the HO. My brother and I purchased a pair of HOs and we rode with a neighboer who used to have a plain Sportsman 500 (he now has an 2001 HO). The HO could smoke the non-HO like a cheap cigar! The top end is between 10- 13 mph faster and a noticable incease in acceleration. This was a direct comparison HO vs. Non-HO... hope this helps.

I think you considering the HO and Grizz is much better than the considering out-dated Rubicon.

 

I just got back from my dealer putting a deposit on the 700sp. I got to talk to the owner about it, and he said the sp700 is far better then the Grizz. I asked him why he thought so. He said I sell Yamaha at my other store. Then he said that his rep. is bringing a demo in this week, he would call me and let me know when, then give it a test ride and see for my self. The parts manager told me that the head machanic is taking it for a day or two, then going on a dealer ride. so hopefully by the end of the week I will be able to answer alot of ?????. Can't wait for that call.

 

The polaris sp700 will be to heavy for me ill stick with my griz 660. I just dont like heavy machines very much. Dont get me wrong I think the sportsman is an agreat machine but i think they should loose some weight. As for the grizzly I think its an awesome machine. It doesnt match the suspension of the sp but it is close and its a bit to narrow but some wider tires will help. But the griz just has so much power and you can really feel it. And the great thing about it the more you break it in the better it gets. Like when i first got it I could get it to wheelie but it was somewhat hard, but now after 300 mile on the grizz it wheelies so easly. The more and more you ride it the better it gets. I dont know if its the same way with the prairie but it would be interesting to compare two broken in machines.

 

3TV,
I have been wondering about how important the dealer really is. Of my local dealers, the only ones that will give you the time of day is the Suzuki/Arctic Cat dealer. Earlier this year I bought a motorcycle from the Suzuki dealer and cannot be any happier with them.

I'm in the market for a ATV, I hope to get one next spring. I like the praire650, griz660, vinson, and the 500i cats. I'm giving a lot of consideration to the vinson and 500 cat because of the dealer. Usually how reliable are these machines? Should I go ahead and rule out the others because I have such a good relation with my Suzuki/Cat dealer?