If money were no object, I would test drive both the 700 Sportsman & the 650 Quest. For WORK, the Quest is hard to beat. Might not be the thing for comfy trail rides when compared to a Sportsman, but I never rode one down a rough trail, so I shouldn't speak.
I would probably go with the Sportsman personally, partly because of the smoothness of ride, the appearance of being stout as a tractor (time will tell) and wonderful dealer support in my area.
The Polaris probably has the most accessories, and definately has the best stock tires. A good fast reverse (when over-ridden) doesn't hurt at all, either.
I don't know what to think of the 650 Prarie. Granted it is lighter weight, but the plastic seems light, the gas tank is small, and come on, a 650 class utility machine without a HITCH???? Not bashing it, it is a great ride, just don't know about how well it will want to WORK.

I see no real shortcomings with the Grizz other than needing the rev limiter by-passed, but so will the Sportsman. It could have better tires, but I don't consider that a BIG deal.

The people I have seen with a Rubicon seem very happy with them, but to me, aren't in the same class as the big boys. If you are selling a Sportsman 500 hoping to 'upgrade' I think you would be disappointed. Other than a somewhat more responsive transmission, and Honda's attention to detail, I don't see that it has anything special to offer.


If I were spending MY money, trying to get the best bang for the buck, I would be getting a new HO, given current pricing.

 

Both the 400SS and SP500 are going up for sale this weekend. I'm asking $2750 for the 400SS and $4750 for the SP500. Both include all the extra parts, tires, etc. I'll make a sweet deal for both for $7000.

 

Heck, I have over $8000 in the 400SS alone. Ask Mike Chero, he knows how much you can spend on one of these things. It runs fantastic.

 

Jack's right, you can dump a truck load of money into these things. For what he's asking for it, it's a steal. I figure I have roughly $9000 in mine.

 

Well, as of today, my list for utility atv's reads Grizz 660 and Prairie 650. The SP700 was crossed off. The EBS is far too extreme, I hate it. Slowing from 30-40 mph can put you right over the bars. I hated that on my EBS equipped Sportsman and they have gotten far worse. It's too costly to take the EBS setup off and replace with a standard clutch and then get an entire roller clutch setup to correct Polaris "big mistake". It would be in the running if not for that.

The Bombardier Quest is a real nice atv, but was crossed off due to the extreme lack of parts for Bombardier products here in NW PA. The Quest is also extremely rare in these parts, but it is real strong and handles a lot better than I expected it to feel. You also need to go to the worst dealer in the area to puchase, you know his name "Mr. Knowitall" at Badwrench City. Their motto is "screw the customer and when he complains, charge him some more".

The SP700 EBS "extreme braking system" is horrible. Also it could use some help in the mid-to-top end performance dept. It takes off fine, but takes a long time to wind out compared to the competition. While the tires are ok, they are certainly not great and I would have to do something there anyway. it is a nice looking package, though, with the chrome rims. Prices locally are from 6800-7200.

I have no input on the Grizz 660 only that my nephew has one and I'll be seeing him this weekend. He's had his since early December so I'll be able to get some good first hand feedback.

The Kawi P650 is nice, but not without shortcomings either. The tires (Dunlop's) suck, and the front springs will need some help, with a winch and 60" Moose blade on front. For me the springs are an easy fix. But since I need tires, I thought a HiLifter lift kit and some of those 28" Outlaws mounted on those new cast alum ITP rims would be a nice setup. I believe the Kawi has the low end grunt to easily handle these big meats. Also, the Kawi racks suck in my opinion, but they only need to handle my bow rack and rear bag, so it's livable. They just "look" like they could be more heavy duty. The P650 I rode last fall was a rocket. Local prices for the P650 are $6500.

I'm test riding both the Grizz 660 and Kawi P650 this weekend, so we'll see how that goes. Of course I'm not buying a thing until I sell the 400SS and the SP500. If anyone is interested, call or e-mail me and I'll e-mail you a pdf file on each.

Jack Schultz
814-476-0500
jackschultz@adelphia.net

 

I predict you will be impressed with the new Grizz. Looks a little more heavy-duty than the 650, comes with a hitch standard, and has a very, very nice IRS system, very comparable to the Sportsman. I think it has a bigger gas tank than the 650. It may sound like quibbling, but who wants to be 10 miles from anywhere with only 5 miles worth of gas left? All it needs is the rev limiter bypassed when in 4wd lock, and it is an awesome machine. Does vibrate more than the twins, though, in my opinion.

 

I've had several comments about the Grizz vibrating from others. I guess I have to ride one myself to find out.

 

My Grizzly purs like a kitten, and works like a mule. I have no problem with vibration. The ride is better than the Polaris machines I have ridden. The Limiters are easily disbled if that is what you want to do.

Besides if you want independant suspension with a locking front differential, it is your only choice at the moment.

 

If you take out that "need for speed" mentality, and then the differential lock capability, then I have to go for the Manual Shift Arctic Cat 500i. Its made as tough as anything, has more than enough pulling power, has a good ride, great ground clearance in the snow or mud, and should be extremely reliable. My 99 500 was as reliable as I could ask for. It wouldn't win any drag races with sportsmans, but it would do anything I asked of it short of needing a locked differential.

 

I do not know what everyone is talking about, I have noticed nothing harsh about the ebs from 30-40 mph. If it will throw you over the bars...you're not atleast 16 years of age. Heck, my wife rides ours and she loves it! Maybe there is some kind of adjustment for this...because my sp700 rides like a cadillac! I also test drove a 2002 artic cat 500(not i) with the rocker shifter. Not impressed, terrible vibration about 1/2 way through each gear, and very slow. Check out atv mags March 02 big bore shootout, 0-40 was pitiful! Don't know that much about the griz, but I heard the p650 is a good atv, but needs better springs! Proud 02 SP700 owner