I'm happy to say that I have had no problems out of mine. There are 4 700s in our riding group including mine. One of the first person to get one had the waterpump problem, it was fixed for free and it was a recall. So out of the 4 in my group only 1 has had any problem at all, and it was also a recall. Me and Ryan (the person that rides the Grizzly) ride alot. His ATV will get mine off the line everytime, but my ATV has just a little more topend than his. As for riding on trails his is better because it is lighter and seems to be a little smaller so it goes in the tight spots better. When it comes to pulling power mine wins hands down. Stock vs. Stock the 700 is better in the mud due to the tires. And me and him both think that mine has a better ride. We also agree that mine is harder to turn than it should be. The Grizzly is on the loud side, but some like this and others don't (same with the 700s weight). Both are really nice ATVs, and I would get a Grizzly any day, he would also get a 700 any day. He got the Grizzly because he trail rides alot, I got the 700 because I trail ride and pull stuff. You can't go wrong with either ATV!

 

polaris5610 i hear ya but my water pump problem was a little worse than it should of been....what happened was that the water pump fan melted and it overheated the engine meanwhile the hot light was not coming on anyway it trashed the engine and we had to get a new one under warranty...thank god....it still has been overheating since that problem so we dont really know what is wrong...but anyway i would still stick with it i believe they have still not fixed that problem in some of the newer ones not the water pump problem but the coolent problem and some others too if you buy a 700 def. change out the hose clamps and but otherwise its a awesome machine and i would stick with it even after all the problems we had...i think it comes down to maintenence with the 2 (sp700 and grizz) the sp700 might need a little more maintenence than the grizz but i think that the sp700 is more fun than the grizz but if you dont care bout the maintenence go with the 700 if you dont have time to or you dont want to do some maintenence go with the grizz but theres my 2 "dollars!!" on the matter....lol....hope you like what you choose MOJAVE...good luck!!

 

yeah i see what you are saying there. the 03s and 04s seem to be problem free. i have a 03 700 and the person that had the water pump problem had one of the first 02s. So i think the 03s and 04s have the bugs worked out. the 700 had alot of growing pains, that thing is nothing like a 500 if you look close, almost everything is just a little bit different. 4wheelerjunkie do you own on of the 02s? they seem to be the ones with the water pump problem. but then again, 2 of them are 02s in my group and the other 2 are 03s. The other 02 has been problem free.

 

It depends on the type of work you will be doing.I bought a rubicon because of the hydrostatic transmission ,light weight(for a 500) and honda reliability.I need to haul heavy loads while hunting and need to tow large animals such as moose and elk out of the woods.The lighter weight lets me travel through more mud and muskeg without bogging down and uses less fuel which means that I don't have to pack in as much for a week of hunting.The hydrostatic transmission makes sure that I am always in the right gear and don't have to worry about a belt slipping or breaking.I wouldn't have a quad with no back up recoil start because I may be miles back in the wilderness with no help available if a battery or starter fails.

 

Imo the Arctic Cat 500 and possibly the new 650 are .We are talking Utility,right?

 

first off they all brake down sooner or later and i highly do not recommend anything auto matic because they r belt driven and the kind of wieght u r talking would burn that sucker up i would get something that has a super low range gear box i qoute again a "gear box" dont use a belt driven machine with that kind of wieght u will regret it

 

Showstopper-The honda automatics do not use belt drive.they are real automatic transmissions.

 

I agree with MnFriesen. The Traxter with out a doubt. Built the strongest & no belts to wear out. All you have to do is just look at them, by this I mean the construction, Frame-swingarm-rear ends.etc.. They are not the fastest But the strongest.

 

If you have a lot of tongue weight, I would not choose a IRS ATV. I think a solid axle would be better for a very heavy tongue.

If it was just for working, and I didn't want another Rubicon, I would consider either a Honda 450 or a Traxter.

 

I run the local ATV club and get to ride them all . For me its the Kaw all the way . It is true that that stone age over weigh 700 polaski can toe a ton. But it sucks at every thing elce. Its a overweight pig and handels like its weight. I can smoke it up hill down hill off the line and above all around the conners oh ya I can also out stop it and dont even try and jump it. By the way I sold my Grizz to by the Kaw. and never looked back. Its all about how and what you want to do. I need to work my quad but like to smoke my buddys on the weekend so the Kaw is for me. Maybe you just want to toe stuff then get the 700 polaski is for you . But we all get a weekend every now and then. All I can is ride them all the choise will be clear.