I took delevery of my 2005 Yamaha Grizzly at the tail end of September 2004 and have since ridden the snot out of it.
So far the machine has been very reliable but like all machines there has been a couple of small things that need addressing.

During watercrossings or mud bogging with water on top of the mud the machine will create lots of steam, the steam then enters your air cleaner and causes the machine to pop and misfire. It never died all the way but the misfires caused signifigant power loss when you needed it most, 3 feet deep in the mud! I know there is a way to fix it but I havn't done it yet. The machine needs to be rejetted as the factory or perhaps dealer jetting isn't correct.

I was Elk hunting and driving down a county road and the machine died, popped and misfired then just died! It started up again and I was unable to figure out why it had died, seemed that it ran out of gas but the tank was full. It did it a few more times and I moved the petcock to reserve and had no more issues. Something must have plugged my fuel line in the normal "on" position. I moved the petcock from off to on to reserve a few times to try and free it up and it seems to have worked. The machine has never died since that one isolated episode.

The stock tires on the Griz are total garbage. They arn't even worth riding until they are worn out. My stock tires had to be replaced almost right away as they wear very fast but worse they puncture really easly. The handling with stock tires is also poor as the sidewalls roll on corners making the machine feel very tippy and unstable.

I hate the "clunk clunk" noise the griz makes when braking downhill. The tranny makes a very noticable clunk noise if you are braking on the rear brake and slide the rear a bit. It is normal and not harmful but the noise does make you wonder and I hate explaining it to other riders when they ask what that noise is.

Ok so that is the list of problems I have encountered. Nothing has broken or failed on the machine (except perhaps the tires) to date. I ride in all conditions from freezing 0 degree weather to 100 degree weather on mud, sand, trees, rocks, roads, nasty 1 lane trails you name it I ride on it. I am also a very aggressive rider having a background of racing dirtbikes and racing quads to a limited amount I ride this grizzly like I stole it basically. But I do maintain it and never skip oil changes.

I am very impressed with the Grizz's ablity to tow things around. I live on a farm and use the griz in farming type chores all the time. I can hook the griz up to trailers and loads in excess of 2000 pounds and tow them around quite well. I don't go down steep hills though as a load like that will push you down the hill and kill you or your machine lol. I use the quad to move my boat in and out of storage and it weighs a good 2000 pounds also. I use the quad to check fence lines, chase cows around whatever I need to do it does it well. The IRS on the grizz makes trailers ride very smooth also, so while your towing a trailer full of fencing supplies it doesnt bounce everthing around nearly as much as a solid rear axle does. The IRS puts the tounge of the trailer on suspension and it helps alot. Only draw back is that heavy toungue weights will squat your quad down, but this is probably also good as the driver gets a great feel for how much they are auctually towing!

The tranny on the Grizz should be a huge selling point. Even towing heavy loads this thing has worked flawlessly. No belt slippage, no wear no problems and it is very smooth and engages as soon as you tap the throttle. I would never go back to a manual shifter again on a utility quad, there is no reason too as this thing does it all better. There is no load movement when you try to upshift from 1st to 2nd. On manual shifter quads soon as you disengage the power to shift the load behind you stops getting pulled forward and you instanly loose momentum, then you engage 2nd gear and now the quad has to try to pull back that lost momentum but with a belt quad it's all seemless and the load just continues to accellerate to your desired speed. For working I use low range on the griz and it will pull the rubber off the tires before the transmission gets overloaded and slips.

The griz is very reliable also. Once I get the steam bath quirks fixed this machine will be flawless. Great for work and a ton of fun playing [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I put the first thousand miles on our 2004 Grizz before my wife decided she liked to ride it. The only problem we've expereinced was a faulty #1 thermal switch that would give a false temp warning light. $32.00 and about 20 minutes it was fixed. The clunking noise from the quad under hard braking or while air born bothered me until I found out it was normal. Overall, the Grizz is really well made and an overall good performing machine.

 

Pretty positive review! Too many times you hear complaints early in the new model year but sounds like you're pretty satisfied!

 

I agree fully with the 2005 Grizz asessment. I put 700 rough miles on mine since september. The clunking going down steep declines wasn't bad enough to rate a negative for me, I just worked the front brakes more. I dumped the stock tires in the showroom and went home with 589's on c series alum wheels. I fully snorkled it and never had problems in water or mud with the grizz. Don't have one complaint about the rig. I pulled a thousand pound trailer thru a mud hole and unknowingly wedged it on a submerged rock, I locked the differential and goosed it. Dug 4 trenchs in the hardpack rock dirt before shearing both half inch bolts that hold the reciever ball and plate to the frame. The thing is a beast and worthy of it's name. I wouldn't trade it for any other machine out there.

 

It may be a small step behind in power when compared to some newer vtwin machines but being a older design they have most of the bugs worked out of it. A solid machine. Right now I would say for me it is a toss up between the griz and the BF750. I need to get them both on the dirt and ride them. Darn dealers need a loaner program where you could bring one home for a day or weekend and try it out. As long as you gave them proper collateral of course.

 

I ride with a BF750. Great machine. My Grizz is never a step behind him at anything.

 

Funny you should compare the BF750 and the Grizz, I happen to own both. I started with the Grizz, but ended up giving that to the wife (her choice not mine) so I just picked up a Brute. They are different machines and the best two for where I ride and how I use them. They each have strong and weak points. I don't have enough seat time on the BF to give a full and fare evaluation and comparison, but many other people have covered the topic fairly well here. It boils down to a personal preference in the end based on a perceived perception of what a quad should be and what it should be able to do.

 

That was a great review of the Grizz. I have a 04 that I got last March. I have almost 1400 miles on it. No problems yet. ( Knock on wood ) How many miles do you guys have on yours?

 

Dirty Dude,
Excellent, well balanced write up on the pros and cons of your ride. I'm a Cat rider, but have an open mind, as you clearly do. It refreshing to read a well rounded piece. When the time comes to select a new machine, it's much easier to make an informed decision when both sides are presented. There are lessons for all of us in your evaluation. Thanks.
Jim

 

Mr. Curls, I believe you are 100% correct.