The EFI is a pretty big deal. EFI would cure the cold nature problems that I had with both the Raptor and Grizz 660s. making it a v-twin would cure the vibration issues. There is always going to be more vibration from one large cylinder vs 2 smaller cylinders. Even two larger cylinders are more balanced than any single could ever be. The KQ and the Honda Rincon are both better balanced singles with less vibration than the grizz and they both have EFI. We are now down to just Kawi and Yamaha of the big 5 mfg, that do not have EFI. That said you get a much more powerfull better balanced engine from Kawi than from Yamaha so where does that leave Yamaha?

 

The cold natured issue can be cured......my grizz has never been cold natured.....but I do keep my valves adjusted and my carb is jetted properly.
The vibration has never been an issue for me in the 5,000 miles I put on it so far..........I ride real trails and my average speed is around 12 mph.........the grizz has more than enough power for every thing I do.
I just dont get the big Power race people are hung up on......yesterday I rode with 10 quads.......2 500's, 2 600's,2 700's, and 4 800's.
I was on a little single cyl 329 cc Rancher........no one could follow and I got to break in my new tow strap on an 800 cc quad.

 

I had my grizz about a year, and just never road it much the last 6 months or so, pretty much from the time I bought my first praire the grizz just got dusty and eventualy sold. I didn't realy mind the vibration much either till I got a machine that didn't have the vibration. Thats when I realy noticed the difference. Granted the Yamaha is a good machine. That said for a flagship model for a company the size of Yamaha it leaves allot to be desired. It was never a top pic of the Big Utes in any of the shootouts and now the bar has been moved so much higher than it was back in 2001, hince the thread topic when will Yamaha give us a 800. I would be willing to bet you will always be able to find 650 class machines, like you said the 660 has enough power for you. I am sure there are plenty of other fokes that don't care about power. I myself do like power and the more the better, There are more out there that do than don't it would seem now days all it takes is new bigger more powerfull motors to get all us power junkies coming back agan and agan and agan. That said I have not owned a Yamaha in several years now.

 

All the big bores are pathetic in hp/liter figures. A 650 class engine should be able to put out 50 hp easy. None of the big bores have that, thus they need to step up the technology. I would rather have a light 450 engine making 40-45 HP than a boat anchor heavy 800-900 stuggling to hit 35 HP. Since they only make the latter, that is what I have.

 

I've had two different single cylinder ATVs the past 3 years, a Polaris 400 and now a KQ 700. The single cylinder engines work better for the smaller output machines IMO. Having the KQ and it being a huge single cylinder engine I really like it's engine and it's really smooth but I just always have wished it was a V-twin, they have more power and they are smoothier. I am also a power hungery kind of guy as powerful as my KQ is I want more, if Yamaha wants to be a contender in this big bore class they'll need a 750-800cc V-twin model with EFI...they better not use the Raptor engine again or they'll be left in the dust.

 

For a quad torque is needed.........All the hp in the world will do you no good picking your way thru a rock garden and other trail conditions where torque is king.
you cant compare the quad HP to a sled or street bike motor. They are just way different animals

 

I doubt you ever see a YFZ 450's motor in a Utility machine, granted it has good hp. #s for the dispacement it does not have the lowend Torque to perform the utility type task, not to mention the powerband and RPMs needed to reach it are all wrong for a belt drive automatic.

Your Hp numbers are about right for most 700s do put out about 30-35hp at the rear wheels, That said a sport quad that is tested at the rear wheels is going through a chain drive and has a much closer number to it crank hp than a utility quad could ever have, given that it is running through a automatic shaft drive system that drops its rear wheel hp about 30% from its motors actual crank hp.

 

Bah people, tourqe is what gets you there! Horse power is what keeps you there!

 

So most of the time I don't pay a lot of mind about horse power, only when i got an open road or trail. So feed me a quad with some monster torqe, some real grunt, and frankly yamaha just doesn't have that yet.

 

I am not looking for race replica 600 4 cylinder type power--that just would not work like mentioned, but a Suzuki SV 650 motor (6 speed manual V twin bike motor) makes 70 hp and 45 lb-ft torque. That is eons above even big bore sport quads in HP and WAY above big bore utilities in torque (low to mid thirties), why can't they put some real power in quads? They have all the displacement they need already. They could detune it all they want and it would still romp everything out there. I bet the SV motor weighs less than the ATV twins to boot.

Give me a Raptor 700 chassis, SV650 manual v-twin motor, and selectable 4x4 (I do not care if it weighs 500lbs, still 100 less than my KQ!) and I would bid auction style at the dealer for the first one.