I have a 2000 big bear 4X4 that I am happy with but for what you want I think you would love the Can Am 400 or a Grizzly 450. My BB does great in utility and mud riding-I was mudbogging yesterday with 700cc machines and got thru the same stuff without any of the belt slippage(we were riding in 3 feet of water at places. Not smart!)- but for most trailriding I would take those other machines. One thing many people don't mention about the big bear is that it is probably the SLOWEST top speed 400 out there. I might see 50 mph top speed but to do it you'll feel like your going to blow the head off the thing! I've rode my brother's Outlander 400 and you could cruise all day long at that speed. His Outlander is fast on the trails too! Have fun picking your new ride!

 

Rode them all except the new 450 Suzuki, the Outlander beats them all in power and comfort. The new info comming out is the 07-08 Outlander is going to be a 450 EFI. My Outty 400 was the first one in the US (back in Dec. 02) and runs as strong as the day I purchased it (no problems).
I race XC and motocross so I want to have the best handling and power, those were my needs.
Don't think the Outty doesn't work I plow & move 4000lb. boats around with ease (Thank God for the low,park and great engine breaking).
Your needs may differ, all the machines are good today I would pic the one that most suits your needs.

 

thanks everyone.. it still seems up in the air. From what I see most that have the BB would go with the 450grizz now. Ill give the Suzuki 450 a look also. My friend has the 700 Suzuki and that thing flies! But I dont have 8k to spend on a 4 wheeler. Im looking for good machines in the 4500-6000 range. The outlander seems to be arund 6000 at most places I visit. The plus to the outlander is that the dealer is 10mins from me. The yamaha and etc dealers are 45-60mins at the least from me.

oh and I have sat on a few artic cats. They are ok, but I dont like their looks for some reason. Plus they were in the same price range as the outlanders and if that was the case, I would get the outlander then

thanks again everyone and feel free to keep the info coming.. its still up in the air on my end

 

That's really easy to fix... Just drill a few holes in the rotor (around 8 or so) to make it look more similar to the front brakes... polish it back up w/ a brake polishing kit... and whala... no more squeals... (we've done it to both mine, and my buddy's kodiak... worked great!)

 

Hey Squeege... how do you like the kodiak 450 so far. I just got an 06 kodiak 450 and need to make some improvements. dont like the power and the tipy lean roll over feeling when cornering. I was thinking to add tires and rims ( to step out the foot print a little) not sure if i wanna go larger. Did you loose much power with the 26's. Did you make any more mods?

 

I got a nice billet tip for my exhaust, and just the usual upgrades.......my wheel and tires end up making my quad about 48" wide with......the overfenders still can't keep the mud off the quad.....suits me well for my style riding

 

Bike Looks great! did you loose any power or snap with the larger tires? and is the bike less tippy with them. how does it handle on the trails with the larger foot print?

 

The Big Bears is geared for work with a top end of 45mph and screaming while doing it. The 400 Grizzly is geared more for recreational riding and will cruise at 50-55 mph nicely. The 450 Grizzly has a low range option, it is geared for both work and recreational use.

 

The outlander 400 i think would be the best... It has the most power, good handling,and a great engine.

 

I really didn't loose much snap with 26's.....yes the quad is much more stable with a wider footprint, however it requires more steering input. The tire wheel packages for the Kodiak will make it wider automatically(they don't make aftermarket wheels with the stock offset).

Just for the record, For those of you who forgot the BRP challenge videos, The Kodiak 450 beat out the outlander 400 in the sled pull..........the Kodiak and outlander are close to an even match