Between Polaris 800 & Grizzly 700?
Go for the Grizz. It may be down on power, but it's also much lighter.

In my opinion, having had only an hour or less seat-time on the 800, and even less on the Grizz,
the Polarass is a total pig on the trail, suited only for wallowing in mud, and plowing out pens.

 

My vote is for the Polaris sp800, Much more power and better ride and Polaris is as reliable as all other brands, don't buy into that BS, you have had a few you should know.
The griz will be a sportier ride.

I ride with all kinds in my ATV club and they all break down at some time depending on rider and maintanence performed and up keep.
Most problems in our groups have been from BF750 (new) and a prarie650 that ended up getting parted out...Yamaha bending tie rods every stump they hit too.


Jim

 

Actually, I feel the 700 Grizzly is above average in the power to weight department. Mine will get the jump on and pull away from a King quad in a 400' drag, and that is with 6 ply 26" tires on my Grizzly and 25" Bighorns on the King Quad. It is true that Can Am wins in the power department as the Rotax engine seems to put out more power than any other manufacturer's engine of comparible size. However it will take more than the 500 Can Am to out drag the 700 Grizzly (I ride with one of those too). When my Grizzly was new that 500 Can Am would run right with it (it with stock tires and me with 6 ply 26" tires), however my Grizzly with about 800 miles on it will beat it every time now. The Grizzly is no match for a 650 Can Am though (let alone an 800). Even still, the Grizzly has a sporting ride for a 4x4 ute. When ridden aggresively it can wheelie out of corners and it's easy to bring the front end up on demand (useful for clearing obstacles and fun to play with).

In the comfort department the 700 Grizzly is improved over the 660. I've ridden a Polaris Sportsman 800 and I find the ride to be very similar. The cushiest riding machines that I've experienced so far have been the Can Ams that I've ridden (a 500, 650 and an 800 Max).

As far as the 4WD systems go, a few months ago we had the opportunity to ride in some icy snow conditions (it was hard to stay on your feet if you tried to walk on it on any kind of a slope) and between a King Quad, a Can Am 500, a 660 Grizzly and my 700 Grizzly it was the Can Am that was having the most difficulty. The Can Am rider needed multiple attempts to get up an icy rutted creek bank where everyone else made it up in one try. It was also the one quad that needed to be pushed up the last part of an uphill mountain trail. Perhaps the tires made a difference (he was the only machine running stock tires) but I wouldn't blame it on the rider as he has lots of experience.

In the engine braking department the new Grizzly is the best compared to all of those machines previously mentioned. When the Grizzly is in 4WD low range the engine braking effect is on par with a Honda Rubicon and that is really good.

I have not had any problems with Grizzly tie rods (on the 660 or the 700). Part of it may be how you ride. I have never bent a tie rod on any machine I've owned (which included a VForce which were notorious for doing that). Yet I let someone borrow my 660 on a ride in a rocky trail system and they ended up bending both tie rods. That person sits on the quad all the time though. I am off the seat more than I'm on it and am careful with the lines that I take, plus I will lighten the front end (body english and / or throttle) when I'm about to hit something. I am also the most aggressive rider of the group that I ride with.

700vtwinman, you made some good comparisons that the original poster should find useful. I will go on to say though that the top speed of the 700 Grizzly (of mine anyway) is 63 mph indicated (with 26" tires) on the speedo. It can reach this speed on level or slightly downhill ground quite easily but it will not go past that because of the current CVT setup I reckon. Also, about the steering, there is just not anything out there than can compare with how consistently easy it is on the Grizzly (whether you are on a flat grassy field in 2WD or a rocky or muddy trail in 4WD). Perhaps the new Honda that has power assisted steering would be equivalent but I've never ridden one of those so I can't say for sure. I put two different riders on my 700 yesterday (one has a 750 Brute and the other has a 700 Sportsman) and they couldn't get over how nice that steering was...

 

I would strongly recommend you doing some research and draw your own conclusion. You'll get bias on both sides of the fence in any thread like this and seldom walk away with much of any value. I think you are talking about two fine machines. I myself don't like buying a 1st year machine and the grizzly 700 is just that. But if I were to do so, I would feel pretty comfortable with Yamaha. I actually was looking at buying one myself. But didn't. I read on here that they have issues starting in cold weather and I couldn't shake that. Thats a deal breaker for me. There was a work around if I recall. And some people reported never having a problem and for others it was the plague.

That and the gas boiling in the tanks. I don't know how true these things are. I have just read them here on these forums. If you search for it you'll find it yourself. You can find problems with the SP 800 also if you search (melting plastic). I have a 06 800 and am very pleased with it (no melted plastic). Weight for me isn't a issue as I use it for trail riding in the mountians. That and work (pulling, plowing snow...etc). I'm not racing. If it were me, I would look at the price of both. I would then compare the features. Ride both. Figure out if the features one had were worth the cost (more power vs power steering for example) and go from there. If power steering is your big draw Honda has it now too.

 

Look for the deluxe model on the SP800. With the ADC, the aurgument is just about over on the engine braking issue. I would also look at a KQ700. Very nice ride. I love my Po Po, but the KQ will be my next atv, and I have been riding Polaris since 91.

 

You can have all the power in the world, but if you don't have other factors to go with it like handling, ride, 4wd system, steering, etc, it won't matter. My bf750 is now running about 60hp and I can beat a outy800 in a 200 yard drag about 1/2 quad length, but who cares. It still doesn't handle that great. And I have ridden an outy800 and the power is as you say, but the front end dives and bottoms out and it is just as hard to steer as my bf750. On my polaris sp800 X2, I can steer with one hand over bumps, but that can't be done on a bf750 or outy800 without the handle bars jerking away.

You seem like a guy who has to justify his purchase by putting down other manufactures.
There is not a single quad out there that does everything the best. So, we buy based on what we like and what will be the main use for the ATV. So, if you want to win stock drag races, get an outy, but if you want an all around quad to do other things well, there are other quads out there that offer a better package and that is what these guys are talking about.

I was like you and argued that you can't have too much power, and having that power is awesome. I love hopping on my bf750 and hammering the throttle, but some people can't afford more than one quad. Thus they want to get a quad that can do everything very well, and this is were the griz700 comes in as well as sp800 and KQ700, etc.

So enjoy what you like to ride and let others enjoy their rides. It would be very boring if we all had the same quad exactually like your quad or my quad.

 

I love it! All these dipsticks putting down the polaris because it's heavy and not one of them has asked what he wants to do with it. Maybe he also wants to use it to plow, push,or pull with, then what are you going to do with the grizz? That's right sit back in envy and wish you could do as much with your light weight sport 4X4 while we're gettin it done with our polaris.

 

That's a good point, and I actually like the Grizzly if it felt like it was a 700 and if it was sportier I might have bought one myself. I have a lot of respect for the Polaris too, but after riding my Renegade, the Steering on my friend's 800 is less than confidence inspiring. They do all have pros and cons, I guess it just depends on which cons are acceptable and which aren't. By the way, I definitely think my Renegade handles better, but I also admit it's a rougher ride over rocky terrain, and I think Can Ams are a little over priced too. None of them are perfect, they all bank on each of there strengths, and everyone values those strengths differently when deciding on a purchase. As for the Brute Force, for the price, I like that one too, in fact I went to purchase the 650 in Black, when I saw the first Renegade the dealer received. Hope Kawasaki gives it fuel injection next year and a better set of tires stock. happy riding.

 

Good point. Hey Kas379, sorry I came across hard. Just having one of those days and I guess I have snapped at several people today....LOL. BTW, I how much faster is the Renegade over the outy800? I figure it will be since it is a little lighter and more aerodynamic.

 

I am new to this forum and i have only been riding for about 4 years. thank you guys for your input, it is all helpful. I do alot of trail riding, some hard some easy. I hunt on them alot and some winter riding. The heaviest thing
i ever pull is an elk or a moose if I actually draw out this year for moose. I like to play in the mud but not super deep mud just moderate. Alittle rock crawling but nothing exsteme. I love to climb also. I dont realy do much work with them just play. I was happy with all my polarises but I rode the Grizz and loved it too. I agree with zorro 700, polaris does get er done but im sure yamaha does too. once again thanks for the input