I'm wondering what problems I should look for if any, and are they really that top heavy that I need to worry about hill climbs.

 

I haven't had any problems with mine on top heavy. Its doesn't have anywhere near as much weight up front as my Arctic Cat 500 did, but neither does anything else. Seems fairly stable, though I will admit that its very narrow with stock rims on. With ITP's (and their regular offset), it makes a lot of difference.

Some guys have had a few problems on this bike though, and I won't disclaim that. I've had no problems.

 

what size rims did you go up to?

why won't you say what those problems were, I'm just trying to perpare myself.

 

I'm not hiding anything, I just didn't want to fool with it. But since I have time....

Carb vapor lock and gas boil (due mainly because the carb is so close to the exhaust pipe. (cured with some highlifter heat wrap and reflective tape on the bottom of the gas tank) Mine did this once. I got mad and put that stuff on it the next week and I've never seen even a hint of it since.

Left front CV messing up somehow. I read about somebody having this problem, but I don't know anything about what was up with it.

Sputtering when you go into water real fast. Somebody said this was steam going in the intake or something. Don't know, hasn't happenned.

Water going into the transmission intake and causing the belt to slip. Never had it happen, but I don't submarine mine ever. I've crossed marginal water, but never dipped it under. I can see how it would happen if you nosed into a 3 ft. deep hole, because that intake is right under the front hood. This is something I would worry about on any belt drive of course.

Don't really know of anything else, at least I can't remember it. Do a search for "Grizzly problem" or something like that and you might find something out. Only problem I had was that one time where it lost power because it was hot and the gas was boiling or whatever (and I didn't believe that until I actually saw it). Not much of a problem and cured for $45 completely.

Most of these guys here will answer you questions pretty truthfully I think. I don't know of many big braggers that only tell the good side of the story, but they are to be found all over the forums of course.

My advice, ask a lot of questions, look at a lot of answers, and then decide who is full of it and who isn't. If their signature ends with a "Insert brand name- Rules!!!" or "I eat Honda's for Breakfast" or something like that, then they probably aren't going to tell you much about problems with their bike.

 

Good post Andy. I too have had the gas boil problem with my 02 Griz but only when I was going pretty slow with it for an extended period of time such as when pulling logs out of the woods (drag one down, fast ride back up to the woods, then repeat) for an hour or more at a time. Also when pulling my 628 lb Swisher 50” wide trailcutter when mowing hayfields or pasture areas for one or more hours at a time (I’ve also had the over temperature light come on during the hotter days when using the mower).

However for regular recreational riding I’ve never had a problem with it getting so hot that the gas boils enough to cause the vapor lock problem and engine sputtering.

There are fixes including vented sidecovers and the heat shielding that Andy mentioned that I’ve read on other posts as well that have been reported as a successful cure. One of these days I figure I’ll get around to heat shielding mine but it really hasn’t been that much of a bother to make me go out of my way to do it.

On the plus side I’ve gone on extended trail rides with a prairie 650 and a Rubicon where they’ve both had over heating problems (due to mud in the radiator) where I’ve not had the problem. Being the fastest rider in this group I’m always in the lead and when going through muddy sections there are many times when I’d go straight through where the others would skirt around the worst of it. I’d generally be far enough ahead though that the others wouldn’t see how I went through so they chose their own path. Perhaps the direct approach actually helped to splash enough water to dislodge some of the mud, however good (easier to rinse) or bad (easier to get muddy) it seems like the Grizzly radiator is more exposed to the elements than on the other two.

On the down side for many is the handling at speed. The Grizzly on it’s long travel and IRS suspension really wallows around, giving one an unstable feel. However it’s possible to get used to this (as I have) and can push it pretty fast when I want to. I have to slow down quickly though if I’m ever in a situation where I would encounter an object (such as the ground) front wheels first (i.e. traversing a runoff trench that has a downhill slope (like a “V”) that inhibits the ability to get a good launch. In this situation if you are going too fast the front suspension will bottom easily and hard. On the plus side the suspension along with the cushy seat treats the rider to a pretty comfortable ride when compared to other machines.

In spite of slightly increased body role I’ve removed my anti-sway bar (from the rear suspension) to allow even more independent functionality. There is a noticeable improvement on handling in rock gardens however the tradeoff is that the rear end sticks better (especially with the ATR Holeshots) and it’s a little harder to slide (sometimes the inside front wheel will lift).

The only other problem I’ve had has been with the rear hitch. I’ve broken the bolts once and broken the hitch tongue (or whatever it’s called) another time (where it’s drilled to bolt onto the frame. In one instance I was trying to break a stuck log loose and the other I was attempting to pull out a large wild rose bush, both of which I’m sure was greatly exceeding the 1212 lb towing capacity. I’ve even towed a Dodge Caravan for around 200 yards (some of it up hill) through a field. I also moved a 5000 lb John Deere model A tractor to it’s parking place about 100 feet away (over nearly level ground). Anyway to permanently fix the hitch I ended up drilling the existing hitch bolt holes in the frame to receive larger (5/16’s I think) hard bolts, then I made a new tongue out of the metal I cut off of a spare 2” receiver bar I had laying around (then mounting a 1 7/8” hitch ball on that).

Beyond that it’s been a good workhorse, very reliable and fun to ride machine.

 

check out the forums at atvnation.com or highlifter.com there is PLENTY of bitching about Grizz's there

I have had non of the problems most people have, overheating, axles etc... I do have a problem right now, bitch won't start. I think I have some trash in the gas or my spark plug is bad...not sure, haven't had the time to look at it





enjoy the bike, don't worry about

 

yea andy my 03 grizz 660 has had the vapor lock thing and the front cv joint problem,but the thing i hate most is when i go fast through water and it sputters,my bro has the same as mine and he thought his was a submarine and had it floating (well kinda) in a lake and it never made the belt slip at all it just took 2 hrs to get it to run again bc of that stupid breather by the left rear tire (i heard it was for the belt) it dogged down the engine and stalled it and water got in the exaust pipe.

 

Just got back from a long weekend on my 03 660 Griz. I still have not had any problems talked about on this web sight including gas mileage. As far as the heating is concerned, this engine does get hot. But so do most atv engines this size. I road with a guy with a 2001 Polaris 500 and his cooling fan kicked in sooner and stayed on longer after we stopped. I snowplow a long road back to my cabin so it's perfect in the winter time(Take off the cowlings and you can plow in shorts). One thing you might want to consider before you buy, check out the Kodiak 450. The first thing yoy'll notice is it runs vertually vibration free. The Grizz vibrates like a Harley especially at idle.