I WAS JUST TOLD THE OTHER DAY BY MY LOCAL DEALER THAT THE GRIZ WAS NOT GOING TO GET THAT FUNKY TEAM YAMI BLUE. HE ALSO SAID THAT IT WAS NOT GOING TO GET ANY UPDATING IN THE BRAKING DEPT EITHER(IE. ALL DISK BRAKES). HOPEFULLY HE'S WRONG ON BOTH ACOUNTS!!

 

The Grizz does have a lot of power which is nice and it can be shifted between 2WD and 4WD. The Kodiak however, is fulltime 4WD. I don't particularly like that. That's the reason I'm waiting for the 2001 Quadrunner 500 (the 2000 is fultime 4WD). The 2001 has no belt, 2WD and 4WD, semi-independent rear suspension and low center of gravity. All of the other bikes have a swingarm which is a dis-advantage. And the Grizz, in my opinion, is not nearly as stable as the Suzuki because of it's high CG.

 

I'm sorry, but you are wrong on that one. I have a 2000 Kodiak and you can ride it in either 2wd or 4wd.

 

I rode with a Grizzly this past weekend and I was a little disappointed. We ride in some pretty extreme conditions and we managed to swamp two machines. One was a 2000 Big Bear and the other was the 2001 Grizzly. On the Big Bear, it was a simple matter to drain the carb, pull the spark-plug, check the oil and get it running again. On the Grizzly, there were so many plastic guards and things, routine trail repairs were very difficult (you need a screwdriver to remove the airbox cover!!). After 30 minutes, the Big Bear was running like new, the Grizzly wouldn't start. It was impossible to drain the carb without removing some covers, the spark-plug was removed easily enough though you had to reach through the front, and the only way to see the oil was through a site glass that's really hard to read in the bright sun when the machines are covered in mud. I like to be able to get in and work on my machine, even in the field if necessary--and it is necessary with us. I really like to be able to open a cap and look directly at my oil to check it for water after a swamping incident. I have no experience with the Kodiak, but if it's like the Big Bear in these respects, I would definately choose it over the Grizzly. One other thing--when we pushed the Grizzly into the back of his truck because it never did start, it was almost out of gas. All 3 Big Bears still had over half a tank left and we had all riden along an identical trail.

Just my thoughts.

CrashGordon

 

Hey PEREGRINE, I don't know what your dealer is smoking, but my new 2001 Grizzly is the Yamaha blue with factory polished aluminum wheels. Maybe he just didn't order any and is saying that so he can sell the other colors he has in stock. I know that the colors available differ from the U.S. but if you live in Canada, you can get the blue Grizzly. Oh yeah, they didn't change the brakes for 2001. Still the drum out back.

 

I called 5 yamaha dealers here in New Jersey about a blue grizzly, and they said they never heard of one. Are u sure it is blue (just kidding), or is the plastic made by an aftermarket company. Thanks, BTW Gongrats on your new Grizzly.

 

I've never been through water deep enough to go over the handle bars, but then again it won't. It will start to float before you get to that point, that much I know from experience. Having done this a couple of times, my Griz has never missed a beat. It just keeps running. Never slipped the belt either. You are right about the gas, the Griz is a thirsty bear!

 

My bad. The 2000 Kodiak is 2WD and 4WD.

 

Congrats on the new Quad, Wood! I'd bet that bear looks real handsome dressed in blue. Get you butt in gear and get some pics posted so we can have a look!

SP500 in NS

 

Pictures have been taken and will be scanned and posted ASAP. Hey 4man2K, actually my Grizzly is brown right now but it was blue when I first picked it up! I see from your post that you live in New Jersey. Well the U.S. has different colors available than Canada. Why that is I don't know, but you can get a blue one up here(factory, not aftermaket), that much I can tell you. I don't know what colors they offer in the states.