I've seen it to, but it ussally happens do to speed, not paying attention, or driving beyond your means, not because the brakes didn't stop you. Cars have brakes at all 4 corners, but there are fender benders all the time. Is it the brakes fault or the driver??

 

99% of the time it is the driver but but having the ability to stop in time has also avoided many accidents. Hence the better brakes.

 

this brake argument is just silly. We should give thumbs up to manufacturers when they try something new, when they improve on something that ALREADY works well. What if the manufacturers decided back in the day that 1 cylinder was enough, or 500cc's were plenty.. or said who really needs 4x4, IRS or shaft drives?

Inovations is what the industry needs. The cc wars will just go on and on, with each company outdoing the other by 10cc's. We need more industry firsts. Power steering could be the next best thing and become standard. Outboard mounted 4 disc brakes will be standard too, as these monster ATV's get heavier and heavier.

While Yamaha may have disappointed some (I was one at first), you have to look at the big picture. You see 100's of Grizzly's out on the trails. In our club, there were more 660's then anything. Yamaha will sell a ton. Most of the people buying the ATV's don't depend on the internet or message boards for information when buying. They just buy what looks cool or what their buddies have.

We are the minority to the ATV manufacturers. While we scream for a "Polar Bear" or 1000cc 4cylinder 4x4 that weighs a mere 600lbs, the majority, the general ATV public, is perfectly satisfied with their 500, 660 and 700 cc quads. Yamaha and the other's know that. That's where they make their money.

So, kudos to Yamaha for the power steering. Kudo's for finally putting EFI on the Grizzly. And hopefully a kudo will go out to Yamaha in the fall when they unleash the next Bear. 850cc twin with EFI, power steering, 4 wheel disc POWER brakes, cruise control and a built in radio with waterproof/marine speakers [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I was thinking (maybe it's already been said) that maybe it's a coincidence that Yamaha renamed their 4x4's Grizzly. Maybe they did that since they couldn't think of a name for the next big bore. Say, if that big twin does come out, they could just call it the Grizzly 880 or whatever it will

 

Simple.......the vast majority of ATV's have no rear differential; there are no individual rear wheels to supply additional braking force to. If the ATV has enough rear braking power to lock the rear wheels with a single brake, a second braking system is a waste of money and just something else to wear out.

The reason for the 700EFI engine is simple business sense: no money needed for R&D as the development has already been done, it's cheaper to build one engine rather than tool up for two engines, and no extra cost over the old 660 engine, other than the EFI.
Why didn't Yamaha go to an 800cc? Other than Honda owners, Yamaha owners are the most fiercely brand loyal people and will buy whatever Yamaha chooses to market. Yamaha owners will buy the 700 in droves, only to see an 800cc twin within the next 3-4 years, then they will line up to buy that.
Power steering? I don't know; I hope it has a good fail-safe system in place in case of a catastrophic failure.
I do believe that Yamaha will have the new suspension dialed in, though.

 

I just heard from dealer who attended Las Vegas show some more interesting items. A major factor in design of new griz was making machine more waterprof for the mud riders. So all electronics including ECM and the battery are now located forward and high. Same for the airbox, airbox snorkle, and tranny intake and exhaust breathers. The dealer says the air box is under the cowling just behind the handle bars where tank used to be and the battery and ECM are forward of handlebars. This dealer also seemed to believe that the power steering is designed so that when power steering has mechanical or electrical problem that quad can be operated about as easily as a regular steering quad just without the power boost and damping. I have some doubts about this however.
Regarding the dual rear brake controversy, seems to me that any quad can lock up the rear end at will. So I think the dual system will give better feel and control. I also think the dual brakes have the potential to last longer depending on the design just because you have more brake pads doing the same amount of stopping work. Dual brakes also have potential to run cooler and this could have less brake fluid contamination than a single rear disc but this is all kind of one big guess.

 

I believe this will be a good machine, the 660 was a good machine as well. I would have liked to see an 800 though. As for brakes, If your grizzly stops faster then my outty, enjoy watching my dumb@ss go over the bars. Never ride beyond your means. I see plenty of guys hop and go full bore as if they are racing on t.v. Every quad has its pros and cons. Power steering on a quad in my opinion is worthless. Lift some weights instead of typing on the keyboard. Besides, I am not driving the thing from Wisconsin to Florida anyways. What is an average days ride over rough terrain, 80-120 miles for us depending on how deep the mud gets. It is a days ride, not a gncc race for 3 hours. I have never seen yamaha go wrong with a machine, I just like extra power of my outty. Wish yamaha made something to outrun it though. Maybe next year. But seriously, if brakes is going to be the deciding factor for you then you are a much more careful person than the majority of atv riders. All I ask is do they work. Will it run and what will it outrun but I may just be naive.

 

I agree that the brakes will run cooler for those that race.
However, I would think that the additional braking power of twin discs would create less braking feel, rather than more. My P650 with the rear sealed brake has tons of stopping power, but not enough feel and control. You can lock the rear wheels on pavement and not even realize it's happening until you hear the howling!

 

actualy the rear brake ran off the pto shaft for the rear end and that has a 4 to 1 ratio so that made the rear brake feel very bad because it would lock up the rear tires very easy. With the brakes out at the wheels it will have a much better feel. And as far as it only being a 700 I think they went the right way with it. I would say that over 60% of the riders dont want a power house they just want a good all around machine and thats what they built.

 

Sparky, perhaps you would be more pleased with an ABS system. I have not run into a quad yet that could not lock up the rear axle with ease. As for the new grizz I do not see how it could be described as anything other than a dissapointment. Yamaha has done what was easy and not stepped up to the plate. An 800 twin was required and they took the raptor motor instead. I am a loyal yamaha guy, it is all that I have ever owned, but if I was in the market for a ute this grizz would not even be on the radar. Power steering? I don't consider myself as having had a good ride unless I come home with a little case of arm pump. Well if I buy the wife a new quad I guess this would be one to consider.