Yesterday I went around to a couple quad dealers looking at new bikes. Looked at rincons, some Polaris sportsmans, some strange looking canams and ended really liking the new grizzly. At first the price was scary $7999 but I got over that. I am just looking to know from anyone who has one how you like it and if you've had any problems. I did some searching and read about problems with the linkage needing to be adjusted on the gear selector but that's about the only negative thing I have heard. The last 3 bikes I have owned have been sport quads ( 250 X 250 R and KFX 400 ) And I really liked them but I think the grizzly would be more practical and useful then another sport quad. So I guess what I am asking is an overall opinion on the 700 grizzly.

Thanks, Zeb

 

Im sure the majority of the bugs will be worked out of this machine early on because they utilized much of the 660 grizzly from past years.

 

I like mine a lot, in fact it's the nicest 4x4 I've ridden so far IMO. Not the most powerful, but the nicest in an overall sense when you factor in the comfort, handling, ease of use, features, etc. The shifter can be a little stiff sometimes, especially when going from one end to the other (Low to Park for example). Sometimes I have to blip the throttle then let the engine return to idle before completing a shift like that. It was worse when I first got it mainly because it was idling too fast (I turned the idle down a little and that improved the shifter action). The shifter on my old Grizzly (an '02) used to get stiff sometimes too, but with age it has gotten better and is really easy now...

 

Not too sure about that. New motor, new frame, new suspension, power steering, totally different machine.

 

The Can-Am 650 and 800 are faster. The Honda Rincon is a better easy trail handler. The Arctic Cats are better at tow and haul. The Polaris Sportsmen models may be more comfortable. The Honda Foreman 5 speed manual shift should be more reliable. The Arctic Cats could be slightly better in big rocks with more ground clearance and suspension travel but this is close call. Several Arctic Cats have larger gas tanks. Arctic Cats are big winner when it comes to factory accessories and are excellent in mud. The 700 Griz is not best utility quad for begineers to learn skills like throttle control and body positioning. Several are much better for hauling passengers including models from AC, Can-Am, and Polaris. The Suzuki King Quad is full featured 700 class EFI ute that matches the Grizzly in most catagories and has had several years to sort out bugs. The Kawi Brutes and Suzi King are very close in important catagories plus they are much cheaper. The only catagory that I think the Grizzly is the best at is seat comfort and that isn't very important. A big deal for me was the brakes. I would not buy a linked brake quad so that eliminated CA, AC, and Polaris. No Honda had features I wanted. That leaves Kawi Brutes, King Quad, and Griz 700. I gambled on new model gremlins and went with Griz and so far so good after sorting out shift linkage. So even though the 700 Griz, just like the 700 King, do not win any performance catagories they have very good combination of features important to me. I also appreciate the 700 Griz electronic power steering and greatly improved stability compared to 660 Griz.
I do believe that a 400-500 class utility like Kodiak/Griz 450, King Quad 450 EFI, Honda 420 EFI Rancher, Sportsman 500 HO EFI, all the AC 400/500s plus other middle weights are actually better choice for most riders than any 650-700/800 class quad.

 

The engine / fuel injection is basically the same setup as the 700 Raptor which came out last year (so far I haven't had any problems with my 700 Raptor either!). I believe the new Grizzly's ultramatic transmission is basically the same unit that the 660 Grizzly has, and that's a good thing because I know that holds up well from my past (and continued) experience with my '02 660 Grizzly. I think the biggest point of concern (being "new") would be the power steering unit, however if it does fail you can still steer the quad (and the 660 Grizzly steers pretty easy to begin with). What that power steering does for you is amazing though, especially on rough sections of trail...

 

So far it's been a good machine. My wife (5'5', 125lbs) chose it over a Grizzly 350 and 450 because it's more comfortable and easier to steer. I tilted the handlebars back a couple inches for her to improve the ergonomics. She putts around slowly and found the non power steering machines a handful. Her brothers' Polaris 700 drives like a dump truck and rides like a hard tail in comparison (the quad she use to ride). For the money, they could've put better tires and under carriage protection on it, but it's the most comfortable machine I've been on. Every quad rider around here who has taken it for a spin has said the same thing...none of them own a Yamaha. From what I understand it's a totally different machine from the 660. I didn't compare the quad to any other manufacturers because I get good deals at Yamaha/Honda and I have no interest in Honda (kinda of like Chevy versus Ford). I've always bled green (Kawasaki), but when I can save a lot of green...I'll take the Yamaha.

 

I've owned most of the current big bores, and the ones I haven't owned I have at least been on extended trail rides with. I agree with what has been said already, including that the new Grizzly 700 is only the "best" at one category. The category of how the whole package works together is where the 700 excells. The new engine is practically vibration free, smooth, quiet, and powerful. The chassis is well balanced and handles good for a 4x4. The Suspension works well in most situations. The power steering works well. The EFI is nice. Everything by itself works great; but everything together is incredible. Difficult terrain I have encountered is effortless on the Grizzly 700 when compared to the other big bores.

And no reliability issues thus far with our 700; it even shifts just as good as our Grizzly 660s ever did (which was never that good anyway).

 

I think it's a great quad... and will go deeper in mud and water than it's older 660 model brothers... The power steering is nice in the 4wd Diff lock... My muscles aren't half as sore as they use to be after a long day of muddin on my 660 Grizz's...

 

Sounds like a go ahead for the new grizzly providing loan approval. I was shut down at the dealer because I have absolutely no credit, never borrowed before, never had a credit card, none of that. Hopefully some time this week I will make my way down to the bank and see if they can do anything for me.