Before anyone starts bashing, this isn't a "which would win in a drag race" post...

I am looking to buy a 4x4 quad in the next few weeks, I have pretty much narrowed it down to the 700 Grizzley and the BRP Outlander Max 800 -

I am definitely a huge Yamaha fan, current rides are a Raptor660, YFZ450, YZ85 (sons), WR450, Blaster, and next spring will be adding a YZ450f - so I am familiar with Yamaha performance and reliability. That being said, here are my questions:

My father in law has a Grizz 700, I've ridden around with it a few times and really liked it. I have never ridden a BRP machine and have no way to compare the two. I am buying this one for my wife, but lets face it, I'll still use it more than her [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
I like the idea of a 2 seater since we usually have someone that wants to tag along on our rides, and everything I keep reading touts the power that the BRP 800 has, but as you can tell from my current stock of bikes, I have only really been into sport/race bikes. I don't really care what the drag race stats of the Outlander vs Grizz are, but I do want POWER, reliability, and comfort.

Does anyone have any real experiance with both of these machines and can you give me a good comparison of each?
Thanks.

 

I have never had a Brp, but I do have a 660 griz and if you dont care about top end speed that machine is plenty enough.So I can only imagine that the power on the 700 griz is plenty more, it also rides better than the 660 griz so I hear, ok I know that is not the comparison you are doing, If you are gonna ride double then you will need a 2 up quad, some states are ticketing riding 2 on a 1 up quad ,here in NY they do .Like I said I dont have a Brp or the 700 grizz,but here is what I know about the two of them from these threads. According to Dirt wheels mag the Jan 07 issue on 650-700 shoot-out The Can -am or brp has a weak frame.I did not see any issues like that with the Griz 700, although on this forum you will find many people having problems with the efi( not wanting to start when super cold out I think it was below 0 . Ya know if yamaha made a 2 up 660 griz that would be the machine to have, like I said if the top-end speed isnt an issue . So sounds like you gotta decide 2up big $$ verses 1 up a little less $ do you really need the 800 outlander or can you save some $ by getting the 2up 650 outty instead, they say that thing still rips. Or if you decide on a Griz save even more $$ and get the 660. Just a thought good luck in your decision ,it is tough when there are so many good quads to chose from. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I have the new Grizzly 700 and love it. The best handling atv I have ridden. As far as compared with a Can-Am I think the advantage of the Grizz is the Power Steering, locking front differntial, and great suspension. Rides like a Cadillac. The disadvantage is that it is not a 2 seat ATV. I have ridden with a guy that has a new 800 and it is a nice atv. I really don't like the visco lock front diff lock, some do I guess, but not me. But if your wife is gonna ride the atv, you both will love the EPS on the Grizzly. It steers so easy even in 4wd it amazed me the first time I rode it. When I first heard they put EPS on a Grizz I thought that's worthless, but after a little ride time you will not go back to one without.

 

I would go with the 700 Grizz....i took a look at the Outlander 800 and i dont trust the machine. first off the visco lock 4x4 isen't verry good...i have a neighbor that has the same thing and he has to spin his back tires befor the 4x4 even engages. And for the fraim, well, i don't trust it..it is one sigle bar going from the frount to the back then a few others there to hold the plastic on, no front brush guards ( that was ont the one i was looking, but i thnk the Outlander Max 800 has that ) and not much in the way of rack space. The only good thing about it is the engin...it definatly has some power. But if you want a real durable 4x4 quad go with the Grizz 700. I was at the Yamaha dealer here a few days ago and they said they are having a hard time keeping em in stock. If it is any thing like my 660 then the 700 is an awsome ATV.

 

Man this is going to be tough!

I have ridden the 700 - I agree, it is like riding a Caddy.....I really do like the EPS and I truly like the way the 4x4 and lockers engage.
As far as racks go, I'm not too concerned about space.... I don't hunt, and as for packing, a desert racer carries all he needs in his backpack [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

I do want a well rounded machine though. My wife will probably just putt around on some of the dunes or up the forrest trails, but I will definitely put it through its paces and get pretty extreme/technical with it. (rock crawling and Moab type of riding) and some deep snow riding. I have to admit, I really like the 700, I just wish it had more power - I also like the lower price, but a 2-up is what my wife is pushing for.

So let me rephrase my question.....although I bleed blue, does anyone here think I would regret the Outlander 800 Max?

 

i love my dads grizzly 660, i get to use when i break down, or for the real heavy work, we have yet to find something it wouldn't pull out of the bush. i think in a drag race the canam would spank a grizzly 700 just from what I've heard, but personally i would go with the grizzly

 

I have a slight problem with the logic on this one. You are looking to buy a 4WD for the little wifey and you are comparing the fastest available 2-up with the 700 Griz. Seems to me that the desire for your gratification is coming out on top when you already have a garage full. Why not start by looking at the very best machine available for your wife and forget about riding two up. This might include the 450 Griz or the new 450/500 EFI Griz to be announced soon. Maybe even the ultra reliable 420 FM Honda or 450 EFI Suzuki. But if you do go for bigger is better then the 700 Griz with power steering, mellow power, comfort, and real motorcycle style brake controls sure looks like a better fit for her than the CA. If you need to go double I would much rather have a side by side Rhino and really carry some stuff. The Rhino is one of Yamahas best sellers for a very good reason. They work and they are fun.

 

The logic behind it is quite simple. The garage full of toys is also used by by 4 kids (2 boys, 2 girls), so its not like I have a stable full of machines just for me. All of my kids are very experianced and agressive riders. My oldest will be 16 soon and I dare say is faster and more experianced than many of the adults we ride with. My 13 yo daughter is the primary rider on the YFZ450 (yes its a lot of power for her, but thats why we use the throttle stop).

Basically, the girls in the family ride the quads in the summer while the boys are on 2 wheelers. When winter hits and its too slick for 2 wheels and the girls are ....well....too "girly" to go play in the cold, the boys use the quads and head down to the frozen slickrock of Moab and snow drifts in the upper mountains. This is why the performance is an issue.

 

Go to, youtube.com and do a search for visco-lok, there are three vidios on how it works, for off camber riding its a little iffy.
I had an 03 660, and it had plenty of power, 4x4 works great, its probably the best 4x4 system I ve seen , and it would do 65 mph.

 

Never touched a Grizzly in my life ( or at least not ridden one ). However, we have an Outlander. It is EXTREMELY comfortably. The suspension soaks up everything and the seat is very comfortable too. The power on that thing is WAY out of the Grizzly's league ( I can say that because we DO have a Kinqquad, which is right with the Grizzly ). MPH wise it can go about 80. The reliability on the Outlander is great as well. Just make sure you do the obvious things like keep it filled with oil, etc. - The simple things. We have never had any problem in 2 years.

I say if you got the money, DEFINITELY go for the Outlander.