Picked up the new Grizz 700 this past weekend and took it for a short ride. Liked almost everything about it except the feel of the suspension which was stiff even though set on a softer setting. Still have the stock wheels on her and feel if I add some 12" aftermarket rims(instead of the 14" rims) with itp 26" xtr's it will soften up the ride a bit. My Polaris Stealth 800, at least at this point, has a much plusher ride and seems to corner far more aggresively than the Grizz. I really liked the feel of the power steering and felt that all the manufacturers should add this as an option on the big displacement bikes.

If anyone else has some experience on how to coax a softer, more sure footed ride (compared to the big polaris') out of the Grizz 700, please let me know.

 

The springs break in and soften up a bit at about the 400 mile mark, but it is still going to be fairly stiff. I have my shocks set as soft as they will go, and that seemed to make a big difference in plushness in the rocks. Be careful though, because it will squat more when you get on the gas, dive more when you get on the brakes, and lean over more in the turns. It kind of feels like one of those long travel trophy trucks they use in baja. Its easy to get used to, and works lots better on really rocky ground.

 

Go ride a yfz for about an hour... That grizzly will feel like a beanbag chair in comparison...

 

I'll stick to the bikes with the IRS. Don't want to get to much butt fatigue from a long day of riding. I bought the bike for my wife so she doesn't ride real aggressively and will want the softest feel she can get out of it. I realize it softens up a bit with more miles on it but my son's wolvy 450 is still stiff as a board after 1200 miles put on her this summer. That's why I figured the addition of the balloon type tires might do the trick.

 

I think my Grizzly has a nice (comfortable) ride and I've ridden an 800 Sportsman before as well (not over a wide variety of terrain though but where I did ride I didn't feel it was noticably cushier than my Grizzly). Now I have ridden 3 different Can-Ams (500, 650 and an 800 Max) and they did ride smoother.

However rider weight may have something to do with it. I weigh 210 and I think the suspension is pretty good but for a lighter person it may feel stiff. Perhaps your best option would be to replace the shocks with a custom built set that is sprung and valved specifically for the weight of the person that will be using the machine. Elka (expensive) and Works are two examples of companies that will custom build shocks for your application (rider weight, riding style, etc.).

The stock Grizzly tires are 2 ply in construction and would provide a softer ride when properly inflated than any after market 6 ply tire (for instance) would. The disadvantage of stockers though are in handling (they are mushy) and are more prone to punctures.

 

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2TV,
Your stock tires are 2 ply? Mine are Dunlops with 2 stars which means 4 ply. 3 stars is 6 ply.

GJRonK

 

I was only making an assumption that the 700 has 2 ply tires since the older Grizzlies did. If they have put on 4 ply tires for this model then that is an improvement! I never rode my 700 with the stock tires on it though (except for backing it out of my truck) because I immediately jacked it up and put on the 26" Dirt Devils on ITP Type 7 wheels that came off of my 750 Brute Force before I sold it. Those are 6 ply tires and they are quite a bit stiffer / sturdier than stock tires and they along with the wider offset provided by the wheels improve the handling of the machine (I did ride my '02 660 for several months before switching wheels / tires)...