Hi all,

New to the forum, thanks for all the info.

I plan on purchasing a new machine in October. I currently own a 2007 Honda Rubicon which will be passed down to the wife. It's a great machine and I love the transmission.

Now, I've been researching for the past few months and have narrowed down my preferences to the 2009 Suzuki King Quad 750 and the 2009 Yamaha Grizzly 700. I have been leaning toward the Grizzly because of the EPS and the fact that I've got a local dealer. I've ridden one (parking lot) and it seems to have plenty of power for me and seems to handle well. Most comments on the Grizzly seem positive, except for the gas boiling issue which I hope has been resolved in the 2009 model.

My problem is that a good friend who's opinion I trust on the subject is steering me toward the Suzuki because of the reliability issues he's seen with friends that own the Yamaha. He's a Honda guy but has friends with Suzukis and they seem to be less prone to problems than the other group with Yamahas. I'm nervous about buying a belt-driven quad and reliability ranks very high with me.

How are you Grizzly owners liking your purchase and have you had any issues?

(BTW, I'm 44, hunter, trail rider in Utah - won't be intentionally mudding or sinking the quad or overly abusing it)

 

i have heard horror story after horror story about the vapor locking on those quads. there are a few preventative fixes out there on the internet. i would suggest researching a few of those items, and check with yamaha about what you want to do about the fuel issues just so you dont accidentally void the warranty on the machine.

if i were having decide on this one, as much as i love yamaha, i would go with what works. review the model on the internet and go test drive the ones you want to compare if possible. i just dont see the value in making a leap of faith. and what i mean by that is hoping that yamaha has fixed the fuel routing issue that is causing the vapor locking in the first place. its just not worth having your *** stranded in the middle of no where over a stupid problem.

what ever you get, have fun and be careful.

edit: and welcome to the forums. there are alot of smart people here and most are very helpful.

 

Welcome to the Forums...


IMHO... I'd go with the Grizzly 700 over the Zuki... Overall both are solid machines.... The EPS and new Frame design of the Grizzly 700 afford great suspension and higher ground clearance due to A-Arm re-design over the Zuki 750. Since you are a Hunter / not quad abuser again either quad will work for you... Regarding the Vaporlock... I have a good dozen friends who own Grizzly 700's none have had vaporlock problems.. in fact my buddy Bob (64 years old retired) has 5,100 miles on his 2007 Grizzly 700... no engine problems to date!

As far as belt-driven quads.... You have to realize that Yamaha, Polaris, Can-Am (BRP / Ski-doo) and Artic Cat... All make snowmobiles who have been using the CVT (constant variable transmission) in sleds for YEARS! They use that same technology in Quads... except improved upon it to allow for Enginer braking (which Yamaha does a great job at.. I can go down some 45 degree steep hills in low range and not have to touch the wheel brakes too much...)

Good luck with your decision...

 

My vote is for the Grizz 700 as well after having essentualy the same engine in my Raptor I love the thing! The power band is quite wide and a joy to ride!