Well as far as it goes the Sportsman got the victory because of its technology. But the grizz beat it in the two main aspects. 1st Reliability which should be on everyones mind when buying, you don't want to be 100 miles in the woods and break down. 2nd aspect Power, I can say I was suprised here, with all the comotion i had heard, the grizzly has more low end power and on top end they are dead even.
The straight axel gave it the nod for working i imagine because they did mention that it has more power for working, and is better suited.
Well there you have it. All Yamaha needs to do now is get better riding suspension which i personally find pretty good compared to other Sport Utility machines, and a better 4*4 system where you can lock the front end, not electric with sensors because i hate not having the 4*4 working when going down steep slipery hills. If yamaha could add these things it would be the ultimate ATV for sure.

Right!


2000 Grizz
2500 km's.
2000lb superwinch

 

Everyone knows the Grizzly is the power house king and still is,it was nice to see a 500 come so close though.The out come was inevitable because Dirtwheels always gives the Sportsman the win because they can not get over the ride comfort and suspension over rought terrain.By Polaris adding 20% more power this year it just put the final nail in the coffin for all the others.

 

If they only could work on the Rock solid reliablity and a bit more power they would be the KING.
How many miles do you have on your SP, and what are some of the problems you had. My buddy had to get his engine rebuilt on his 97 SP. Cost him 1500 Canadian. He also said he brought it in to the dealer numerous time because of electrical problems with the 4*4 mode.
I'm curious, you seem not to baby your machine. Most of the SP's i see are all under 3years old.
thanks

 

I had only the typical wore out the brake pads fast and grind a rotor to hell.I bought new EBC pads and they seem to last alot longer.The engine is a Japanese make and I never heard of a problem with them but I do grease the bike and check the fluids levels alot.

 

I think you're right about the improvements that Yamaha needs to make to the Grizzly. There's no reason that they can't make it handle better and ride smoother. I think they need to get rid of the struts on the front and go with double A-arms, and they've got to give it a more compliant rear shock.
A grizz is fast enough on a smooth road, but in the trails it's hopeless. Honda has proven that it's possible to have a utility quad that is still fun to ride. It's time for Yamaha to give us an alternative to the Rubicon.

 

YOU BETTER KEEP OUR NAIL PULLER HANDY YOU WILL NEED IT WHEN THE 650 TWIN HITS THE TRAILS

 

I also read the shootout and believe Yamaha quality is a deciding factor, but the Grizz is starting to look a bit long in the tooth as far as tech goes. I became a little concerned when they pointed out the deficiancies of the Yamaha Airbox--I immediately ran to my garage to inspect my 2000 Kodiak to see if it had the same design. Looks like it does, but have had no probs with mine although I can see how it could slip out of position if not carefull when replacing.
Any problems's out there with the filter, and is there a K-N for the Kodiak that may be more secure?

 

hey fpilot,hows that kodiak stack up to the grizz.i hear the kodiak has a better tranny and also doesnt vibrate like the grizz,im wanting to buy one.from stats and hearsay,i like the kodiak better

 

The Kodiak has the same tranny as the Griz does. The only difference is the "park" option on the Kodiak. The Grizzly does vibrate alittle more than the Kodiak does, but its 200cc larger, and I think that is to be expected. If you ride them both, the first thing you will notice is the power difference! The Grizzly is a hammer machine! Off the bottom, no other machine can match it! You can always make a stronger machine do less, but you can't make a weaker machine do more!

Rick

 

Like ATV ACTION magazine said, the GRIZZLY is a Man's Machine, with Manly features, it is the most basic technological features, with alot less to wear out and break, at the same time incorporating the most power, with RELIABILITY.
The kodiak is a nice machine, but i've ridden both and WOW what a power difference, the grizz kills it.