what a letdown. I've been pretty much decided now that I was going to have to have this 02 Grizzly, but yesterday I finally got to see both it and a 650 at the dealership, and I am back to undecided.

Yamaha has completely dropped the ball on fit and finish here, possibly to keep the weight down. This Griz has more weak *** plastic on it than any quad I have ever seen, including all polaris models of the last decade. The cv guards are weak and flimsy, the bottom skid is very thin plastic, and sucks as well. The side panels over the engine are very thin, and don't look as if they would last either.
Worst of all, the floorboards are just thick plastic with no steel protecting them at bottom. This would be toast the first ride through the creekbeds. How stupid is that? The engine sounds good, and the seat and display look good as well. I liked all the regular features, but I thought it was not finished out for crap! Ground clearance didn't blow me away either. It was good, but not as good in rear I don't think as a sportsman. The front was better, but thats because it doesn't have those struts up there.

All in all, it looked like something that would have pieces of it laying all over the yard after a few months. The prairie was finished out much better. I didn't like its mudflaps coming down low in front of the rear tires, and I had my wonders about its goofy little locker lever, but the aluminum footrests, and bumpers, and stuff made it a lot more solid than the Griz. Also, Kawasaki used real plastic on theirs where as the Griz is made out of Tupperware in a lot of spots.

I don' know what I want anymore. Maybe I'll wait to see a new Sportsman as well.

 

Andy,

I have to agree with you on your opinion of all that thin plastic on the new Grizzly. Will it make me ride less aggressively? I doubt it. Will it hold up? I doubt. Will one of the after-market builders come up with replacement stuff? No doubt there. There is no reason other than the weight factor for Yamaha to have done this which is a shame because the bike runs so darn strong. I feel once the plastic is replaced with something substantial, the Grizzly should be a pretty bullet proof machine. So I figure I will need to throw another few hundred dollars this machine.

Arlan

 

You better plan on a couple of Hundred for new rear tires and wheels too. In the land of the narrow minded, just like the Raptor, this thing is too narrow and Won't Slide!! We rolled ours yesterday on its first big ride. Going too fast, but on a corner that Skyler could have powered out of, the thing just railed, high-sided, and came to rest against a tree. One scratch on Skyler's leg, one ding in the gas tank. Then we tried reversing the rear wheels, thinking the valve stem would be in the way, it cleared! WE rode around with a 53" wide powersliding Grizzly till we had to switch the wheels back to load it on the trailer. It looked silly and left the suspension and hubs exposed to rocks and stuff. I am ordering some wheels that will split the difference and some super swampers, 25x12.5x12 on Monday. We'll put the rear tires in front and throw the front ones on top of some mobile home, or use them as a lawn ornament.
I see what you mean about the plastic. But I really think they were trying to keep the weight down. The Floorboards could be a problem, we've broken them on Polarises before.
All in all we really like the new Grizz. We put about 80 miles on it yesterday, it's a class act. Just won't slide. At 43" wide, How could it? I want the back to be about 48" to 50" and the front about 48" Wheels will do it. If you look at it, you will see the lugnuts and hubs stick out almost as far as the tires! They designed this thing wide, then narrowed it up with wheels inset to the max. How come you woods guys don't just cut down a few trees eh? Narrow quads SUCK!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]