I am trying to decide between a new Grizzly and a new Sportsman 500. Does the Grizzly have the same belt problems as the Sportsman? What about reliabiltiy. Pulling seems to be about the same. The Sportsman rides nicer but it has a whole lot more pieces to it. Does the Grizzly require a lot of extra maitenance. I am also curious about how cold weather affects it (I live in northern minnesota). Any help would be greatly apreciated.
Thank you, Lyle

 

I bought my grizzly this past spring and have put it to the test on just about every thing. I have yet to experience the slipping belt syndrome, but believe that it could eventually develop with a warn down belt. I haven’t needed any (extra) maintenance yet. Just the regular owners manual maintenance schedule. As far as cold weather performance goes, I haven’t had my Grizzly long enough to use mine through a winter to see how it performs in the cold. But one thing I know will be nice during the winter season hunting and pushing snow with it and that is the heat that the motor puts off. It's a tad unpleasant in the summer but will be well worth it in the cold.

Chad - '99 Grizzly


[This message has been edited by IDAHOgrizz2 (edited 08-11-1999).]

 

I live in Two Harbors Minn, I own a 98 and
99 Grizz(99 purchased in March of 99 so no
real cold weather testing there). the 98
has proven to be a real champ, in all aspects
and all seasons .
The 98 lacks the Zerk fittings of the 99,
but that can be corrected or then again I know several who have never had any problems.

Remember, a friend or two, a Lufkin, a Stopwatch and a cooperative dealor(RE: Test
Rides) are some good things to have when looking to buy a Quad(or in the Friend(s) case when looking to buy anything)!

Good Luck

y2kodiak:0
while your at it take a look at my namesake.

 

I used my Grizzly last winter for snow plowing and did not have any problems with the cold weather. (Northeast Ohio may not be as cold, but plenty of snow) Yes, it takes a few more cranks to start and it must warm up longer, but performance was as expected after that. The biggest problem that I had with cold weather was the snow powder blowing back from the plow and wanting to freeze everything up. I would leave a torpedo heater on the machine for about an hour everytime I came in and this would thaw and dry everything off. The only two things that would freeze up on a regular basis was my Warn winch switch and occasionally the gear shifter lever when the Grizz was left setting to long outside. With a little bit of heat, both were thawed quite easily. We even ran thru almost frozen creeks and mud through out the winter and had no other problems.

 

Lyle,as the owner of a 99 Sportsman Lemon,I will tell you to stay away from ANY Polaris product.I have had more problems with my 99 Sportsman than EVERYBODY put together who rides a Sportsman,and neither Polaris or the dealership will correct my problem 4x4 for me.I have had numerous problems[go to SPORTSMAN 99 in the forums]and it has spent more time in the shop than on the trails of Michigan.My point you ask?If $$$$ is the only thing that is of concern for Polaris and the Dealership,than I certainly hate to see anyone else get burned.Reliability IS of concern,dont get BURNED....... BILL

 

I have also heard that polaris atv's have high maintenance parts. They say honda's have the most reliable engines, but my frined has a yamaha and it does good too.

------------------
Matt Sibley

1999 Honda 300 4x4 Vampires and 2500 lb. winch

 

Yamaha is a good reliable bike. They have a good track record. Honda is the best like they all say. Everything else is about on par with each other, and Polaris is the worst by quite a bit. On 1-10, I give honda a 10, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Arctic Cat, and Suzuki a 9.5, and Polaris about 8. Polaris's made before 1998, I give a 7. As far as the big bore 4x4s go, they are all capable of hauling, and handling rough terrain, the only toss up between them is the smoothness of the ride(Sportsman), and how fast they go(Grizzly).

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

I am a recent convert from Polaris (97 Magnum) to a 99 Grizzly. I had nothing but frustration with Polaris and would never buy another. The Grizzly is relatively maint free compared to a polaris and the power is awesome. The Polaris suspension / ride is superior but breaking down constantly is unacceptable. Buy a Grizzly!!!!!!!

 

why are all of you people calling polaris junk when the subject below this says my grizzly still SUCKS i have a polaris and i am proud of it and it has no problems i also have a yamaha which is a beast but the polaris are not junk i bet a stock sportman could out bore a stock grizzly can you say true four wheel drive i have seen people that have sportsman and then still run good and they arent brand new

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99 500 scrambler with hotseat pipe and clutch dg bumper soon to have reeds and air box mod 93 yamaha t-wolve with a broken taillight soon to be fixed

 

I have 2 ATV's One Polaris 425 magnum and one Grizzly. Lyle is making a decision between the two and I am simply providing him with my experience. From the "My grizzly still sucks" entry apprently Yamaha is not perfect either. However I have had much better luck with my Grizzly, in fact if My Magnum had not had so many problems I would own a sportsman500. I ride with several sportsman500's suspension best on the market, although dry wieght is heavier they still ride lighter than my grizzly. Basically Performance is awesome, unfortunately everyone I know with one has had many problems and trips back to the dealer. That turned me away from them.

I admit if it weren't for Polaris all utility quads would have 3 inches of travel and 300cc motors?? They are inovative!!!