I would also choose the sportsman 500 cause of confort, grnd clearance, power, true 4x4 and the ease of use. I that rubicon would come with a part time true 4x4, I think i would consider it.

 

Grizzly

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I would want the Honda Rubicon with an independent rear suspension and disc brakes. But I would still keep my bear.

 

You will see by my ride list my choices,
Grizz, Ground clearence as good as any(if
measured honestly), Most H.P. of any 4x4
,yet tested by Dynojet.
Turning radius tight as any 400cc(or greater
4x4, save for Y2K and 2000 Big-Bear),
Round Tube instead of Square Tube frame,
Laegers and other Frame manufactures will
back the fact, Round Tube is superior(the
Grizz may have a Square Tube section but the
majority of its framework is Round Tube,
the rest of Yamahas line up is all Round Tube).
Dose not become a 4-way pogo stick, Responds
to body-english better than any other in its
class.
Gas mileage, once broken in is as good as any
500's, as for reliability 1650 hard miles
on a 98 no problems yet, the problems you hear of seem to mostly belong to people who
either do not or pretend to own one.

The Y2Kodiak, other then needing some more
muscle the ride is perfect, and when it is
off warrenty a YZ400F five valve head is going on top, preliminary reports suggest this may work.


To those who brag about what 4-Wheel ATV Actions to say about the SP500's(A Great ride) Superior ground Clearence and Rear Suspension. I would suggest a good look at the FEB99 edition of 4-Wheel, The 335SP vs
Prairie test in particular, the IRS did not
help the 335, against the Prairie(very similiar suspension set-up to the Grizz),
and the Ground clearence also was ever so slightly in favor of the Prairie.


What are the differences between the 500SP
and the 335SP, which would affect Ground Clearence and Suspension?
Suspension-they use the exact same basic
frame and suspension componets and the 335 is
27# lighter(according to Polaris Sportsman
Family brochure).
Ground Clearence-the only factors in this
department would be tire size, diameter to be
exact. The 500 uses 25" all the way around
, while the 335 utilizes 23" in front, 24" in back, because the Quad is attached
in the center of the Tire(actually to the rims but you see my point), the radius
of said tires should determine the Difference
in "Ground Clearence" well the Radius of 25"
is 12.5" the Radius of 23" is 11.5" and of 24" is 12" that would only represent a difference of .5 to 1"s.

I am not attempting to bash anyone or anything, this is a Yamaha Thread and
I present a Pro Yamaha view!


Thank you
Y2K
98 Grizz, 98 YZ400F, 99 YZF-R6, 2000 Kodiak

 

Y2Kodiak u said that the grizz2's ground clearance is as good as any if measured honestly uh. You need to learn to read a tape measure cause if you Actually measure at the lowest point(under the rear axel) it will only be bout 7-8 inches depending on tire size. The polaris Sportsman 500 has 13inches under tha rear and 11 at the front cause it is completely independent.Need i say more

 

What about where the Rear swingarms come
down off?
If you want to measure at lowest point on the rear end then the same rules apply.

How come you and others always fail to mention clearence at the Front?(11" is
the claimed clearence @ the center)

The Rear Swingarms would appear much more
apt to hang up then the Final drive gear case.

the Axel itself is much higher than 7-8"
its center rests on a 12.5" radius, approx overall dia(of axel case) is 2.75"radius of 1.375" below
center. 12.5"-1.375"=11.125"(new tires w/4.8
PSI in rear.

The Rear gear case sits @approx 7.1" for 3"
and @9" for 2" more(lowest points)Trailer
hitch sits right behind so that factor is not
included. Rear brake is recessed within rim
so area of Rear Axel below 10" approx
5".

You never did anwser the? of why IRS works so
well on one, but did not fare so well on another 27#'s lighter, lighter weight negitively affecting suspension Performance?!? according to 4-Wheel ATV:0


You could say a lot more
Great day


Y2K
still laughing all the Way

98 Grizz, 98 YZ400F, 99 YZF-R6, 00 Kodiak
First time in my buying history all my toys,
Road-Off Road and ATV have been one Brand.

[This message has been edited by y2kodiak (edited 12-02-1999).]

 

I had the 97 Sportsman 500 it was alright, I traded it for the 99 scrambler and it is awesome. BTW - if you measure the ground clearance on the IRS of the sportsman you will be disapointed, it is not 13, 12, 10" it droops down when you sit on it. I added 25 inch tires to my scrambler and now I have more G.C. than the sportsman by a couple of inches!

 

myscrambler, your sportsman shouldn`t drop of 3 inchs just when you sit on it ??!!

 

I have to agree with myscrambler. I know a guy with a 97 500 explorer(or whenever they first came out) that I was following going down a dirt rode. It was after the tractors finished hauling out the cane and he was dragging big time. Weight wasn't a factor because he only weighed about 175 pounds. I was on a 86 Handa 350 forman and I never noticed that I was dragging. You do lose a great deal of ground clearance whenever weight is added to the bike, at least 2 to 2 1/2 inches.

However, I'm not sure if the newer models had any changes to them.

 

Well fellows why not get the most of both worlds with Artic Cat 500 it has a patented semi independant suspension that does not droop in the middle when you are riding or just sitting on but you still get a pretty good ride not as stiff as a solid axle. The grizz is a pretty nice machine but if you want to talk about the most torque check the reviews on the cat. One other thing I didn't like about the Grizz was that it wasn't water cooled have seen a lot of complaints from riders that it got hot to the point they had to shut it down and wait till it cooled to restart it other than it being a to large of a machine for the paths here in WV seems to be a real work horse.

Artic Cat 500 auto...make mine a cat

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