Yeah, yeah, It's another Grizz vs Prarie post. First of all let me say that I'm thrilled with having to choose between two great machines, I mean just a year ago I'd be looking at a Honda 450 or Something. I have looked at pretty much everything out there and there are some good choices but I have it narrowed down to the Grizz or the Prarie.

I have a list of pros and cons for each quad. Please offer any input you may have. First of all you should know that I live pretty much in a high desert. I've heard of mud but never actually seen it in any great quantity, sure the roads get muddy in the spring/fall but as far as mud-holes they are pretty much non-existant. The quad will be used mostly for puttering around, some hunting, some work (carrying equipment etc.), hauling kids around on. Mostly utility stuff but I do like to slide and goof-off a little too.

<u>Kawasaki</u>
Pros:
Sportiness; speed, power, fast take off, solid rear axle for a good turner.

Diff Lock; It makes more sense to me to have the lever that you can engage when you need it. You can pull the lever while you still have momentum and hopefully keep from getting stuck, can you do that with the Grizz. I don't know if I would use the push button diff-lock because I wouldn't want to drive around with it on.

Tuff; Excellant protection for the CV boots and radiator. Front shocks also have dust covers. Good bumpers.

Sits Low; It seems to sit lower and be a little more stable than the Grizz

Price; about $500 less around here.

Cons:
Butt ugly; Who's idea was it to put that big ol' hunk of plastic around the handle bars and how are you supposed to mount anything on it?

Solid axle; IRS has it's advantages

No Hitch; What's with that?


<u>Grizzly</u>
Pros:
Good looks/fit and finish; Seems well built

IRS; though this should probably be under the &quot;cons&quot; too. Nice ride?

Single Cylinder; I like the V-twin but the more simple the better

Shifter; Seems a little better than the Praries' once you get used to it. It will be used for plowing snow so it's important to be able to shift quickly from forward to reverse.

Suspension; Adjustable suspension all the way around. I also like the double A-arms better than the McPherson struts, I'm not sure why, I guess the struts are just to Polarisish.

Swimming; About every test I've read on the Grizz says it's not a good swimmer. I don't care. It will probably never get in water higher than the tops of the wheels.

Cons:
IRS; Just how tippy is it going to be

Protection; Everyone should have good protection. The CV boots are more exposed on the Grizz. Lots of sagebrush around here.

Comfort; all the Yamahas have a seat that wants to push you into the gas tank. It puts you in more of an aggresive position but I wonder how comfey it will be after a long day.

Diff lock; I don't like the push button as well as the lever you can pull when you need it. Also the whirr of electric motors makes me see high dollar repairs in my future.


That's about it. I've ridden the Kawi but just for a couple minutes and on snow. I havn't found a Grizz that they'd let me ride yet but a local dealer should be getting a couple soon. Even with riding them it's impossible to get a feel for the machine riding it on an asphalt or dirt parking lot plus you want to take it easy because they're not broke in yet. Anywho, thanks for reading this novel and offering your opinions.

 

Hi chainman, I was like you trying to decide between the Prairie 650, and the Grizz 660. I love the way the Grizz looks and I thought the Prairie was ugly. But for the type of riding I like the Prairie offered the most. I am like you, I live in the desert, and was not concerned about mud. I wanted a &quot;sporty&quot; go anywhere 4x4. One that could pull double duty, 4x4, and sport type riding, and to me the only one for that was the Prairie 650. It is quicker than the Grizz, slides better, and handles much more like a sport quad than a Grizzly 660. That is what I wanted most, so in the end, I knew I had to buy the Prairie 650. If you’re not interested in having the quickest 4x4 made, then you may be happier with the Grizz, it is supposed to have the better ride. That seems to be the biggest difference between the two. If you want maximum ground clearance, and the softest ride, buy the Grizz. If you want the sportiest handling, and the quickest accelerating 4x4 made, get the Prairie 650. That is why I choose the Prairie, I wanted the sportiest 4x4 you could get, and I still know this thing will go anywhere a grizzly will go. I bought a Green one, all the magazines always showed the Red one, and I didn't like it. But the green color seams much more suited to it's body style, and to me doesn't look as bad. Plus, you can't see it while your riding it anyway. Also I was able to make a really good deal on my Prairie 650. I got it for $6,400.00 out the door. That meant a selling price of $5,648.00. That to me is a great deal! I love mine, and I'm glad I got it. I don't think that you would be disappointed with either one you buy.

 

I mostly ride a Honda Fourtrax 300 so either the Grizz or the Prarie will be a huge upgrade. I'm not really concerned which one make it to 60 MPH a half second quicker, I'd be happy with a 500cc machine. I have heard that the Prarie is a great slider and I like that but I've ridden those Polaris' with the IRS and they ride sooooo nice. I was on the Honda following a Sportsman 500, he was out for a Sunday one handed drive, I was beeting my guts out and holding on for dear life and still loosing ground. The IRS is very tempting...


...and your right about the Green Kawi, they're much better looking than the red. But I really like the red Grizz...

 

if i were in the desert, and not dealing with rocky, uneven terrain, i would go with the prarie. the grizzly is an ausome swimmer in my opinion, couse i have had it to the tank in water, and with the irs, getting grip all the time. it is nowhere as tippy as you might think just sitting on it. the fenders being so high up gives you the looks of a tippy quad, but if you compare the seat height to the prarie, you will se the truth. the grizzly rides so nice too. it also has all the power you will ever need! people say how fast the prarie is, and it is. but the grizzly is maybe 1/2 of a quad slower up to 50, then it can pass it to top end! i put it totally to the irs lag you get. as for the locking diffs! with irs, your tires have the ability to stay more stable to the ground, so if you can picture the solid rear axle lifting 1 tire up 3 inchs, the irs will leave all 4 tires on the ground, witch in theory, means you wont need it as much. i have locked mine in at 5 mph while in motion, only couse the mud got soooo deep, and it worked great. i do like the thought of being able to just pull the lever to engage it though. the grizzly is a well built, solid quad, with all the bells and wistles one could want. the prarie is also a great quad, so i kind of comes down to irs or not! good luck!


my pictures

 

I know when i go looking at my local shops the yamis will go for msrp + tax +prep. That puts it at $1326.00 more than I can get a prarie for. If $$ wasn't an issue I'd go with the grizzly for it's irs.
How much are they quoting you on extended warranties?

 

I couldn't pass up the IRS and good looks of the Grizz. Mine's red, still in the box, should be picking it up next week sometime.

Hey Mitch,
Good looking Grizz. The red is my favorite and those tires make it look tuff. Eventually I'll get some new tires/wheels for mine probably 26&quot; but I'll go with 489s or Dirt Devels. What width are your 589s front and rear?

Thanks for the help guys.

PS It was just over $7500 out the door. Not a real screaming deal but I'm happy with it. I'm just happy that I was able to find a Grizz, they're still pretty scarce around here, if they don't sell before they're delivered they only last a few days on the floor. I'm not sure about the cost on extended warrantys, I'll probably pass.

 

hey chainman,
i got the titan 589 mt. they were good for me couse of the spring thaw, and all the mud it causes. after that, i go right back to the stockers. the fronts are 9 in and 26 in. the rears are 12 in . the rims are itp alunimum rims, and offset the tires enough to fit. if i put them on stock rims, i dont thnk they would fit. the stability the wider rims offer is incredible too. so you got the red one, thats cool, couse i hear its the fastest!!! heehee.


my pictures

 

I am biased toward the Prairie because of the v-twin and the looks. The Prairie looks much more solid, the plastic on my uncle's Grizzly looks kinda cheap and like it would crack easy.

 

Why is there a plastic shroud over the handlebars? I thought this mistake was taken care of after the 400 Foreman design was revised.

The only cheap plastic on the Grizzly is underneath it, and that can be replaced with good aftermarket stuff. Looks go to the Grizz over anything else. Its the meanest looking 4x4 there is. The V-twin has its distinct advantages as well. Take that engine out of the Prairie and you have nothing much to brag about, though the 360 will do well because it offers the locker that its engine class competition lacks.

I figure Yamaha will start offerering up that diff-lock on the other models before long. Its about to become the big sale factor in the smaller engine classes as well.

Yamaha's side panels are not very thick, but remember their purpose. Its to deflect heat, rather than to protect anything. Most quads don't even have stuff there. The body plastic is no better or worse than any other machine. If you were to crack it, you would have done the same with anything else because you would have to have flipped it or ran into something.

 

<< Why is there a plastic shroud over the handlebars? I thought this mistake was taken care of after the 400 Foreman design was revised.

The only cheap plastic on the Grizzly is underneath it, and that can be replaced with good aftermarket stuff. Looks go to the Grizz over anything else. Its the meanest looking 4x4 there is. The V-twin has its distinct advantages as well. Take that engine out of the Prairie and you have nothing much to brag about, though the 360 will do well because it offers the locker that its engine class competition lacks.

I figure Yamaha will start offerering up that diff-lock on the other models before long. Its about to become the big sale factor in the smaller engine classes as well.

Yamaha's side panels are not very thick, but remember their purpose. Its to deflect heat, rather than to protect anything. Most quads don't even have stuff there. The body plastic is no better or worse than any other machine. If you were to crack it, you would have done the same with anything else because you would have to have flipped it or ran into something. >>



the prairie is MUCH better for sport riding, and it is the best handling 600 lbs. quad out there. man you just sound stupid, the Grizzly is a great bike but the only good thing about the Prairie is NOT the engine.