[davefroti]

Hello Since I am new to this site i've been looking alot at purchasing a new ATV. Now There's tons of choices out there and quite frankly all of'em seem to offer one thing over the other, but in the end All are great Trail quads. The model in really interested in is the Grizz 660. It's legendary and offers so much for it's price that I doubt I'de be doing a mistake in a purchase. What does worry me a Bit is the things I hear about Axles popping out, Brake clunking, and egine overheating in warm climates. Now I live in Quebec Canada, so Warm Conditions aren't too extreme except for a Few days A year.

Any of the problems I listed up top been to specific model year/years have they mostly all been fixed or is this more like a 50/50 type situation.



Thanks

 

[doolin64]

Unless, you are running 28", 29.5" tires and doing some serious mudding, I really wouldn't worry about snapping axles. You will have rear brake clunking, but most models have that to some degree. You just get used to it. It definately is not a constant thing. As for the engine overheating, I personallyhave not had a problem with that. Keep your radiator and fan clean and you will be all set.

 

[micmacman]

the brake clunking is normal,its the design that does it,,,the brakes brake the drive shaft instead of the rear wheels,,,not a problem,a plus,,,less repairs,instead of having 2 sets of shoes,rotors,and brake lines,you only have one,and they are all tucked up, in,and protected in the center of the bike

ive never over heated,and changed the factory coolant to the engine ice,,,good stuff,,,but even with the factory coolant i never over heated,and it gets hot here in West By God Virginia

The Beast is hoo (hehe) you need to talk to about the axles,he has had lots of issues with them,,,,none for me,and i cut my bike zero slack from the day i unleashed it,,,including into mudd up to the seat,almost over it,and deep water

as you said all bikes have their best,and worse atributes,so you need to look at what you are wanting it for,,,,the Grizz is light for a utility,which gives it its sportyness,but may not be the "best" choice if your looking for a work horse,,,,everyone around here uses Polaris for farm work,but if you want a sporty utility you cant go wrong with the Grizz,and there are alot of aftermarket things you can do to personalize it

 

[sneutel]

Dave,

I have had all three problems you describe and yet...... I love my Grizzly.

I am sure you have heard that Land Rover owners say their 4x4's don't leak oil they "mark their territory" so we grizzly owners don’t have rear brakes that clunk !

We have unique quads that announce that they are applying brakes to the driver! ( it’s a safety feature, LOL).

The only time I ever had overheating problems was when my fan motor packed up. It only worked intermittently. ( after +/- 18 months), I replaced my fan and I have never had another overheating problem. I drive in a VERY HOT climate here in Africa!. I also drive a lot in water/rivers, and I believe my fan failure was an electrical problem/short.

I have never had an axle BREAK/SNAP, I have had my rear axles "pop" or to be precise the circlip on the CV shaft failed and allowed the axle to separate from the diff. Yamaha fixed it under warranty with an upgraded circlip and 6 months later I have had no problems.

I looked at other 4x4 quads as options, and I thought as follows:
Polaris 800, too heavy!!
King Quad 700, all plastic, no metal in front, I would destroy it in a weekend.
Brute Force, nice power, troublesome quad! Honda Rincon, nice power, good quad,
Bombardier 800 Outlander XT, I love it!! but price is a third more than a Griz!!

If I had to replace my ATV today, I would buy another Grizzly 660!!

 

[irv]

Dave, I have only had my Grizz about 10 months and I can tell you honestly that I would not trade it for the world. It has been an awsome quad so far and it continues to blow me away on what it is capable of. I researched and read all the posts from Polaris, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda etc from about 8 different forums and in every forum the Grizzly had the least amount of problems and the most happy customers. I do not baby my grizz by any stretch and I have had zero mechanical problems, I have had the rad fairly packed with mud and it has never overheated, but I did not ride too long with it like that. Any rad on anything would eventually over heat like that. I have put dielectric grease on all my electrical connections and have done the basic req'd mtce and that is all. I haven't had to replace, fix or modify anything, it just keeps going and going. Get the Grizz, it is not the best in every category but the most consistent in every category, one quad might be faster but lacks in suspension, one might ride better but it weighs a ton, another may have better handling but lacks ground clearance. Get the Grizz and get the best all around quad money can buy! My 2 cents........Irv

 

[davefroti]

Thank you all. this is very informative. Good to know that even with problems there are some very good loyalists. I guess you really can't go wrong with Yamaha in the end. it stays True to being reliable/tough equipment. Glad to be here on this forum

 

[tnwrangler]

Hey Dave, welcome.

I bought mine the day after Thanksgiving about 1 1/2 months ago. I too researched all of the big ATV's from each maker. I finally narrowed it down to two, then one.

Adding to the post above, the Grizzly never topped any of the rankings with a wide margin to the next one in line, but did rank mid to high all the way across the board.

If I would always be going down hill hauling something, the I would have gotten the "other one" with lower ground clearance. And on and on.

Go to this review and they will go through everything on what they do vs don't do better than the other.

http://www.atvnews.com/output.cfm?id=934363

Good luck.

 

[starky]

Hey Dave, after I bought my first Grizzly my wife took it for a ride (a non-ATVer) and she wouldn't give it back. The shop where we bought it sold Kawasaki and Polaris as well, so I got to try the 700 Sportsman and the Brute Force. Both were good quads but they just didn't feel like the Grizzly does. I now have 2 Grizzlies and never have I had a single regret.

 

[smooth]

My buddy has a 750 brute force and I almost wish I got that instead of my grizz because of the more power it has,and because of V-Twin it's got alot more torque then the 660 grizzly

 

[calaski]

The only other quad I have experience that I really liked is the King Quad by Susuki. It is simply awesome. Now, I have a 2002 Grizzly and to compare it to a 2006 KQ is unfair, but the only thing I can say is the Grizzly hasnt changed much in the past few years, so in that respect the KQ is a better machine I feel. Either way you can't go wrong. I love the Grizzly and would definately buy another one, but I would also look at the King Quad and then make your own decision.

Jim

 

[starky]

Honestly, no matter what big bore quad you get you probably won't be disapointed. I think it comes down to what is the best deal you can get.

 

[davefroti]

Well Starky said it best, What it comes down too is what Deal I Can get for any big bore quad. And still the Grizzly has a nice deal for All that you get.

 

[xtremegrizz]

Yea I think now with the big bore market as it is you probly could not go wrong picking a atv now, all on what you expect from your quad. I know if the King Quad was out at the time I purchased the Grizz it would have been a hard time deciding. The only thing that I really like on the King is the EFI, and also the looks but the racks seem kind of small. The only thing about that EFI is makes it real hard for some one like you or me to work on. Anyway no matter what I still love my Grizz

 

[dgr]

I love my grizzly. I have a friend that has had a Grizzly for 3 years. He bought a Brute Force. (He is in his mid fiftys.) He said that you spend your whole day hanging on. The power is so great you spend more time trying to keep the front wheels down and it isn't as much fun.

I had a 2003 Honda Rincon. I loved it. On roads and trails it had a great ride and excellent handling. (None of the tippy feeling.) All of the fun ended when you had a real steep downhill run. When you are in the middle of a steep run (you know the kind when you are so puckered that you have to adjust your undies at the bottom of the hill.) the Rincon just is no help. The engine braking downhill is non-existent. The engine braking kicks in about 17 mph. The Rincon engine braking does as much good for you as crying for your mommy!

My friend has a Polaris 700. The Grizzly and Polaris can go anywhere together. The polaris is about 100# heaver but he makes it look good. He also carries extra gas on every ride, and usually puts the gas in his wheeler.

My wife has a Honda Rubicon. It is a great machine. The automatic transmission is unbelivable. I cannot believe how much snow I can push with it. It is full time 4X4 (they have put a switch on the new ones to make it 2X4). It is lower than the Grizzly. It is a real tractor. I believe the lower center of gravity has its benefits. And did I mention the great transmission. LOL. I put new riders on the Honda instead of the Grizzly.

When comparing the Rubicon the Grizzly everyone who has ridden both says the Grizzly is much more fun to ride. Has a better ride with the IRS (Independent Rear Suspention) and more power. I agree with them.

Ultimately I ride a Grizzly and would purchase another one if I were to buy a new machine today. (I would love to have EFI after it has been out a couple of years. But it too has its problems)

 

[starky]

There are a ton of things to compare, for some the final choice may come down to steel racks or composit. Comapre the weight and ground clearance between the big boys. Find the one that has the most features that YOU want. For me, the Grizzly was the only choice. I didn't need the bigest engine or the fastest top speed. How important is going 70 mph on a utility quad. The Griz had everything I wanted.

 

[tnwrangler]

You will drive yourself crazy trying to compare one to the other.

Look at me. I am just now getting beyond the hump in treatment. The Doc said I should be fine until the next ATV purchase.

Test ride them suckers as much as you can.

I had to test drive around the parking lot.

Some others would not let you test drive till after you bought it.

 

[starky]

I was pretty lucky, my dealership let me test ride anything I wanted but they know me real well.