[grizzlyspain]

Hi all, like you guys I love my Griz and have thought that there was nothing to touch it most departments - mine takes all the punishment I can throw at it and more. I aim it at mud, deep water holes, rocks, inclines and anything else that gets in the way. It is seldom that the Griz can not cope! But beware there is a new beast on the block. I have been asking my dealer for the last 6 months if there is any news of a new bigger Yam ATV - no one seems to know! I got fed up waiting and got a 2006 OutlanderXT: THIS PUTS THE GRIZ TO SHAME. Smoothe power in buckets (wheelies in H with no problem), not at all tippy, Low is really low like a crawler gear it literally pulls you through EVERYTHING, the visco lock (which I thought would be crap) is unbelievable, today I was in deep snow, mud and water. I was with my Grizzly pals and they were literaaly looking sick. When we started out they were taking bets who would be pulling me out first. I had to winch 2 of them out.
I still love my Griz but Yamaha really needs to step up to the plate and give us an updated powerfull machine to keep up with the other big boys.
By the way the Outlander still has the 26" Carlisle ATC tyres the Griz's had mudlites and Bighorns and I still got past them in the snow and mud no problem. One of the guys had a newish Honda Rincon with mudlites he had to give up and go back as he just could not cope with the snow.
I am not bashing the Griz but I hope someone at Yamaha follows this thread and they get there figures out of there assholes. Grizzlyspain

 

[guardian]

I have never rode anything else but It also looks like as long as the grizzly has been around that they would have come out with at least a few changes for 06,,, I have no complaints about anything including power, but when everyone else is going bigger it looks like yamaha would want to keep up and come out with at least a 700 or bigger,, I really dont think 700 would be all that much different,,,,,,, in some things size does matter,,,,,,,, ,,,,, ,,,, cg

 

[grizzlyspain]

I agree countrygrizz, yamaha has to give us anew Grizz after so many years with little change. The Grizz has been king for soooo long and without a change it was only time before someone took its crown. 700 (actually 686cc) will not surfice for the Grizz. I have a 2005 Raptor 660R and a 2006 Raptor 700R. The new raptor is a significant leap ahead from the 660R with redisned frame and completely new engine it is well worth the money. A single cylinder in a new Grizz will not be enough. The outlander is so smoothe and powerful and you will only get the two with more than 1 pistin! In this race inorder to win everything has to be better than the competition, this means a new Grizz from the tyres up. The Outlander XT even comes standard with reasonable tyres, the Grizz did not. Although the Bombardier is almost €4000 more than the Grizz there are so many areas where it excells that for me the cost was worth it. I also have it in writing that the 2 year warranty is still valid here in Europe even if I put 27" tyres on the Bomb. Since putting 27" Mudlites on the Grizz the minute I got it any drive/transmission problems have not been covered by Yamaha! So far I have spent over €2000 in Bearings, drive shafts etc. and this does not include labour as I fit parts myself. Don't shout me down here all the problems are due to excessive riding conditions but here in Europe 2 year warranty are mandatory and if I had kept 25" tyres Yamaha would still be replacing parts (even with 25"s undoubtably I would still break thinks the way I ride). Grizzlyspain

 

[guardian]

I agree on the motor,,,, grizz has been king for a long time but every one else is going bigger, and I agree on the warranty,,,, around here it is just a matter of how much you want to kiss the dealers ass and it shouldt be like that,,,,plus six months kinda show how much faith they have in axles,,, my big complaint I guess on the grizz is the use of oil, I know a lot of peoples grizz never use a drop, but I am easy on mine,, and it goes thru a lot of oil.. I only have around 1300 miles I think and I have to add a half quart between oil changes,,, I guess it will get better, before long I wont have to change it, just keep adding new,, I actually got mine to get me to the field and back with the tractor and to help on the farm, but like anything it also gets used for fun,,,,,, ,,,,, ,,,,, gc

 

[grizzlyspain]

Countrygrizz, Myself and a friend bought our 2005 Grizzs at the same time, since new his uses hardly any oil, we have both done 5000km plus. In the begining mine always needed topping up about 1/4 litre a month, then I stared using good quality (read this as expensive) synthetic oil, now I rarely have to fill up between oil changes. I do not really know whether this is due to different oil or more mileage. Grizzlyspain

 

[grizzlyspain]

Countrygrizz - I have 27" mudlites on each corner, but I would sure have no problems with those on your tractor!!!

 

[robg]

The Outlander may be faster (and even faster than my Sportsman 800) but I challenge it to keep up with the Grizzly in any serious technical arena, rocks especially.

Everything I've read on the Outlander says that its so-called auto-locking front diff works little better than Honda's... and we all know how capable they are in the super-technical.

Rob

 

[grizzlyspain]

As I said I cannot comment on highly technical rock crawling as yet as I am waiting for my skid plates, the Outy 800 has absolutely no protection on its spar type frame. I have already managed to dent it today on my first day out (I could not resist trying it out on the rocks althought not overly servere). I will let you all now how it does as soon as I have skids. I was very skeptical but the visco lock worked great today in mud and on the rocks that I tried. The main reason for this is that the Low Range is super low range giving literally a crawler gear couple with the dual stage throttle that makes the power super smoothe with huge torque at low revs. The problem we all have with the Grizz in extreme rock situations and the dif locked is that the control of the power is not as fine as it should be which leads to having to give it too much gas to start a severe crawl which can lead to a split second of uncontrolability as the Grizz bites and shoots you forward.

Grizzlyspain

 

[starky]

No matter what you choose, there will always be something better tomorrow. Yes, the Griz may be lagging behind in the big bore department but it still does everything I need it to do. I don't know the specs on the Outlander, but with most of the new 800 class machines comes more weight and a higher price tag.
I'm sure Yamaha will come out with something new in 07. It will more than likely be a 686 EFI like the Raptor. This will still put them behind the power curve but the die hard Yami fans will choose it over the other brands.
Yamaha has such a diverse line of machines that they don't have to have the biggest and baddest one on the block. The track record of the Griz is going to sell machines.

 

[grizzlyspain]

Hi Starky, I totally agree with you. The proof is that I am still keeping my Grizz as I love it so much. The real test will be how much I use it. Am I keeping it because I am being nostalgic, after all it was definetely the leader in its time? Or is its time nearly up with the new upstarts doing the job better! Only time will tell. Yamaha can not sit on their lorals they must improve performance, handling, breaking and ride in order to keep us fans happy if they do not even the die hards will think of changing.

Grizzlyspain

 

[micmacman]

call me a loyalist,but i havnt seen anything else out there that would steer me away from the Grizz,,,,including IF i were to total my Grizz today,i would buy a new one tomorrow,reguardless if they have anything "bigger" than what others are offering or not

for me,the Grizz suits me perfectly,,,,a perfect match,,,,i have yet to see a bike traverse what i have put my Grizz through successfully,and in most cases they are just too scared to even try,,,too scared to fail in front of others i suppose,NOT that there isnt anouther bike that CAN do what my bike can,because they have,do,and will continue to do(with the exception of the bottomless pit,which ive been successful one out of two recent attempts,while zero success of others Hoo (hehehe) have tried)

just because someone has a "bigger" or "newer" or even a "more up to date" bike doesnt really mean that they will perform better solely on those attributes,,,the rider has a very large part in it too,,as well as experiance

back when i had my Polaris 300 Explorer i use to put fellas to shame that had "brand new,,,big bad ass bikes",,,basically from riding skills alone,not because their bikes wernt capable,but Hoo (hehehe) came out on top just the same? a ole beat up,put to bed wet its intire life,inferior small bore bike

crossing a creek in some spots,i'll hold back,and let my buddy with his Sportsman 700 go first,,his bike is heavier than mine,and watching him i can determine the best way to tackle it,,,,his bike handles deeper water better

point being,there is no one bike out there that has it all,in all areas,,,its impossible,and unrealistic to say you do,,,,each person has to find a bike that best matchs themselves on a personal level,,,with that said in my humble opinion,when someone attempts to pick one bike that is "The Best",its impossible,and is like compairing apples to oranges,because what is perfect for one person,is a nightmare for the next,,,,,you just have to find the one that is best for you

ive had always been a Polaris rider until this Grizz,,,a Explorer,a Magnum,and 2 Sportsman's,and have been riding since my Big Red 200 3 wheeler was the bike to have,i like Polaris,i love my Grizz,,,,im getting ready to buy a Polaris for a second bike,the Scrambler is the perfect bike for what i want it for,its differant for each,you just have to find whats best for you

if your new bike is a better fit for you than the Grizz was,,,,congrats,,,,it may take several bikes to find the one thats best for you,,,,if there is anyone out there that can,and will put the test to the Outlander,,,,its you GrizzlySpain,,,lol

 

[micmacman]

something else just dawned on me that even furthers the point,,,,

we all ride Grizzlys here,,but we all have differant preferances,and needs,,,even though for all intensive purposes we started out with the same bike,take a look around at each others Grizzlys here,and you will see a vast differance of setups on what essentially started out as the exact same bike

the differance from bike to bike,of the same bike is huge

 

[grizzlyspain]

Hi Hoo, I am no trying to say the 8-Bomb is any better or worse than my Grizz. I will aim my grizz at almost anything and give it a try and usually succeed where many would fail. I have the utmost confidence in my Grizz and know its limits which always keep amazing me. I would not dare try some things on the 8-Bomb until I have pushed it much harder in all conditions and learn its limitations. I love Yamahas I have three standing outside know the oldest being only 14 months. What I am really getting at is that Yamaha are taking the piss from us loyal customers by not being quicker off the mark at giving us a better updated Grizzly, the technology and know how is there but they just keep giving us the SAME OLD STUFF.
Grizzspain

 

[black954]

I don't want anything different. I think the current griz is the best utility quad period. I think the newer quads are getting too far from what a utility quad should be. They are getting so big and heavy becoming less practical for what their intended purpose is. I don't believe a quad should have fuel injection or a automotive style transmission or macpherson struts or even a v-twin engine. If I wanted a big heavy fuel injected 4x4 for utility use, I would go buy a used Jeep Wrangler and be done with it. It would be cheaper than all these new big-bore quads and would give you more uses. On a side note, I think the 660 Grizzly is by far the coolest looking quad out there. The Polaris and Cats have way too much plastic crap and the Honda looks like a little girlie quad. And the Brute Force? what an ugly POS and it's HUGE!

 

[drs.weaver]

I'm with Hoo, Atvs are constantly changing, currently the bigger is better trend is going strong. my first "big" atv was a 400 kow. at the time I thought it was the s**t. Two atvs later and I'm lovin the Griz. I ride with grizzlys, Kings and a 700 kow. all great bikes, all with dif rides. Our most agresive rider distroyed a Brute Force in MOAB last year and now rides a King, (His son still rides his Hopped up Griz.) He can take that King up hills that I won't try but he could take my griz up them as well. I didn't buy a king because the vinson I distroyed with a close encounter with a tree turned me off the suzuki path. I do enjoy the number of mods you can do to the griz, this is a testament to the stability of the platform. and like black said it the coolest looking atv outthere.

 

[robg]

My very first ATV was my 2002 Grizzly.

My second ATV was a 2003 Arctic Cat 400. I ended up hating it, and sold it. I replaced it with a 2003 Honda Rincon. This was okay for a while, but it eventually got old because of no low range and no locker. It was just too much work to try to ride in technical areas, plus it had started stalling frequently, and my gf didn't like to ride it because of that.

I finally sold it too and got a new Sportsman 800 EFI for myself, and my gf (now wife) rides the Grizzly. She LOVES the the Grizzly, and I still prefer it for tasks such as plowing.

The moral of the story is that of all the ATVs I've owned, the one that I've always kept around is the Grizzly... because it's THAT good. While I love the Sportsman, it has two major flaws -- lack of all-wheel engine braking (a problem that may be corrected by Polaris in 2007), and the belt-drive system that is nowhere near as good or as advanced as Yamaha's -- it allows too much belt slippage which causes much more frequent belt failure. I've already blown one belt on the SP800 in less than 1000 miles, and I've never even come close to blowing a belt on the Grizzly.

The reason I'm keeping the Grizz around is because it's such a good and simple design. I can work on the thing. No fancy electronics (other than the display), and there are enough of them around that getting parts isn't a big deal either. It's just a good all-around quad.

The biggest drawback of the Grizzly is the fact that you can't steer the thing with the front diff locked. I hate that. Plus it could use a bit lower Low Range, but that wouldn't be even as big of a deal if you could steer it with Difflock engaged.

Rob

 

[rickwalkerjr]

My '06 Grizz is my first ATV ever grizzlyspain so I really have nothing to compare to. I can say that I love absolutley everything about it even tho its commonly refered to as "small' compared to the bigger machines. great looks, plenty of power and lots of options that make it a well thought out designed machine...other than some add ons I cant think of anything I would change to make it better.

But in all fairness to you I have thought from the beggining that a 2 cylinder motor would be better just for the simple fact that two cylinders of the same cc would not work as hard as one piston. plus I think it might even balance the sound too.

if I had to lodge a complaint it would be that Yam doesnt offer the 80cc Grizz in red...my daughter wants a matching Grizz for her B day.

 

[bobmmor]

hay grizzspain how about some pics.put them in none grizz area, i wont tell.like to see what it lools like. bob m

 

[micmacman]

Rob,,your absolutly right about the Sportsmans belt,my first sportsman i was dragging logs out in lengths to cut up for fire wood,and burnt up a belt the same day,learned that wasnt a good idea fast,,,,but my biggest complaint with both Sportsmans i owned was the CV joints were a never ending problem,if it wasnt for that issue,i more than likely wouldnt have strayed from Polaris at all,because i really liked the Sportsmans alot,i just got tired of replacing axles

Grizzly Spain,,,i knew you wernt talking smack against the Grizz,i know how much you love yours,,,i was just saying there is no ultimate bike,because there are too many variables for each individual to weigh,,,whats awsome for one,doesnt meen its gonna be everyone elses awsome idea of what the perfect quad

for me, share the same thoughts with black954,,,some of these bikes are too big to be practical for having fun,for atleast here,and for me anyway,,,even with all of the mods on my bike,i still whip it around better than some of these "land Yahts" you see on the trails lately

 

[irv]

Congrats on the new toy Grizzspain, check out www.atvonlinemagazine.com This guy runs a free site and him and his wife are avid Grizz/atv fans. He(Gregory) just purchased a new 800 Bomb and he has some good info/right ups for you to read/enjoy. Anybody else have a look too, he has some great info on trails, tires, tours, snakes, maintenance, pictures and video's. Very nice people. Enjoy..........Irv