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Looking to buy a 4wheeler

mmayo

By mmayo
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mmayo Enthusiast

mmayo

Posted
Posted

I'm looking to get myself a 4wheeler & would like some honest opinions. For the past few months I've had my fathers 600 Grizzly (98 yr model i think) it has a little over 2000 miles & runs great. They also have a Kodiak. I am looking at either the new Grizzly 700 that just came out or a polaris sportsman 800. I really like the size of the sportsman better than the yamaha(the seat especially since I am 6'7"). It is MUCH bigger than the yamaha & my son could fit on there much more comfortably riding w/ me. Since I have experience with the yamahas I know they are really reliable & I haven't heard a lot of good things about the polaris sportsman first hand. There is a group of guys that ride near my house & one had very bad luck w/ an '05 sportsman that the dealership finally ended up buying back from him for what he paid for it. The group told me that there is much more maintenance on a polaris than any of the other major brands that have been around.

 

That said, for those of yall that have or have had polaris sportsman’s how would you rate them? I dont want to sacrifice quality for size of the seat or spend that much $$$ on something that will just break down on me.

 

Thanks

-Mayo

carneyman Senior Enthusiast

carneyman

Posted
Posted
I have a Honda Recon and it's held up pretty well.

 

go with the yamaha. My dad had a sportsman, and it was ok, ride was ruff and the suspension was way too stiff, motor a little slow on the uptake, etc. He traded it in for a grizzly and a kawasaki brute, and man those things have power. Both of them will about throw you off when you mash the gas. the brute has a little more power with the grizzly being the faster of the two ( I think the brute has a bigger engine, but the grizzly weighs less). Both ride really well, fit in the bed of a pickup, and look pretty good clean or covered in mud.

WI_Dave Enthusiast

WI_Dave

Posted
Posted
I have a Honda Recon and it's held up pretty well.

I have one too. I have put it thru hell and still runs like a champ. :) I am a believer in the Honda's

Chestah Senior Enthusiast

Chestah

Posted
Posted

My Recon is far from Bling Bling, but it is an overall good 4-wheeler. My cousin has a Rancher that I can assure you was dogged as much as humanly possible, it still runs pretty good.

thecraft Senior Enthusiast

thecraft

Posted
Posted

I agree with carneyman, go with the Yamaha.

 

Take a look at Kawasaki too. They kick some serious ass, I have a 1998 Bayou 300 that I must've took through hell several times, and it still comes back for more. If you could only have seen the beating my uncle's 1997 Bayou 220 took, it's amazing the engine never grenaded or seized up, let alone start up first time every time (it doesn't idle good anymore though).

superbee Enthusiast

superbee

Posted
Posted

I have a Kaw, but to answer your question, I would go with the Griz. The Polaris machines have grease fittings, and lots of them!! I have friends with three of them, if you like to you use your grease gun all of the time I guess it's ok. It takes about 2 hrs to change oil and grease everything, big pain IMHO. If you do lots of reverse wheelies and weigh over 275 pounds, the Griz will eat up front wheel bearings, don't ask how I know.

mmayo Enthusiast

mmayo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The main reason I was leaning Sportsman was the size.......I'm 6'7" & weigh 240........

 

The Polaris RZR does look awesome! I read up on it a few weeks ago when polaris introduced it. I may not fit in it though!

 

I driven rangers 4x4s & 6x6s & they never cease to amaze me.

CMNTMXR81 Senior Enthusiast

CMNTMXR81

Posted
Posted

Polaris.

 

But that's because I had one.

 

As to their grease fittings, I'm an overly anal retentive former mechanic who is obsessed with preventative maintance. In the several years I owned mine, I can count on one hand how often I snapped the 'ol grease gun onto the Zerk fittings.

 

And mind you, I had mine buried in mud or blowing through snow (drifts) most of the time!

CMNTMXR81 Senior Enthusiast

CMNTMXR81

Posted
Posted
I have a Honda Recon and it's held up pretty well.

 

go with the yamaha. My dad had a sportsman, and it was ok, ride was ruff and the suspension was way too stiff, motor a little slow on the uptake, etc. He traded it in for a grizzly and a kawasaki brute, and man those things have power. Both of them will about throw you off when you mash the gas. the brute has a little more power with the grizzly being the faster of the two ( I think the brute has a bigger engine, but the grizzly weighs less). Both ride really well, fit in the bed of a pickup, and look pretty good clean or covered in mud.

 

 

Now see, I had mine tuned by a member of Polaris's snowmobile racing team. When I left it in two wheel drive, slammed the throttle open, I could pull the front wheels off the ground! That was on a stock motor too! Nothing more than a proper tune. This was an ATV that would weigh in in excess of 700 pounds with me on it!

Ductape Enthusiast

Ductape

Posted
Posted

Yamaha and Polaris are both reliable in my experience. Had about 4 of each brand so far.

Can-AM 800 is the king of go-fast utilities.

Yamaha has the easiest maintenance IMO.

Polaris Sportsman the best suspension. Ride all day without getting tired. I've not had any reliability issues with any of the above.

Sportsmen were crap back in the 90's but the newer ones are fine.

 

DT

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