Yamaha Grizzly 660

[dsb5610]

ovrszd,

Looking at the Kawasaki website it looks like the 650 Prairie is no longer offered. I see a 650 Brute Force which I assume replaces the Prairie. I also see they offer the 650 with solid rear axle (SRA) or independent rear axle (IRA). The IRA seems to be the trend and I've read that it provides a smoother ride.

I don't recall the Kawasaki models we looked at and the dealer did not have a big selection. They also carry Honda and had a larger slection of thoses. I do recall they did not have a Kawasaki unit available with the same features/options as the Grizzlys we are looking at for the same price.

dsb

 

[ovrszd]

ovrszd,

Looking at the Kawasaki website it looks like the 650 Prairie is no longer offered. I see a 650 Brute Force which I assume replaces the Prairie. I also see they offer the 650 with solid rear axle (SRA) or independent rear axle (IRA). The IRA seems to be the trend and I've read that it provides a smoother ride.

I don't recall the Kawasaki models we looked at and the dealer did not have a big selection. They also carry Honda and had a larger slection of thoses. I do recall they did not have a Kawasaki unit available with the same features/options as the Grizzlys we are looking at for the same price.

dsb

In 2006 they offered the Prairie, they just bumped it up to a 700. Same chassis and basic engine, just enlarged. I haven't looked at the '07 listings to see if it's still there. They offer a 650 Brute Force with the same chassis and engine as the Prairie, just has Brute Force plastic.

Independent rear suspension does offer a more cushy ride. But the trade off is that they don't like sidehills as well as solid axle designs. That's why the women in our group all want to ride the Prairie when we are on steep timber trails. it's just easier to ride and feels more stable. It's getting harder to find a big bore machine with solid rear axle. Kawasaki may be the last one to offer this combination.

I don't know how the Brute Force compares to the Grizzly in price. As far as the machine, the Brute Force seems to be a better equipped machine, more powerful, faster, more stable, more comfortable seating and has a lot better braking system.

They are certainly all good machines and if you buy two alike you will never know the difference. I like variety which is why my wife and I share a Prairie and a Polaris Sportsman. As I said earlier, when just puttering around she wants the Polaris, when riding challenging trails, she always makes me switch and she rides the Kawasaki. I have a snow blade that fits both, I push snow with the Polaris. The Grizzly just feels too high, narrow and tippy for us.

It would still be nice if you could find someone that would let you ride different machines. Our local dealer has a five acre backlot and will let us ride anything he has in stock. When we bought our Prairie we had actually went to buy a Vinson. Fifteen minutes on each in his backlot and we went home with the Prairie. He grinned and said I told you that would happen!!! I didn't notice where you live, if you are near us, we will let you ride everything we have access to on our trails. Lastly, a few hundred dollars difference in price for a ride you like when spending $6500+ is insignificant. Good Luck.

 

[dsb5610]

ovrszd,

Thanks for the offer and the feedback. I live in far north/central IL. I am going to call around and see if anyone has a pair of the Kawasakis in camo we can look at. I will take some abuse for it if they do since out of all the ATVs we looked at, the 660 Grizzlys were pointed too as the ones.

Our choice of dealers are Yamaha first by a longshot followed by one that carries Honda/Kawasaki.

dsb

 

[1bush2hog]

I have a 2003 Grizz 660 that I have ridden on like a sport quad, jumped off of 4-6ft drops, buried in mud over the front hood, as well as, worked it hard on my property. It has independent suspension, a strong motor, is durable and reliable, and has been problem free. It can operate in 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive, or with true 4WD - all 4 wheels locked in.

There are bigger, badder, and better machines out there I'm sure - Almost all brands have some minor issues at one time or another as well. Some had problems with the gas boiling when the 660's first came out - I did not. The brakes on my grizz are also good, so I'm not sure what another poster is referring to. Although the grizz 660 design is somewhat dated, it is a proven performer.

I'm 6'3" and 250lbs and the grizz fits me fine. At 65 mph, it is also fast enough for me. It does not feel top heavy to me, but then again I do shift my weight while riding according to the terrain I am riding on. Stiffer settings on the stock springs will reduce sway that results from Ind. F&R suspension, however I upgraded the front and rear springs to aftermarket heavy duty units to help when I am carrying a 25 gallon spray tank on the back racks. The stiffer springs also stop front end dive when I hit a curve going fast.

Good Luck with your decision and be careful with any ATV you do buy. At 600lbs plus, for any quad in this size, that is a lot of weight if it flips over on you.

 

[bigdeer2000]

i think the best feature of power steering is that it would keep the handlebars from whipping if you hit a rut or trail obstacle that you might not see until to late.i have never owned a grizzly and only ridden a 660 once.i have owned a brute force 750. brute is more powerful. power is instant and strong. brute sits tall, to me it felt more tippy than other atvs i have had.recently sold it and went back to a rubicon. would like to try 700 grizzly after they have been out for a while. good luck with your decision.

 

[ovrszd]

I have a 2003 Grizz 660 that I have ridden on like a sport quad, jumped off of 4-6ft drops, buried in mud over the front hood, as well as, worked it hard on my property. It has independent suspension, a strong motor, is durable and reliable, and has been problem free. It can operate in 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive, or with true 4WD - all 4 wheels locked in.

There are bigger, badder, and better machines out there I'm sure - Almost all brands have some minor issues at one time or another as well. Some had problems with the gas boiling when the 660's first came out - I did not. The brakes on my grizz are also good, so I'm not sure what another poster is referring to. Although the grizz 660 design is somewhat dated, it is a proven performer.

I'm 6'3" and 250lbs and the grizz fits me fine. At 65 mph, it is also fast enough for me. It does not feel top heavy to me, but then again I do shift my weight while riding according to the terrain I am riding on. Stiffer settings on the stock springs will reduce sway that results from Ind. F&R suspension, however I upgraded the front and rear springs to aftermarket heavy duty units to help when I am carrying a 25 gallon spray tank on the back racks. The stiffer springs also stop front end dive when I hit a curve going fast.

Good Luck with your decision and be careful with any ATV you do buy. At 600lbs plus, for any quad in this size, that is a lot of weight if it flips over on you.

dsb5610,

There's my point about the Grizzly being top heavy. He just made it for me. To get his to operate like he wanted, he changed out all four springs. I didn't mention the front end dive because some other models do that also and you didn't indicate that you were interested in Hare Scrambles.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not claiming the Grizzly is bad. Just pointing out comparisons as I have saw them with the ATVs that I have to compare with. As I said earlier, if you buy two machines alike, you will never know the difference.

 

[1bush2hog]

"There's my point about the Grizzly being top heavy. He just made it for me."

The POINT I am referring to here is SWAY resulting from independent suspension FLEX. Now it may feel "top heavy" to you, but that is actually not what it is. The stock settings on the grizz shocks allow side to side flex that can be adjusted from very soft to firm. Very soft settings can be used by those that do not ride agressively, or on hills, and want to maximize the plushness of their ride. Since I am sometimes exceeding the mfg specs on rack capacity by hauling a 25 gal sprayer on the back racks, I decided to upgrade my suspension to accomodate this and reduce the FLEX in the Ind Sus. This was more of a safety upgrade since I am using the sprayer on very steep hills on my property.

Any model that has ind. suspension will perform in a similar manner - This is NOT a Yamaha specific issue -

The grizz 660 is the best bang for the buck for my needs. Like I said, there are bigger, badder, and MORE EXPENSIVE machines out there - just depends on what you want to spend and what you want out of your machine. The older 650 Prairies are good machines, if you want to go the solid rear axle route.

They are all good in one way or another - and some are just better than others. I would consider EFI, if I were buying a new machine today

Here is a link to a pretty good atv forum where you can read comparisons of all brands Highlifter Forums

 

[Boondox]

In my search for an ATV/UTV with more power than my old Honda Foreman 400 I've been checking out some utility quads. Yesterday I test rode a Griz 700 and all I can say is WOW! It was nimble (with power steering), powerful at both ends of the curve, and in LO range had an incredible amount of low end grunt pulling power. The suspension was incredible, and the ability to hit/go over large rocks without feeling the shock in your arms and shoulders was -- at my age -- a real plus.

I hear the concerns about buying new technology in its first year, but the EFI and power steering are both relatively simple and Yamaha has a great reputation for making things right.

Pete

 

[ovrszd]

In my search for an ATV/UTV with more power than my old Honda Foreman 400 I've been checking out some utility quads. Yesterday I test rode a Griz 700 and all I can say is WOW! It was nimble (with power steering), powerful at both ends of the curve, and in LO range had an incredible amount of low end grunt pulling power. The suspension was incredible, and the ability to hit/go over large rocks without feeling the shock in your arms and shoulders was -- at my age -- a real plus.

I hear the concerns about buying new technology in its first year, but the EFI and power steering are both relatively simple and Yamaha has a great reputation for making things right.

Pete

That's good to hear. I'm always interested in hearing of new technology. What other ATVs have you test ridden???

 

[Boondox]

That's good to hear. I'm always interested in hearing of new technology. What other ATVs have you test ridden???

Richard -- I've always owned Hondas since the days of the Mini Trail 50 (remember that little gem?), and since my first quad was that rock solid little Foreman 400 that had never given me the slightest problem in seven years of hard use I checked out the Honda Foreman, Rubicon, and Rincon first. But the Foreman isn't much stronger than mine, the Rincon isn't a utility quad, and the Rubicon, while it is head and shoulders above mine, just didn't feel right. It was sluggish on takeoff and vibrated a lot more than I was comfortable with. There were also a lot of gadgets on it that struck me as gimmicks. 30 speeds, fer Pete's sake! After that I tried the Can-Am quads, but couldn't justify the price. Then the Kawasaki, and while I liked the V-twin engine it had no low range and again was more sports than ute. Plus the local Kaw and Suzuki dealers don't have the best reputation for service after the sale. Finally I tried the Grizzly 700 and it simply blew my socks off! I suspect, since I was able to steer it with one hand easily even in 4WD, that my petite wife would also like the Grizz.

But even the Grizz is a compromise. I'm looking for a quad to use around the farmlet and to harvest firewood from the forest. For that I need low end torque which the 700EFI has...but it also does 65mph which is something I definitely do NOT need!

Ahem, choices! Pete