polaris or yamaha

[Snortwheeze]

we have a 425 magnum polaris and looking to upgrade. it is between the polaris sportsman and the yamaha grizzley. what are your guys likes and dislikes about these machines. will mostly be icefishing, hunting and just riding around the yard.

[two_fish_tommy]

they are both good wheelers, the Polaris is a good powerfull machine the yamaha is probally alittle cheaper, checkout some 4-wheeler mags, but not ones backed by any manufacture most of them are giving awards to either the 550 sportsman or the can-am. hope this helps walking sucks

[dcso3009]

I went with the Polaris because they ride like a Cadillac and the engine power.  Also I ride with 2 people very often and the larger size is a real comfort factor.  There is a large weight difference which I feel gives the Polaris superior traction.  Also the Polaris was more affordable than the Grizz when I got mine 12/31/08.  

I went with the 800 and am not sorry one bit.  No complaints other than a little hard on gas, but at 300 miles a year that is not a problem.

[Lone Fisher]

I put 1500 miles on my grizzly the summer i got er.. 

[dkfry]

Yamaha.

[muduck]

They are both great wheelers , My buddy has the grizzly 660 and it is awesome ,I ride Polaris sportsman 700 efi ,the only thing i don't like about it is the turning sucks, but it has a ton of power and goes through anything . For 09 the sportsmans will have power steering,

[Fishful Thinking]

You should ride both  and see what feels best to you. I ride a 2002 Polaris Sportsman 500 and it has been a great machine. Over 4000 miles and no major problems.

[vtpoolman]

i bought an 08 grizzly with power steering. love it. also put tracks on it. i like that you get to decide weather you are in 2 , 3 , or 4 wheel drive. if you are going to get the poo make sure you get the ebs. my buddies 700 poo free wheals when going down steep hills and he always has to ride the breakes. my grizzly does not. if you want good info on the grizzly check out grizzlycentral.com
   they are both good machines. the grizzly is about 170lbs lighter then the poo and has a sharper turning radius.

[dcso3009]

i bought an 08 grizzly with power steering. love it. also put tracks on it. i like that you get to decide weather you are in 2 , 3 , or 4 wheel drive. if you are going to get the poo make sure you get the ebs. my buddies 700 poo free wheals when going down steep hills and he always has to ride the breakes. my grizzly does not. if you want good info on the grizzly check out grizzlycentral.com
   they are both good machines. the grizzly is about 170lbs lighter then the poo and has a sharper turning radius.

I am going to disagree with you on the EBS.  I hate it, and got mine without it.  My friend has one with EBS & ADC and it will stop on a down hill.  He complains all the time about having to stay on the throttle while going DOWN a hill. 

As for 2, 3, or 4 wheel.... I can't think of a reason to want 3 wheel.  I don't mean to bash your machine because the Grizz was my 3rd choice (# 2 was the BF750). 

Like was said above, ride them both and make your choice from experience and preferences. 

[dkfry]

Does Polaris even offer diff lock? Always thought it was AWD, I prefer diff lock.

[boblee]

If you choose polaris youll be in the dealership a lot fixing up broken parts.

[dcso3009]

Does Polaris even offer diff lock? Always thought it was AWD, I prefer diff lock.

No diff lock.  You get 2wd or AWD.  

[dcso3009]

If you choose polaris youll be in the dealership a lot fixing up broken parts.

What breaks more on a polaris than any other brand when ridden the same?  NOTHING!

[Skipper]

Sometimes the easiest choices can be the hardest to make. I feel that you cant go wrong with either machine, so I suggest you shop for the better price between the two makers comperable models.

Look for deals on cary over models from '07, and the '08s should go on sale pretty quick here. You will be surprised how cheaply you can get into a new ATV if you are not too picky about color and such.

I have a Polaris, and I love it. It will go through an amazing amount of snow, and it starts great in the cold. All four wheels are churning in 4x4, no diff lock to break and cost me a grand, and it turns fine too.

[AirManCam]

Don't go with a polaris..personally I would rock a Kawasaki Teryx side by side if your going to use them for ice fishing and hunting and the occasional fun trip.

[bus33]

Get a Honda, more reliable than anything. 

[skulldugary]

I have a 05 Yamaha Grizzly and love it,plenty of power.A little cold blooded on zero days but always starts and runs like a champ whenwarmed up. EFI would be a good choise for those cold start ups out on the ice....Do your home work,ask a hundred people and you'll get a hundred answers when it comes to 4 wheelers...good luck and enjoy what ever machine you buy..

[Buck762]

I'd get a Polaris Ranger side by side,  they're pretty sweet for hunting and ice fishing and general fun.  If your gonna be doing some seriouse trail riding I'd get a yamaha Grizzly.  I owned a yamaha raptor and never had any complaints about it. Now I own a yamaha 125cc dirtbike and 250cc dirtbike, again with no complaints

[stumper]

What breaks more on a polaris than any other brand when ridden the same?  NOTHING!

I know better, but Ill let you live the dream

[FISHFORPIKE]

Yamaha all the way -    Ask some of the guys from Alaska - they are vastly a Yamaha crowd for one reason - dependability!

[dav]

I own all Yamaha's, sleds and wheelers     

dav

[muduck]

The Polaris i ride, is an 04, 700 efi, Use it mostly to plow snow , beat the hell out of it , never had had a problem with it yet , pushes a TON of snow , has a ton of power ,  like i said the only thing i dislike is the turning radius

[falcon]

YAMAHA. I have a Grizzly and love it

[Lone Fisher]

GRIZZLY

[boy wonder]

I was in the same boat a few weeks ago...deciding between the Polaris, Yamaha and Can Am.
after doing some research, asking all my friends that knew about them and going to look at them...I decided that for the value, I couldn't go wrong with a new 2008 700 Grizz EFi....I got it for about the same price as most dealers were trying to sell 500 Sportmans.
They are way lighter than the Sportsmans...the Can Am was a very close second...I just had it on the ice today and LOVE it...tons of power, we were going thru 10-12" of snow it had no trouble.  I put ITP wheels/tires on it.
I think you should look at the Can Ams as well as the Grizzly.
I also disagree with the other post saying having it in 4wd without the diff lock on is pointless...it worked for me today on the ice/snow...not having it in locked 4wd is way easier to turn than and control than locked 4wd...at least to me...love the fact I can choose from, 2wd, 4 wd non locked and locked 4wd..Polaris doesn't give you that option

[Diversion245]

Polaris or Honda....... end of story.

I will NEVER buy another Kawasaki, that was a huge mistake.

[Sluggo]

As you can see, lots of opinions and brand loyalty here 

You need to ride both of them before making a decision.  Both will have strong points.  These days, with so much parity in the quality/options/price of wheelers the dealer must come into the equation.  If you are really torn between the machines go with the dealer that treats you best and has the best reputation.

Now, if I were buying a new wheeler, no question Suzuki King Quad 750.  I have ridden the new Grizz, Brute Force, Outlander and the KQ.  KQ is tops as far as I'm concerned.  I've had experience with Polaris, never again.

[stumper]

Polaris or Honda....... end of story.

I will NEVER buy another Kawasaki, that was a huge mistake.

Reall? Im curious hat kind of troubles you had? We have 8 of them with a total of over 25000 miles between them and none have been near a shop. Mine had 3800 miles in the first yr and it was used in 5 sled pulls,6 days of mud racing and 4 days of grass dragging.Heck I even used it to pull 2 cars 20 miles to the junk yard(sherric didnt care much for that) Not to mention that it started every morning last winter to go icefishing at down to -20 degrees. What problems did you have that I should be looking out for?

[stumper]

On a side note. I would highly recomend against buying a machine that was udsed only for icefishing unless you know the previous owner and know they let it warm up before each use. I cant believe how many guys will hop on and go without letting it warm up.Riding with the choke on is even worse. You can expect to be replacing cams if they did that.

[motorfisher]

I'm a 'Cat man myself, but I'd definitely go with the KingQuad as my second option. Both have good throttle response, plenty of power, good ground clearance, 2/4 wheeler on the fly w/ locking differential, EFI and both handle like a dream. I researched and rode allot of machines before I bought my Arctic Cat 700 EFI including the brands your considering and Cat has the beat hands down, but the Suzuki runs a close second.Well, that's my two cents. Sorry if it confuses the decision makin' process !