Quad Purchase

[Got Juice?]

Originally Posted by Stonegoat

I have a 2007 Can Am Outlander 400. I have about 5500 km on it, and its been a great machine.

My hunting partner has a 2006? Honda Rincon 680. His machine is less able to navigate logs, deeper snow, etc due to poor ground clearance. It has left him walking many times too, as his gas boils when his machine gets too hot, which it often does, as we live in BC with lots of long, steep climbs.

I think for Alberta riding where the ground is flat and easy, a Honda would be ok. For any other type of riding, I would get a more capable machine.

The 3 speed automotive style automatic really hampers them... no low range, and a lot of added HEAT!!!

[Got Juice?]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Yammy. Not quite the best of everything.

Best overall works though.

Remember boys and girls.. the CHEAPEST part of buying an ATV is the cost of the machine.

Maintenance, fuel, etc have to factor in over the long haul.

And I have yet to find an ATV that does it all in a balanced, reliable, and easy to maintain package.

Do I sometimes wish for more power? Sure, but only on the looooong straights where the Can Am leaves me at 105km/h......

Low end torque rules the day, especially on technical trails, and rock scrabbling.... the V-Twins have a B*tch of a time... they lack the instant throttle response of the grizz, and are too darned heavy.

I believe Yamaha got it right from the word go.... The ATV was introduced in 2007 (700) and how many changes have they made to the bike? Not many. They had a well thought out product from the beginning. 2014 marks a new cyl head for more power and economy. Other than that.... no changes.

[cfinn]

both are good machines, but when i am 30 miles from my truck, Honda reliabilty is the #1 thing that matters. you wont win the race there, but you'll always tow your canam buddy's home.

[Rage.0]

Originally Posted by STURKO OUTDOORS

Canams are for guys with monster energy drink stickers on their back windows and tribal tattoos... But once, buy Honda

hahahaha too funny, If you decide to buy anything other than a Honda make sure one of your buddies has a Honda to come rescue you

[Rio56]

Originally Posted by Sako300

I honestly havent given the Yamaha a look so i will have to. How does the towing on the Grizzly compare to a Honda? Lets say for example the Honda 500 vs Grizzly 700?

Don't put grizzly into this thread ..HONESTLY the Yamaha is the ugliest quad out there , bar none ...The new Honda rubicon with all the new features is a winner . Unless you wanna go 110 klm and go thru 5 klms of pure mud and water up to your handle bars and then spend 5 grand to repair, get the can-am ..I hunt in very remote areas alone and would not trust anything other than the Honda ...the new 500 Rubicon is a great overall quad ..

[andyhall]

I just bought a new 2015 Honda 500 with Irs. I am a honda guy thru and thru but , Ride is greatly improved, ground clearance increased by 5 inches from older solid axle 500 honda. power is much better with the fuel injection, same honda reliabiltiy . But the diff lock is the best thing honda has came out with for years. My son is a can am owner and the honda diff lock is way better than the canam. my opinion is it is the best "work" type quad out there. if you want ride and power go can am but be prepared for lots of repairs,

[Dean2]

Something that seems to be getting forgotten in here is there is a big difference between play and work Quads. The more dodads and the fancier the quad the heavier it is and the harder it is to fix. The older Manual shift, 2 and four wheel drive Hondas always got the work done, were stone axe reliable and were easy to wrench on if something did go wrong. They came with pull starts that any 10 year old could fire off, even if it was -20 and the Battery was dead.

They were shorter in height andlength, would fit into a truck box, even a short box with a canopy on it, weren't as tippy and had relatively good ground clearance. They were light enough one guy could easily pick the back or front end a long ways off the ground. You could winch them out with a manual boat winch mounted to the front rack, no electrical problems, and the hand wiches were lots strong enough to winch a full size moose out of the swamp.

I hunted for years with a two wheel drive 250, then a 300 Honda and it would go anywhere the four wheel drive ones would and burned less than 1/3 the gas. It meant I didn't have to pack Jerry can or no more than 1 on a four day hunt and the 4x4 guys needed lots of them. The 4x4s would pull heavy loads better through the Muskeg and our crew kept one for hauling in the camping gear. The rest were 2 Wheel drive, shaft driven, Manual shift Hondas and we NEVER had to pull one home. Same was not true of the Polarises and other brands that came with us.

For a hunting quad the simpler, lighter, shorter and better gas mileage the better it does that job. Not near as good for rip and tear but for that I buy a different machine all together.

If you want to buy new, Honda still makes the 420 and 500 Foreman, Manual shift, selectable 2 or 4 wheel drive and locking front differential. About the most basic, reliable and functional "Hunting Rig" being made.

[Gade81]

Originally Posted by Got Juice?

Best overall works though.

Remember boys and girls.. the CHEAPEST part of buying an ATV is the cost of the machine.

Maintenance, fuel, etc have to factor in over the long haul.

And I have yet to find an ATV that does it all in a balanced, reliable, and easy to maintain package.

Do I sometimes wish for more power? Sure, but only on the looooong straights where the Can Am leaves me at 105km/h......

Low end torque rules the day, especially on technical trails, and rock scrabbling.... the V-Twins have a B*tch of a time... they lack the instant throttle response of the grizz, and are too darned heavy.

I believe Yamaha got it right from the word go.... The ATV was introduced in 2007 (700) and how many changes have they made to the bike? Not many. They had a well thought out product from the beginning. 2014 marks a new cyl head for more power and economy. Other than that.... no changes.

haha this I gotta comment on. I have owned more machines than almost anyone, including numerous grizzlys and can ams, and like em both. But gotta say every can am I owned had much better throttle response than a grizz, not even close!! And all my can ams were reliable, unlike some on here will try to make you believe

[CheyPed]

Have you considered Arctic Cat? Decent ride and reliable in my experience.

Cheers

[Got Juice?]

Originally Posted by Gade81

haha this I gotta comment on. I have owned more machines than almost anyone, including numerous grizzlys and can ams, and like em both. But gotta say every can am I owned had much better throttle response than a grizz, not even close!! And all my can ams were reliable, unlike some on here will try to make you believe

The key is balance. Don't even get me started on the Can Am 4wd system. AKA Crisco-Lock. Even the QE

The washes and rock chutes that a Grizz handles with aplomb highlight the issue.

[Fwee6]

Originally Posted by andyhall

I just bought a new 2015 Honda 500 with Irs. I am a honda guy thru and thru but , Ride is greatly improved, ground clearance increased by 5 inches from older solid axle 500 honda. power is much better with the fuel injection, same honda reliabiltiy . But the diff lock is the best thing honda has came out with for years. My son is a can am owner and the honda diff lock is way better than the canam. my opinion is it is the best "work" type quad out there. if you want ride and power go can am but be prepared for lots of repairs,

I'm heading to Rocky Mtn Honda this weekend to check out the same bike. Looking forward to seeing it in person.

[Moo Snukkle]

Pay attention to the weight of chosen Honda. I recall seeing a full load 2016 Rubicon listed at 719 lbs. My 14 Foreman is 630 lbs with the same motor and is plush. Softest riding Honda I've ever been on.

[Sako300]

So I think i have decided on a 2016 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS LE. Only problem is no one seems to have them in stock yet.

Can anyone recommend a good dealer? I dont mind driving 4 hours from calgary if the price is right.

Thank you.

[albertadeer]

It's obvious the people who need to trust quads for remote work
And those who go mud bogging on the weekend.... I have never even seen a can-am in the areas I unload my Honda.... The odd Yamaha but I've seen a few diff issues with them.


Give me a 350 Honda and I could get from high level to Vancouver through the bush....

[Got Juice?]

Originally Posted by Sako300

So I think i have decided on a 2016 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS LE. Only problem is no one seems to have them in stock yet.

Can anyone recommend a good dealer? I dont mind driving 4 hours from calgary if the price is right.

Thank you.

There is a Dealer in Pincher Creek that has 6 of them on the floor as we speak.

Really great people to deal with. Highly recommended. A+++

I feel good about spending my hard earned money there.

[Sako300]

Which dealer are you referring to?

[Got Juice?]

IIRC Rocky Mountain Mechanical.

[Torkdiesel]

Oh ya, those Can Ams are the best. This one had almost 600 km's on it, so in its defence it was mile'd out

That Hondas got 17,000 km's on it. Just broke in now

[Smokinyotes]

My 2014 800 outlander rides and handles great. It is not near as tough as a Honda. If I had to do it again I would buy a Honda.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by Sako300

So I think i have decided on a 2016 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS LE. Only problem is no one seems to have them in stock yet.

Can anyone recommend a good dealer? I dont mind driving 4 hours from calgary if the price is right.

Thank you.

Great choice.

[Ice Fishing Maniac]

Originally Posted by Sako300

So I think i have decided on a 2016 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS LE. Only problem is no one seems to have them in stock yet.

Can anyone recommend a good dealer? I dont mind driving 4 hours from calgary if the price is right.

Thank you.

A little further north, ok double....lol.,but Maximum Powersports in Peace River is great Yamaha 5-Star dealer. Talk to Shad or Rene'.

Make a deal with them and I will deliver it to you in Edmonton next weekend as I will be in Edmonton Friday night thru to Sunday . I don't mind helping a fellow AO member. Shad and Rene will vouch for me. I have known them 16-20 years. I bought their personal Rhino about 2 years ago, and just recently bought a new 2400 Inverter for them.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Tork "a picture is worth a thousand words" Old Honda pulling new Canam and fully load trailer priceless!!

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Sako300

So I think i have decided on a 2016 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS LE. Only problem is no one seems to have them in stock yet.

Can anyone recommend a good dealer? I dont mind driving 4 hours from calgary if the price is right.

Thank you.

Red Line power sports in Grande Prairie is good to deal with !! and great choice you won't regret it !!!

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by Torkdiesel

Oh ya, those Can Ams are the best. This one had almost 600 km's on it, so in its defence it was mile'd out

That Hondas got 17,000 km's on it. Just broke in now

Wow,,,,,that's awesome ,,,I think that very well may be the only picture ever of one brand pulling another brand. Every other time it must be brand related tows only so no one would take a pic. I hope my sarcasm is not wasted here.

[Talking moose]

Why is tha can am towing that Honda in reverse?

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

Wow,,,,,that's awesome ,,,I think that very well may be the only picture ever of one brand pulling another brand. Every other time it must be brand related tows only so no one would take a pic. I hope my sarcasm is not wasted here.

Someone owns a can-am

[score]

Truthfully, I haven't read the whole thread but I have used many different makes of quads over the years for work, farming and pleasure. Put many miles on some and some have been used pretty darn heavy.

Although I haven't been up to date in the last few years, Polaris was always the top of the heap in my experience by far.

[Torkdiesel]

Originally Posted by albertadeer

Someone owns a can-am

It was a loaner Sir, and it was only borrowed once I promise

[coreya3212]

Originally Posted by Sako300

So I think i have decided on a 2016 Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS LE. Only problem is no one seems to have them in stock yet.

Can anyone recommend a good dealer? I dont mind driving 4 hours from calgary if the price is right.

Thank you.

Call Mike at mountains edge in sundre and ask for a price and availability.

[fzo]

i like to ride quads too