Grizzly vs Rubicon
I upgraded a used 2002 Honda 500 Rubicon to a used 2013 Yamaha Grizzly 550 6 years ago.
Pluses for the Grizzly are FI, PS, independent rear suspension, a much better seat, locked 4x4 system, regular 4x4 or rear wheel drive. Mine came with a nice Warn winch, heated grips and a fairing so was set up well.
Drawbacks to the Grizzly are it's a much higher RPM design....you can't putt around in a higher gear, leading to much higher gas consumption, louder, and the racks are not quite as sturdy.
Since both machines I mentioned are old...11 years for the Grizzly and the Honda would be 22 if I still had it, probably not a valid comparision
I did use a more modern Honda Rubicon (2018 I think) when caribou hunting in hunting in Nunavut. That one had IR suspension, FI, power steering and was a 5 speed foot shift. It was an excellent riding machine and the seat was soft like my Grizzly, you could putt with it, etc. Dandy machine...I'd own one, toss up with my Grizzly I'd say. If they hold up to the Inuits year around use in the muskeg and brutal winters, they can't be too bad! I saw 90% Hondas up in the arctic over several hunts.
I did test a Honda Rubicon with the DC tranny at the local dealer once. Was not impressed in the least with how it functioned....but heard they re-programed the DC tranny and dealt with those issues.....don't know.
On Yamaha's...avoid the larger 700cc (Subaru built?) engine era machines...I think 2016 thru maybe 2019 before they went back to the 686 Yamaha engine. There were plenty of issues with them vs the 686.
Good luck in your search, and I would not be afraid to buy a machine with 3,000 or or even 5,000 km on it. I know of plenty of Hondas that have gone 20,000 miles and are still running well on ranches in AZ and MT. Obviously were taken care of. I'd stay away from snorkeled "Mudders" and obviously beat up machinery though.
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