Honda Rubicon DCT vs Yamaha Grizzly

[Rackmastr]

Hey all,

In the used quad market (something with under 1500km ideally or I may have to look at buying new).

Always been a Honda guy and have owned a Foreman 500TRXFM in the past. Have rode a few others but not many. I don’t mud and am not a fast rider, more just enjoy getting out for hunting, fishing, and a nice ride with the kids now and again.

Thinking about my wife riding occasionally, I’m starting to look at a non foot shift model. Two that come up are the Yamaha Grizzly and the Rubicon 520 DCT. I’ve looked at the Can Am max a bit but will be truck boxing for now so not sure it fits the bill as well.

Any comments on DCT vs Belt drive on the Yamaha from experiences? I can’t say I love the look of the Grizzly as much or the fender design but guys sure love them and reliability is up there for me.

Thoughts or comments?

[moniaw24]

You can't go wrong with either.. I'm partial to the Grizz as I own one... trouble free and on my second one... easy to service, more than enough power and I like the ergonomics for hunting purposes... thnx

[Sooner]

I was a Honda guy but rode old mid 90's. Got 2000k on my 2021 Grizz 700 and have no regrets. I was done with foot shifting so the automatic is sweet. The power steering and diff lock are great to have. Bought the SE so it came with wheels, tires and a winch. Immediately upgraded to a 3500 lb winch, added hot grips and a quick release windshield for hunting in Nov.


I am still smiling every time I ride it. My opinion is it has more than enough jump, fun to trail ride(smooth ride) and is a great workhorse when needed.


I have no experience with the new Hondas but its a Honda, so you can probably count on it being good too.

[Talking moose]

Was a Honda guy since the 80’s. Right up until I used a friends grizzly in about 2010 for the weekend.
Next one I bought was a grizz 700. Both are great for reliability but the grizz is better to drive.

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Was a Honda guy since the 80’s. Right up until I used a friends grizzly in about 2010 for the weekend.
Next one I bought was a grizz 700. Both are great for reliability but the grizz is better to drive.

Same for me but it was my friend's 06. The ride that 660 had was Cadillac compared to my 92 TRX. Plus it ripped. Sold me on the Grizz but had to wait a long time to get mine lol.


Flash forward to 2021 when that same friend, a Can Am guy now, took it for a ride. Gets off and says yup, that ride is a Yammy, so nice.

[Drewski Canuck]

Baby Brother has had a Grizz 660 and currently a 700.

I have 2 Grizz 660's, one for me one for the son.

Yamaha is easy enough to work on, and whether Carb or EFI are pretty reliable.

One issue to look at on the early 700's is there was an issue on a Stator overheat due to using engine oil as the coolant.

Simple enough, on the 660's disconnect the battery when it is running and check the voltage. Should be in the 12 - 14 volt range. If not, Stator damage. Not a tough change out and aftermarket Stators have higher output anyway.

On the 700's you cannot disconnect the battery as the EFI always need voltage, but you will be able to check against the voltage output on the battery leads.

Stators are pretty dependable, but remember on the 700's there is no rope start like the 660. If there is a battery drain, you are done. You should carry a lithium booster pack for good measure.

660's can be bored out for a rebuild on the piston. On the 700's the cylinder sleeve is Nitrile steel. Very hard to do an overbore and you are buying a new cylinder if it ever needs a rebuild.

Both machines have their plus and minus, but I do like the Yamaha products.

Drewski

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Originally Posted by Rackmastr

Hey all,

In the used quad market (something with under 1500km ideally or I may have to look at buying new).

Always been a Honda guy and have owned a Foreman 500TRXFM in the past. Have rode a few others but not many. I don’t mud and am not a fast rider, more just enjoy getting out for hunting, fishing, and a nice ride with the kids now and again.

Thinking about my wife riding occasionally, I’m starting to look at a non foot shift model. Two that come up are the Yamaha Grizzly and the Rubicon 520 DCT. I’ve looked at the Can Am max a bit but will be truck boxing for now so not sure it fits the bill as well.

Any comments on DCT vs Belt drive on the Yamaha from experiences? I can’t say I love the look of the Grizzly as much or the fender design but guys sure love them and reliability is up there for me.

Thoughts or comments?

I have a '23 Rubicon DCT and because of the type of riding I tend to do, if I had to do it over I might go with something CVT. I'm mostly going through trails @ 10km/h-ish, hovering right at gear change speed and switching between 1st and 2nd a lot. It's a much harder shift than CVT that I find a little jerky/annoying when moving that slow. No one else seems to mind it. I'm probably being a prissy &$^#@.

Zero complaints apart from that.