OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[Scatter]

Hey all, first post here. I've decided to get a new grizzly at tax time. I live in Aurukun on the western side of Cape York, about 100km south of Weipa. I want to use the quad for exploring and some pigging, and would like to take it up the telegraph track at some point.
So I have a couple of questions. I've heard the stock tyres are pretty poor. Is that something I should change straight up up or will I get by for a while on them and then upgrade when it's time for new ones?
I've never owned a quad before and was leaning towards the 450. I do however like that the 550 and 700 are fuel injected. I'm guessing the smaller profile would be better for the bush bashing while the bigger quads would handle the touring better. Which should I give more weight to? Will the bigger quads be painful when chasing boars in tight country? Will the 450 be struggling on the longer trips?
Thanks in advance

Sam

[slightlydodgy]

I don't know what your riding experience is but I would steer you towards the 450 unless you intend to do really big trips carrying extra fuel etc as I personally feel you should build up yourskills before buying a bigger machine I own an 08 350 and was tossing up between that and the 450 there's not much difference in frame size and weight and is light enough to ride all day and manhandle it out of a bad place (usually) The 350 doesn't have independent rear suspension so is bit more stable at speeds (stockwork) otherwise I would have bought the 450 The 450 and 350 are the most simple models as well with less to breakdown my grizz has done 14000 ks of mud, grass, gravel, tarsal, swamp and rock and is only on its 2nd set of tyres both factory originals Hope this has been some help
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[Dino]

The stock tyres are soft in the side walls. While they mold to the terrain OK they squirm a bit as speeds get up. Work pretty good in sandy soils though.
And they seam to wear OK.

If your going to do a lot of pure mudding, a more suitable tyre, such as the pit bulls can be found. You can get them from ATV OFFROAD in Brissie.

The Yamahas are reliable BUT they are narrow and short.
So, while that is really good for fitting into tight spots, including utes and trailers, it's not so flash for handling either at speed or dropping over gullys and logs. The bike tends to flip or fall over.

Go the IRS models. Better ride and handling.
As to power, both bikes will cruise at about 60km/h OK, which is the limit of nearly all quad tyres for sustained cruising, but the 700 pulls a lot harder, and it'll squirt to better than a 100km/h easy.
Their isn't much difference in the size of the machines.
I'd favour the larger ones.....

I'd recommend doing a specific quad riding course. These things are a lot of fun, and can get you, and a dog, into country a 4wd won't fit or float on, and you can carry a lot more gear than a motorbike. And they are as simple to drive as a tinny BUT you will need to acquire some skills specific to these machines. Far North Quad Riders are a club based in FNQ that can help.

As to the pigging side of things, I've been known to do some of that.
I've yet to discover a single cylinder motor that doesn't drive the pigs away though.
I use mine to get me to the hunting grounds, and leg it from there.
Really good pigging up that way anyway. I'm envious.
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Notice that crazy in the bureaucrats.

[Scatter]

Fantastic advice guys, thanks heaps. I've very little riding experience so I'll be taking it pretty easy to begin with. I'll see how big the tax return is and what sort of deal the dealership want to give me. Can. Not. Wait.

[Scatter]

As regards the short and narrow profile of the Yammie, would a Can-Am be better? I leant towards the griz because of the reliability and the ability to lock the diff. I have a Yammie 4-stroke on the boat and love it so I was naturally drawn towards the same brand, especially after reading a bunch of reviews.

Is the diff locker a big plus over the visco-lock on the outlander? We have some fairly enormous swamps up here. I'd like to be able to lock the diff before getting bogged rather than it kicking in automatically after the wheels are already slipping. I've also heard about frame weakness problems on the can ams, have these been resolved?

It would be easier for me to get a can am from Weipa than a Yammie from Cairns.

[Dino]

Scatter wrote:

As regards the short and narrow profile of the Yammie, would a Can-Am be better? I leant towards the griz because of the reliability and the ability to lock the diff. I have a Yammie 4-stroke on the boat and love it so I was naturally drawn towards the same brand, especially after reading a bunch of reviews. Is the diff locker a big plus over the visco-lock on the outlander? We have some fairly enormous swamps up here. I'd like to be able to lock the diff before getting bogged rather than it kicking in automatically after the wheels are already slipping. I've also heard about frame weakness problems on the can ams, have these been resolved? It would be easier for me to get a can am from Weipa than a Yammie from Cairns.

Mate, that is like asking people which religion is best!
But I'm a atheist, so I'll have a go.

The Yammies are good, and the reliability is like a Toyota.
That doesn't mean they are bullet proof, or they never make a dud though. You can't make the short wheel base longer on them, but you can get wheel spacers made to slightly widen them, and fit better quality shocks that reduce the characteristic pitching and tossing.
Oh what a feeling but, spending good coin to make something do the job.*

The CanAms can be bought in a 2 seater version called a Max. That provides extra stability, and carrying capacity. The Can Ams suspension is entirely different to the Yamaha, and I'll stick my neck out and say it's better than the Yamaha. The current model Can Ams have a better self locking front diff than the ones of old. Ditto the frame weakness issues.

If you want real good advise, between those two, ask the cow cockies up there. They flog them, hardly maintain them and they'll tell you what they are worth after a few years of "farm use".
And they'll also tell you local purchase price and known issues.


Is a locking diff better? In extreme or climbing or mud situations, a real locker is better everytime. And so is a long wheel base.
In normal trail riding, it rarely matters, and most riding is not extreme.

*And I'll add that if swamps are going to be a normal part of your riding, snorkle the thing before it snookers your bank account.
_________________
Remember. We elect politicians, but we have to deal with bureaucracy.
Notice that crazy in the bureaucrats.

[slightlydodgy]

Scatter wrote:

As regards the short and narrow profile of the Yammie, would a Can-Am be better? I leant towards the griz because of the reliability and the ability to lock the diff. I have a Yammie 4-stroke on the boat and love it so I was naturally drawn towards the same brand, especially after reading a bunch of reviews. Is the diff locker a big plus over the visco-lock on the outlander? We have some fairly enormous swamps up here. I'd like to be able to lock the diff before getting bogged rather than it kicking in automatically after the wheels are already slipping. I've also heard about frame weakness problems on the can ams, have these been resolved? It would be easier for me to get a can am from Weipa than a Yammie from Cairns.

l
As Dino said your question is like asking who makes the best beer I hope the answer doesn't end up like this http://atvquadsquad.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1066018454/m/3610043356/p/1 Personally I like the yammie for their simplicity but then I still think that one of he best quads ever built was the Honda TRX300 (light, simple an reliable)
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[Dino]

I was going to compare that to drinking but...
I've only enough time in my life to try as many drinks as possible.

And yes, their is other brands that may fit the bill, but the primary Q was which Grizzly, and then maybe a CanAm.
_________________
Remember. We elect politicians, but we have to deal with bureaucracy.
Notice that crazy in the bureaucrats.

[Scatter]

I've decided to be cautious and go for the grizzly 450EPS. Should leave me enough coin for bash plates and maybe a snorkel kit down the road. Thanks for the advice guys.

[kingchevy]

Can't believe I missed this post I am the dealer in Weipa if you are looking to upgrade can-am have the 500 dps that great bike lot more stable platform and ultra reliable The wife gets around on a 1000xt and haven't had any dramas yet only one cv boot and it has over 5500km on it and its only 12 months old..

[Huskygoat]

ultra reliable lol..... come on big chev
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