Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 2019 Honda Rubicon 500 Vs Yamaha 700 Kodiak/Grizzly?

Trying to make a decision between a 2019 Honda Rubicon with either ES or manual foot shift Vs a Yamaha 700 Kodiak or Grizzly. Not a fast trail rider. I prefer reliability above all else which makes me lean towards a Honda, but also heard if something goes wrong the Yamaha it might be cheaper to fix. Can anyone with experience with these two give me some advice as well as any pros and cons of either. I have a an older 350 Foreman and am looking to upgrade. I was also really wondering if the Foot Shift Honda is more reliable than the ES and if the Yamaha 700 burns a lot more fuel than the Honda would. Thanks for any advice!

dont know how fuel compares , but the Yamaha is very reliable

Id take the Y auto over a foot or ES..........

You might ask your questions here. Yamaha Grizzly ATV Forum https://www.grizzlycentral.com/forum

There are a lot of mechanics familiar with both here.

I'm enjoying my grizzly 660.

have had nothing major with my 06 660 plenty of power and a good ride

I gave up on Honda’s. I had a 500 Rubicon. Transmission self destructed when it was just out of warranty. Honda, essentially, told me to go schitt in my hat.

I have a grizzly 550 and most of the guys I work with have switched to one as well. More recently, another buddy bought the 700 Yamaha grizzly. Power steering is awesome. No troubles and I do below minimum maintenance

No doubt...Honda

I have a 2011 Grizzly 700 EPS and it is a fricken beast.


Use it mainly for moving cows off trail in some pretty nasty chit and it has been absolutely awesome.


Just some cosmetic damage, mechanically nothing has broke yet.


I love that machine.

Does it use a lot more fuel compared smaller 500/450 class engines?

i have had for a few years a 700 grizz. disc brakes, power steering, indiependent suspension, will do 70mph, has a button for 4x4, no shifting, has a lever for either low or high, and a button to lock all four wheels in 4x4. Downside is it does use more gas than some of the other machines. extremely comfortable to ride in rough country. I have never had any trouble with it. its also fuel injected which means it starts easy even in cold weather and at altitude. i hardly use the brakes, it has a engine brake which slows it down by just letting off on the gas.

I do not know.


Each morning I try to start out with a full tank. We might ride for 4-8 hours/day and I have never ran out of gas. I would guess 20-40 miles a day, idling, etc...

If you were just trail riding I bet you could go a lot of miles before the low fuel light started blinking.... Guessing an easy +50 miles. Probably get another 5-10 miles on empty.


I personally wouldn't worry about the extra fuel usage. Doubt it amounts to much.

rideing like I do I get 80 miles out of a tank but I am on flat ground and slow speed pushing a lot of water

I have a 2012 Honda Foreman 500 foot shift and a 2017 Yamaha Grizzly 700. Like was said above, the Yamaha is a beast and will do things the Honda can't do. I would also not get a unit without power steering anymore no matter what brand after having it on the Grizzly. The Honda has been and is still a good rig and I have had no issues with it but for ride, power, going up and down steep inclines, and the ability to do things, the Grizzly wins hands down.

Do you think I'd miss much if I went with a 700 Kodiak over a Grizz?

And I believe Slinger already mentioned it but the thumb throttle auto on the Griz is the only way to go.

Shifting an ATV sucks, especially in rough country.

Sam.....if a pissed ol cow gets after ya , its real nice to just jump on the machine , hit the throttle and go !!!

I like it for climbing hills and pretty much anything else.


Beyond handy with the engine brake.



Uber machines.

I have an 2 Grizzlies (03 and 11). They’ve been flawless despite being run hard. The only repair was a solenoid relay on the 03 which is extraordinary given how hard I’ve run machine. I’d advise spending the extra coin on the EPS. In my opinion, the sprague clutch used for engine braking is the best I’ve run and really matters in steep terrain.

I'd take this one.

The blacked out wheels would let the cows know we ain't fuuckin' around.