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

I've owned 3 Honda's in the past 20+ years and have never had any of them fail save for regular wear parts, like wheel bearings and brake pads. I now own a Yamaha Rhino and have replaced 3 wet clutches on it but I blame myself for that due to the way I use it. Wife almost bought a Grizz 550 with the power steering and IRS but that was the same year Honda put that on their Ranchers and having previously owned an 04 350 Rancher she decided to roll with the new Rancher. Having said all that, i'd have no problem with either the Grizz or the Rubi, I don't think you can go wrong with either machine.

I've owned pretty much all the popular ATV brands in both utility and sport versions, (Yammy, Honda, Polaris, Suzuki/Kawasaki and Can-am). Honda hands down is most reliable, Yamaha/Can-am close second, Suz/Kaw distant 3rd and won't ever touch anything Polaris again (ATV or sled). If you decide to get the Honda, use the oil they recommend, don't know why it's different than what you can get from another brand, but the first time I changed the oil, I didn't listen. Went for a ride (which didn't last long), came back and put int the Honda oil. No issues since.

Had the 1999 Foreman for 19+ years.
Great machine!!



Sold it to my buddy last fall, and got the Rubicon (the Artic Cat is my grandson’s)




I really like the Honda when I can get my grandson off of it !!

I have the 660 and the 700, I believe they are the best in class ATV built. I always wanted them to build an 850 or so. I use to trail ride with these before going to my SxS and can get around 100 miles out of a tank. We run 27x11x14 bighorn 2.0 or 26x11x12 Original bighorns all the way around and they work great on the trails and in the snow. We have put a ton of miles on these bikes with no break downs other than my son snapped an axle but that was in the snow and was spinning the rear tires and one tire caught solid ground. That has been our only breakdown in about 8000 miles between the two bikes.

i am a honda guy dating back to the 60's. still have a gold wing, a three wheeler, and some trail bikes.
but i bought the yamaha griz.
it has one wierdness. they run the exhaust up under the fuel tank and out the back. that kind of threw me for a while, you can hear the gas gurgling sometimes in the tank, and you take the cap off slowly. It's also water cooled and has a blower on it, never an issue with overheating even on the desert here in arizona.

there are some pretty wild you tube video's of the grizz where they put the intakes up high and ride them in water. I lifted an elk up in a tree one year with mine, tow capacity is i think without looking something like 1200pounds. that no shifting, 4x3 with a button, and locked all four tires 4x4 is a major thing. I can just crawl over stuff others have to take at speed, increasing the risk. I keep two 2.5 spare gas plastic jerry cans on the back although i have never had to use them.

I can't speak as to how reliable the Grizzlys are but I know the people that have them have nothing but good things to say about them. That being said, I am a Honda guy. I have a 2004 Rubicon (bought new) that has around 5k miles on it and the only thing I've had to replace were front bearings, brake cables, and batteries. I put the first 2k miles on it then over the last three or four years my son (who's 19 now) put the other 3k miles on it so you know it was ran hard.... Can't go wrong with a Honda IMO.

You’re comparing apples to bananas as far as features go. For comfort while riding its grizzly all the way. I’m a Honda man myself but the Yamahas are right there with them.

As far as reliability, flip a coin. Seriously.

But between this two with those features I’d pick the Yamaha.

My Wife has the 550 EPS Grizzly, it is a really nice machine, especially the ride. My Father in law has a Honda Rubicon EPS electric shift. It is a nice machine as well, it does not have the clearance the Yamaha has. Father in law likes the Honda because of the EPS shift, it allows for putzing along a a lower Rpm (lower engine noise level) than my Wife’s machine. Both have lots of miles put on them without mechanical issues. When my Yamaha Big Bear 400 wears out (no mechanical issues in 9000 miles) I will buy the Grizzly 700 since the 550 is no longer made. AJ’s 550 has a range on Colorado Mtn trails of at least 80 miles. I would assume the 700 would be less. I would never buy a new machine without the Electric Power Steering, it is awesome and I consider it a safety feature since they have built in kick back control for when you kiss a rock with one front wheel and it attempts to pull the bars out of your hands.

Size matters, and sometimes too big is an issue too. For the way I use an ATV the Honda 500 is bordering on too big to get into some of the spots where I need to go. I have a 2017 Foreman and a 2008 Rancher. I have friends with the bigger machines and they do have their advantages, but there are places where I can go and they can't. Might be something to consider.

For my needs just a basic 4X4 machine is all I need. My Rancher was bought used and has ES. It has never given a problem, but some of them do. My understanding is that early versions did not adequately waterproof the electronics and they had problems if they got wet. They corrected that issue by 2008. I bought the Foreman new and ES was $500 more. I don't mind manual shift and saved the money.

The only negative about Honda's is getting them into reverse. It is a PITA if you do a lot of backing.

Personally, I'd take the Grizzly.

Have never heard one bad word about them.

Both will be reliable solid machines, most folks that use their machines for business seem to use Yamaha now days. A lot of ranchers still side with Honda. Yamaha will have more power. Either way get the power steering, that's a whole lot of awesome. I've joined the crowed and migrated to a sxs with a cab, It's easier on the back and warm.

Doofus can't find a decent bullet to shoot.one....

I have the Polaris Sportsman and a Ranger, but if I buy another ATV, the Grizzly is on top of my list. The only downside is the Grizzly has a belt where the Honda does not. At this point in my life though, the UTV gets a lot more use than the ATV.

The belts don't seem to be much of a issue anymore. I had a forman and still have a rancher both ES. I like the ES, but once you get used to the engine braking on the belt drive they are fine. I abused both of my honda's and they held up well. I've hauled way more and towed way more than was reasonable with them. When I got my sxs I kept the newest one which was the fuel injected rancher. My only complaint with the rancher is it's cold blooded starting in the winter. My old carbed foreman would start first crank at -30. also the ES and fuel injection are picky on battery voltage, run the battery down and both have issues.

I just checked my belt on my commander after two winters of plowing and 500 miles and it still looks new.

I went through this last year did a fair bit of research and talked to a lot of guys that (ab)use their atvs a lot for work and play. Pretty hard to go too wrong with a Honda or a Yamaha I think but the grizzlies are probably a bit more dependable and a bit more capable off trail. So I ended up with a new to me 2009 700 grizzly and its a damn beast and effortless to run. The "no gears" thing seemed weird to me at first but its the way to go when you're in spots you shouldn't be.

I have a 2001 Rubicon 500 I've owned since new that has been rock solid. The only thing I have done besides oil changes and air filter cleaning is a valve adjustment and a front end alignment. The transmission has been flawless, and I have done some heavy work with it, like dragging pastures and plowing snow. This machine still has the original starting battery! That said, there are some drawbacks. Low speed steering takes some effort due to full time 4WD and no power steering. It won't beat many other machines in a drag race these days. The solid axle in the rear isn't as smooth riding on rough terrain as the models with independent rear suspension.

I have a few Yamaha two wheelers, including an '01 YZ125 and an '05 WR426. Both are very solid machines and have never given me any trouble. I'd say you would be OK with either, so buy the one you like riding the best and get the best deal on.

I’ve put a ton of miles on a grizzly(03) and a rhino(07) and have never had an issue with belts. I have them checked every year and the shops have been adamant all is good. One Yamaha service manager told me he couldn’t ever recall replacing one on a Grizzly.

I smoked the belt on our Ranger 900(my fault) but yeah, you never hear of one going out on a Grizzly.


Hit the gas and fly....

I don't know what this means?