Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's 2013 Can-Am?

The Ranchers are built for trail riding, the Foreman for utility work and hunting. My wifes 09 RancherAt could squeel the tires before I put a final drive gear reduction in it, now it's geared more like my Foreman. Her 04 Rancher was a fast little sob too but it rode like a tank and was bad for her back.

I have yet to find a quad that is lightweight and not a sport quad, they just don't exist.

It won't be weak in power when compared to the Honda. You should have no issue breaking the tires loose if you chose to do so, and I chose to do so.

I've been trying to ride a new one from the dealer and they sell em before they can get one out on the floor...that's sayin something.

In the mean time see if you can take a 550 for a ride. If I was going to get a 550 though, I might as well get the 700 since they're the same physcial size but cost is obviously more...

I've never had an issue with the starting on the Honda Foreman's. With the heated carb and the primer on the carb that many don't know about, it fires up nicely in our weather.

tzone, I rode a 550 with the PWS before the wife went with the Honda, she almost bought one until we found out that Honda was adding IRS to their Ranchers and offering EPS. I liked the way it handled and it had a bunch of power, didn't see the need for the 700.



If Honda don't step it up my next purchase will probably be a 550 Grizz.

akmtnhunter
- have you tried the '12 foreman? alot of people that have older foremans say hte new 12 foreman with EFI and liquid cooling has better throttle response and is a little peppier than the previous foremans. i do like the grizz 550 though its just here a foreman is so much cheaper than a the 550 grizz...like 2000$ cheaper

klik- awesome first hand info! thanks for the report

I have not tried a new Foreman Sako75, only the newer EFI RancherAT. I can believe the EFI has better throttle response over a carbed atv. My wifes Rancher has much better throttle response than my Foreman but it 5 years newer than my Foreman.

EFI, PWS, and IRS are must haves for my next quad.

It almost sounds like the 550 might be your cup then. The 450 has all the power we need for hunting, wood hauling etc, but it isn't a machine that has too much power. I'm sure it would seem peppier if it had a direct drive transmission. The variable torque auto clutch system is very well designed both to prevent component wear, and to stay in an ideal torque range for the engine and load. Speedwise, the 376 CC Suzuki, geared Eiger has a better top end than does the 421 CC liquid-cooled Grizzly. Getting much more than 50 mph is work when it comes to the Grizz. The smaller Suzuki engine is slightly more than equal in that department. But I have never run out of pull (from the engine/clutch system) on the 450(421) on the steepest hills even with 400 pounds of riders on board.

In short, I would not choose the 450 Grizzly if I was wanting a sporty utility machine. In my mind and for our uses, however, it is a fine working machine.

Well maybe I was misleading. I'm not looking for real a sporty utility machine, just don't want a dog.



That's what I like to hear. I really think the 450 will be good for what I want. I just need to ride both before I make a decision. I'll be by another dealer early next week anyway...maybe he'll have one.

As I said, they'll do 50 without much problem (with some left), and I've pulled a 4000 lb-plus van without any trouble. (And I like the fact that you really can't over-rev the motor - which makes it pretty safe mechanically from kids or others who seem to break anything they touch.) The oil bath rear brakes are another nice feature as many ATVs end up with rear brake problems due to moisture infiltration.

But I agree you should try one. They definitely feel different than the Hondas and Suzukis we've previously run. And that takes some getting used to.

No! regardless of what the brochure might say, ground clearance is quite a bit more on the 550-700 line of Yam bikes over the 450. One other reason would def go 550-700 is the 450s still use U-joints to drive the rear dif & not only are a real pain to keep greased but you know what happens quickly if you don't!

If you go to the specs page they are the same but on the chassis/suspension page it shows the 550 to have an inch more.
And that U joint spec is in there you just have to look for it. Thanks for pointing that out. It's one thing I never liked about the big bear.

My 450 grizzly has 10,000 miles and has been used both for recreation and on my farm. Its been brilliant in every way. I dragged a dead horse about 1200 lbs over a mile down a narrow trail up and over little hills and creeks. It was a mission I never thought possible. I needed diff lock about 10 times down the trail to regain traction and forward progress.

In High Range the horse would not budge, In low range I got it moving. Without low range and diff lock this wound have never moved an inch! In the past I have snapped the cast hitch piece three times on. It's a"fuse-able link" in the system to prevent breaking drive line and transmission parts that is also brilliant. 15 bucks for the break away hitch piece is a long shot cheaper then mechanical work especially in the field! You could not begin to imagine the hills it's climbed with two people and game and gear on the racks. Scary nearly flipping backward steep kinda hills!

I'm looking at a side by side now. Based on my experience with this Grizzly there is only one option, the Rhino 700. Same bullet proof transmission proven by the sale of millions of ATVs and the definite DIFF locking axle and low range that is needed.

I've always been a honda guy for this stuff, but over the years Yamaha has won me over for dependable performance. I bought this over the Honda in 2006 based on the diff lock feature. I have used that to get out of stuck, or up hills more times then I can count. Without real 100% manual locking diff, it's not gonna work as I need. No open or LS diff ATV would have moved that horse just for example.

I'm no expert on these matters, many folks here are way better able to express function and mechanics or internal performance features. I just know that low range, and diff lock are 100% mandatory in any ATV I would own.

JJ- curious what kind of tires you run? you say it wouldnt budge without diff-lock. were those stock tires? if not, what kind?
as you know tires make a huge difference. aftermarket tires in 2wd sometimes can outperform stock tires in 4wd

by the way, i agree that honda needs a diff locker if for nothing else than marketing

I'm running the best tires made (IMO) bighorn radials.

i agree on the bighorns as an all around tire......what terrain were you in where you needed diff lock? bighorns as great as they are, are not anywhere near the greatest mud tire

my 2012 foreman with 26" horns

I'm no expert on these matters, many folks here are way better able to express function and mechanics or internal performance features. I just know that low range, and diff lock are 100% mandatory in any ATV I would own.

what you said is true for any serious atv.

I can't count the number of times I've inadvertently got stuck, locked the dif & slowly eased on the fuel & walked out. I also have a hill to climb when pulling a trailer load of apples to camp I simply cannot make with-out 1st locking her up!
Yes, I have good tires...Mud Lite XTRs in 27"

Looks like good ground clearance, now try this on the rear

I'm at 12 weeks now without rain. There is no mud, However the inclines on grass are as slippery as ice even to walk on. The ground is hard but uneven and with countless dips and rocks and awkward angles and hills.

Anyway, every one needs a certain function and covers different habitat. We usually default to our own needs and then expect everyone else to need the same. It's never the case.

However one thing I am sure we all agree on is trouble free dependability. We are rarely down the tar road from assistance. For me, just my opinion, honda and Yamaha are the only game in town in this regard. Yamaha is a touch ahead of Honda in offering some features, diff lock, Power steering, IFS, to name a few.

Anyway, this is a Can-Am thread. Thats a different situation then I have. I'm opinionated where the reliability is the highest priority, all the features in the world don't help when you're broken down.

Senior, you should seriously consider getting some c/v boot gaurds for your quad. Oxlite makes some pretty niceones with good coverage.

Ya I know
I've ripped 3 of the 4 original flimsy things.
But at the price of boot guards I can replace a lot of boots