In moderate-speed trail riding, the quad is a light-steering joy to ride. Up the speeds and the suspension will begin to get overwhelmed and the handling goes downhill, rolling excessively in corners. Uphills are its forte, as it soaks hits in the trail without upsetting the ride and deftly picks its way along even tricky ascents. Rough trails are a challenge for the underdamped suspension; in a straight line you can suck it up, but toss in a few turns and it gets a little hairy. Trailside obstacles also gave it fits, with the light front end going wherever the roots and rocks told it to.
The diff-lock mechanism is OK, certainly better than the automatic one on the Polaris, but not as good as either the similar one on the Suzuki or the lever on the Kawasaki. Brakes were on the spongy side and faded with some abuse.
In the end, the Grizzly is a good machine at what is, these days, a good price point. However, its days as the ultimate 4x4 have long since passed it by.
+Best transmission available
+Compact package for smaller riders
- Subpar suspension
- Bad in off-camber/sidehill situations
= Dated design in need of an upgrade
Its solid motor and stellar transmission are let down by springy suspension and handling that can be good or bad depending on terrain and your level of enthusiasm.
Yamaha Grizzly 660 Automatic 4x4
Retail price: $7199; Special Edition, $7399; Camo, $7549
Engine
Type: Single-cylinder, four-stroke, five-valve SOHC
Displacement: 660cc
Cooling: Liquid-cooled with fan assist
Carburetion: Mikuni BSR 42mm
Lubrication: Wet sump
Starting: Electric with auxiliary recoil
Drivetrain
Drive system: Shaft, 2x4/4x4
Transmission: Automatic CVT with high/low range, reverse, engine-braking, diff-lock
Suspension (Type/Travel)
Front: Dual A-arms, independent/7.1 in.
Rear: Dual A-arms, independent/9.5 in.
Tires
Front: 25x8-12; rear: 25x10-12
Brakes
Front: Dual hydraulic discs; rear: shaft-mounted hydraulic disc
Dimensions
Wheelbase: 50.2 in.
Claimed dry weight: 600 lb
Ground clearance: 11.8 in.
Length/width/height: 82.1/45.3/47.6 in.
Seat height: 34.6 in.
Fuel capacity: 5.3 gal.
Electrical
Taillight: Yes
Headlight: Dual 30-watt high/low beam
Instrumentation: Fuel gauge, speedometer, odometer, hourmeter, clock, dual tripmeters
Colors: Steel blue, Hunter green, red, Special Edition Metallic black/carbon, Realtree Hardwoods HD Camouflage, Advantage Wetlands Hunter Camouflage
#3 Honda FourTrax Rincon
They say familiarity breeds contempt, and that was never more true than for this past class champion. It's the same good-handling, and slightly underpowered, rig that it was when it was introduced three years ago. But aside from its power deficit, more warts have shown themselves as time marches on. The new models have time on their side, as in we might not notice some of their quirks for months once we begin long-term testing in earnest.
For example, the car-style torque-converter three-speed auto transmission in the Rincon is less than happy when the temperature is below freezing and sometimes refuses to shift. Did it happen in this test? No, but that's the sort of thing we mean.
Last year, the Rincon was bested by one vote, when a bigger-motored Prairie showed to upstage it. As with the Grizzly, it appears in much the same form as before excepting a new color: black. The 649cc pushrod engine is still just as overwhelmed by the big Appalachian hills as it was before, making them but not being particularly happy about it. You can wring more out of the motor in ESP (push-button shifting) mode, but everyone preferred to ride in Auto.