02 Yamaha Grizzly 660 / 04 Arctic Cat 650 Vtwin

[Big A]

I am looking to purchase a fourwheeler.

Is an 04 Arctic Cat 650Vtwin with 1000 miles on it a good deal at $3000?

or

Is an 02 Yamaha Grizzly 660 with 148 miles on it a good deal at $2800?

I hear the cats tend to be cold blooded and not start well in frigid temps. I also hear they are very heavy compared to other models?

I hear the Yamaha Grizzly is a good machine.

Not looking at the ford/chevy/dodge debate.

Just looking for some advice/opinions on whether this would be a good purchase.

Would be used for ice fishing and plowing.

Thank you!

[LMITOUT]

That's pretty low miles for the Yamaha. I'm not sure which years it was exactly but the earlier Grizzlys had some rear axle issues and problems with the fuel boiling in the tank. Someone can probably add more to that.

I have a '06 Grizzly and can't say anything bad about it. It is a bit cold blooded and you need to let it warm up some in the winter before you can take off, but overall it starts pretty darn good. I changed to some thinner oil and it starts much better than it did with the factory heavy weight oil.

Good luck with your decision.

[PurpleFloyd]

I don't either but have ridden ans test driven both at one time or another. between the two I would choose the yamaha. the earlier Grizz was a bit rough around the edges but that model took a good step forward. They unfortunately came out a month after buying my 2002 sportsman 500 or I would have bought that one instead. I just think the ergonomics, fit, finish etc are better on the Yammy than the cat.

[knoppers]

I have the 02 grizz, and it has been good to me, it has 3800 miles on it. I did stop into a cat dealer, looking to get the 700, and they were going to give me 1800 on trade for my grizz, it has a winch and ITP tires and rims. I thought the trade was a bit low, so I did not do the deal. the 02 has the independent rear suspension, so no axel problems here, and the gas boiling, not sure about that either. 2800 with that low of miles sounds good to me.

[LMITOUT]

There are two axles with IRS.

I believe they would either pop out from time to time or break on the early models.

[Dave S]

There are two axles with IRS.

I believe they would either pop out from time to time or break on the early models.

You're not too far off here LMIT. In an attempt to save on the weight Yamaha went with a smaller diameter and hollow axle on early models of the IRS Grizz. After the breaking issues came up, they changed back to a heavier axle.

The so called gas boiling was occuring in the carb. I don't recall the exact reason this was happening, but they did make some changes that did fix the issue.

[Dozer]

First off I have an 05 Grizzly, it has been a good machine. The 02 was the first year for the 660. As mentioned before they had there issues. Ive never seen the gas boiling thing in person but it is talked about alot. I belive there was a recal on them for this issue, yamaha changed the black side shields under the gas tank to a louvered design instead of a solid panel as well as adding a plastic heat shield and reflective take to the bottom of the gas tank. They also had weak axle shafts, they also can't be swithced with the ones from a 03 and newer because the splines on the diff end are different.

I dont know alot about the cat but I have never been impressed with them, there fit and finish is terrible and are just poorly made IMO.

The Grizzly will outrun that cat anyday too.

[Dave S]

If there's one bright spot on the Cat, the motor is the Kawasaki V-Twin which has been touted as being one of the best motors on the market. The cold blooded issues can sometimes be fixed by adjusting the air/fuel mixture screws on each carb.

I made the adjustment on my KFX700 and it made a world of difference both in starting and overall operation.

[Big A]

Great info guys. thank you!

Im still working the demons out in my head trying to figure out what to do.. I am not a quick decision maker by any means when it comes to spending $$

[grizrunner]

The o2 griz is iffy, especially if it only has 150 miles...the oil probably wasn't even changed. The Cat, well other than the Kaw engine, I'm not a fan. However, at 1000 miles the previous owner should be able to attest to any quirks or concerns. If you must, go with the Cat. If it weren't for the Kaw, I'd say keep looking.

[weez440]

i have 0 experience with the grizz so i won't comment on that but i did have an 04 650 v2 that i just sold this summer and i had 3000 hard miles on it with 27 inch itp 589's for tires. the limp mode was a pain in the butt but i put a dynatek cdi in it and i never had limp mode happen again and it gave me so much power that with the stock 26 inch tires it would flip you over backwards if you tapped the throttle in low range on the grass. i kept up with maintanance on it but it was well used and the only thing i ever did to it was clean the carbs. the ride wasn't as good as a polaris but it wasn't bad, it really handled well in rough terrain in higher speeds but was a lil stiff in slow speeds which can be adjusted. the only reason i sold it is i bought a brand new 700 efi cat cause i use the wheeler all year for fishing and snowplowing in the winter and the efi is nice for cold start. sorry for my long rant but i wanted to be thorough.

[Dave S]

Welcome to HSO weez440 and thanks for the post. It's always good to hear from those who have first hand info. I forgot about the limp mode on those machines.

[weez440]

thank you for the greetings, and i forgot my buddy did have an 04 grizz and we did power comparisons before i put my cdi and clutch kit in and the kawi engine had way more jam on bottom end and mid range but if i remember right they were dead even on top end. i know alot of people like to know speeds which mine topped out at 68 in stock form and 62 with clutch kit, tires, and cdi installed.

[Larson15]

That cat has a kawi 650 vtwin which will run circles around that single cylinder grizz. The power difference between the two is night and day. The 660 griz has been plagued with weak axles as well. For the money i would buy that cat hands down.