The following is not a joke, or me goofing around.

Catfish aka ME has left Honda.
Yup even though I just bought a new 07 Honda Camo Ruby, I have left Honda..... I will explain.

June (my wife) and I went out on a ride today to try out the new Ruby and I could not believe how rough the ride was . I don't ever recall my old Ruby riding this rough, even before I installed the Perfex kit on the last one. Perhaps my memory is starting to go.

Well we rode approx 3 miles down a pretty rutted up section of trail and my back and arms couldn't take it anymore, and I am in the best shape of my adult life.
I had to pull over and stretch the kinks out of my back and give my arms a break. June turned around to see what was up and I told her. We switched machines and man what a difference her little Polaris Trail Boss was.
Her simple little machine rode so much smoother and she even has Mud Bugs on the rear of her solid axle machine. June rode for approx 2 miles and said the Ruby rode to rough for her to handle, and since I was not about to punish my body anymore we headed back home.

Got home and I called the dealer, told them I was not happy and there was now 10 miles on the machine, dealer told me to bring it back and we would start from scratch no questions asked.
I did like the plow set up even if it was a bit slow durning travel ( approx 1 inch per second, just did not like it on my machine, it really sunk the front end due in part to being 200 lbs and also due in part to the wimpy front shocks of the Ruby.

Well went to the dealer and they were more then helpful and understanding, I explained my findings and dislikes and there was no questions asked, they took the Ruby and plow back like I said with zero questions or problems which I thought spoke volumes of their customer service since I was the one that had them order the Camo Ruby in.

After talking with the sales manager he suggested I take another ride on the 07 Polaris 700EFI , the 07 King Quad 700 EFI and the 07 Grizzly 700EFI with power steering, so we both went out on the their test trails, where I put all 3 to the test and so did he.
I am not sure who was having more fun test riding me or Troy the sales manager.

The Sportsman 700EFI green in color had gobs of power!!!! Absolute smooth ride just as Polaris is known for. Comfy seat, something all of my Ruby's have never had. Not to fond of the Green but hey that's me.
Engine braking appears to be improved, low gear was plenty low. Over all I liked it, just did not like the Green color.

The King Quad 700 EFI also green in color was very powerful!!! Quick to take off, handled just fine for an IRS and rode smooth as an IRS should. The seat could have had more cushion to it, not sure if it would get better after being used for a while, Engine braking was very much the same as the Polaris, The diff lock worked as I would assume it should, the pull from the front end was incredible, steering was a bit harder but you could definitely tell that this machine could and would pull you through some steep hairy climbs not to mention what it might be able to due in mud if that was your thing. What I did not like was the lower handle bars, I would have liked to have a higher handle bar setting. Beyond the handle bar height I thought the KQ 700 would be an excellent Quad.

The Grizz 700EFI same boring green color with power steering, First off the seat was the most comfy out of all 3, Troy (sales manager) said Yamaha improved the density and type of foam that had been used on earlier models. Not ever having ridden a Grizz before I had to take him for his word. Power or reaction to throttle appeared to be about the same as the other two and was more then enough to sit me back in the seat.
The handle bar height is what I really liked, the ergonomics just felt right. Engine braking was also good, none of the quads felt as slow or as secure as a Ruby but none the less you could tell that the engine braking was there and working when needed.
The diff lock was pretty much the same as the KQ, the pull of the front wheels was the same as well, felt like it would pull all day long. The difference is in the power steering, at first I thought to myself ok what is this gimmick, boy was I wrong!!! The effects or should I say the lack of effects on the handle bars due to the power steering has to be felt to be appreciated, with the wheeler in full lock mode turning around on a paved road was done with much ease.

I proceeded to ride the next hour on their test trail on the Grizzly with Troy riding the Polaris and I was more then satisfied with the Grizz, it had plenty of power, a lot more power then either my old Ruby or the new 07, comfy seat, smooth ride over the rough stuff, power steering and EFI.

BUT and there is always a but, I am not a green color fan, and I didn't want blue or red either, what I wanted was the camo, so Troy is going to locate 1 for me on Monday and by next weekend the Big Horns, plow and a new 07 Camo EFI Grizz with power steering should be ready to go.

Now I know I said that I would never go back to a belt driven quad, and I know that I have been a die hard Honda fan for as long as some can remember,,,,,,, hey Honda makes wonderful quads that work and work well, but as I have gotten older and if I am lucky,,, smarter, I have come to realize I just needed something smoother, softer, and the Grizz fit the ticket. So having said the last,,,,, please be gentle as I cross over.

I will post pics as soon as I pick up the new machine which should be sometime next week.

Catfish

Things change as you grow up. This is just one of those changes and you will be better for it. It is nothing to be ashamed of, it just happens!


BTW: Welcome to four wheel drive!

One of the guys that rides in our group has a new Grizz in the brushed silver look, it is a very nice machine.
His only complaint is the gas boils,or what ever happens when it gets warm/hot.. now Cabman or LaMigra will be able to give you more information on that issue.

The power steering is great according to the fellow rider, no bump steer when going through the nasty rocky trails here in Colorado.

The best part is you did NOT buy a
Polaris!

Congratulations on your second quad LOL

Sad day? Na... As said in the MAC commercial, you and I both have come to a sad realization.

For my Honda days are over as well. Motorcycles that is. My next bike will be a Stratoliner (Yamaha). It rides and just fits better than the Honda offerings.

I'm glad you were able to to make the switch so easily with your dealer. It says alot about there sales/service support. Hey, it's your hard earned money. You deserve a product that fits what you need and are comfortable with. Things change, I wish Honda did.

That said. Just for the record, Honda does have Electric power steering (EPS) on their 07 TRX500FPM bikes. However, the same back pounding suspension still exists. Oh well...I guess we can't have everything.

CF, enjoy your new wheeler! It a good day for YAMAHA!

Thanks all.

As difficult as it was to leave Honda, I know I made the right choice in the Grizz, I had done my research with regards to the venting of gas on the Grizz so I am already going to vent the gas cap. It's just sad that Honda is losing another member...... Good thing they still have COB .

On a side note, I did test drive the Foreman 500 with ESP and EPS, steering was great, ride was rough so I did not even consider it.

Thanks again all.
Catfish

quote:

Originally posted by 91Octane:

Hey, it's your hard earned money. You deserve a product that fits what you need and are comfortable with.

Those are the exact words that Troy the sales manager used.

Congrats Catfish! The Grizz is a fine machine.

The gas thing is a simple fix, you should PM Cabman. Takes about 5 minutes to do from what he showed me.

quote:

Originally posted by 91Octane:
For my Honda days are over as well. Motorcycles that is. My next bike will be a Stratoliner (Yamaha). It rides and just fits better than the Honda offerings.

Honda seems to be neglecting their motorcycle line as much as they have with their ATV line. The sport bikes seem to be doing great, but their cruisers below 1300cc's leave something to be desired. Their 750's used to be top contenders and now they seem to give everyone so-so impressions, mostly because they haven't been updated in forever. Now they're getting rid of most of their Shadow line in favor for the VTXs. My next motorcycle will be the Kawasaki 900 custom.

CATFISH, sorry the new Rubi didn't work out for you, but at the same time, I'm glad you decided on the new Griz! Congrats! We hope to see some pics when you get it in. Just a warning, the wife will probably steal it from you on trail rides...

Grats Catfish

Yeh to move up to the polaris takes baby steps and the grizz is a good start

Yeah Warith... or he could have gotten a $9000 Hair Dryer... The Can Am 800.....

Atver,
Thanks, I think the Grizz will be just the smooth ride this old body needs.

Atvgirl86,
Thanks, I will be sure to take and post pics and a full review in the Yamaha section of the Squad.

Wraith,
Owned Polris SP 500X in the past. Not to fond of the belt system that Polaris uses, even though it works, I just don't care for it.

Voodoo,
I've owned several hair dryers in the past, a ZX11, GSXR 1000, RC51 and Goldwing, and if I am going to spend that kind of money on a utility machine, I might as well buy a 700EFI Rhino, which I will do once Wisconsin allows them on ALL trails.

Anything more then 40 mph for me on a wheeler is more then fast enough.

Catfish

I understand Cat... The Griz is a great machine..no doubt..

The grizz is a fine machine. I have an 02 and an 06. They are just tough as tanks. They do have their issues, like the boiling gas, and burning oil, etc. but most of that was corrected for in the 700. Eitherway, they'll boil gas, and burn oil for years to come, cause they're unstopable.

Yup, holds true for wheels, firearms, and wimmen. Think you know something, turns out it just ain't true, and you gotta start all over again.

Congrats!

I'd say, "Fear not the Grizzly's belt drive."

There's belt drives, and then there's belt drives.

We've discussed the issue extensively on this site; the Grizzly has a wet centrifugal primary clutch, sparing its belt drive the "clutch" function.

Heard lots of good things about the power steering; might have saved my bacon when that rut tore the bars from my grasp at 40 mph and my quad performed its crowd-pleasing 360-degree roll . . .

quote:

Originally posted by ATVgirl86:

quote:

Originally posted by 91Octane:
For my Honda days are over as well. Motorcycles that is. My next bike will be a Stratoliner (Yamaha). It rides and just fits better than the Honda offerings.

Honda seems to be neglecting their motorcycle line as much as they have with their ATV line. The sport bikes seem to be doing great, but their cruisers below 1300cc's leave something to be desired. Their 750's used to be top contenders and now they seem to give everyone so-so impressions, mostly because they haven't been updated in forever. Now they're getting rid of most of their Shadow line in favor for the VTXs. My next motorcycle will be the Kawasaki 900 custom.

ATVgirl86, interesting food for thought. I thought they were going in the right direction when they replaced chain drive to shaft on the 750s a couple of years ago. The VTXs are great however, as you pointed out, there is a very large market that lives below the 1300cc power level.

CF, I don't mean to get off topic with your thread. You know how us old guys love to rant. ATVgirl86, I mean me!

quote:

Originally posted by Tree Farmer:
Heard lots of good things about the power steering; might have saved my bacon when that rut tore the bars from my grasp at 40 mph and my quad performed its crowd-pleasing 360-degree roll . . .

Tree. Not Good! Every rider cringes when a brother goes down. I hope you weren't hurt too bad.

quote:

Originally posted by 91Octane:

Tree. Not Good! Every rider cringes when a brother goes down. I hope you weren't hurt too bad.

Thanks, 91Octane!

I'm thankful just to have survived this one; the trauma and the cosmetic "souvenirs" I bear are of little consequence, considering.

My injuries resulted from being slammed into the gound; the quad performed a complete rollover in the air above me, fortunately didn't touch me, and came down on all fours.

I'm SERIOUSLY considering power steering, on my next quad!

quote:

Originally posted by 91Octane:

quote:

Originally posted by ATVgirl86:
Honda seems to be neglecting their motorcycle line as much as they have with their ATV line. The sport bikes seem to be doing great, but their cruisers below 1300cc's leave something to be desired. Their 750's used to be top contenders and now they seem to give everyone so-so impressions, mostly because they haven't been updated in forever. Now they're getting rid of most of their Shadow line in favor for the VTXs. My next motorcycle will be the Kawasaki 900 custom.

ATVgirl86, interesting food for thought. I thought they were going in the right direction when they replaced chain drive to shaft on the 750s a couple of years ago. The VTXs are great however, as you pointed out, there is a very large market that lives below the 1300cc power level.

Shaft drive was definitely a great idea on the 750's. I don't mind chain drive a whole lot myself, but I definitely would like shaft drive or belt drive a lot better. Unfortunately, with the addition of shaft drive, and the downsize to a single carb instead of two separate carbs, it definitely hurt the power of the Shadow 750's compared to the 750's of ten years ago. My '96 Shadow VLX actually stays neck and neck with my friend's '05 Aero 750. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice bike. Just a little sluggish and a bit less comfortable than the Suzuki C50's and Kawi Vulcan 800's from my experience. Same seems to go for the rest of the Shadow line. I know the Shadow VLX 600 finishes pretty much dead last in any shoot-out I've seen it in. Honda's response? Well, 2007 will be the VLX's last model year.

Those Yamaha cruisers are really nice, though. The V-Star 650 was actually the bike I was shopping for when I was looking for my first bike, but found a desperate seller looking to sell his VLX for almost half of what it was worth. I figured for my first bike, it'd wouldn't be a bad idea. I've definitely not regretted my decision either.

TF, sorry to hear about your incident with your quad! Glad it wasn't worse than it turned out to be though. How did the quad fair?

You know, as long as you're not in a hurry, I'm pretty sure that power steering is the next big thing to hit the ATV industry and I'm sure that within the next few years, most of the big bores will have it.

CATFISH, I'm a little curious as to why you didn't decide on the Rincon, being a Honda fan and all? Did you happen to try it out?