this is my first quad so i'm not sure if its right or not. it doesnt go into gear until you give it some gas. forward or reverse, the light goes on but its not in gear until you hit the gas then it kind of "clunks" into gear-seems a little hard on the drivetrain. do all automatics do this? the dealer said to adjust the shift linkage--didnt help. turning up the idle seems to help, but I dont know if its the right thing to do. if theres something wrong I'd like yamaha to fix it. other than that its a great machine, goes anywhere!

 

yes, i've noticed that when i shift into gear, the light will be on but sometimes it will not kick into gear immediately, until i give it a little throttle. i think it may be the way the machine is designed. when mine does it, i only give enough throttle to get into gear, which is just a small tap, otherwise i think it would cause damage over time. i'd like to hear what others have to say as well. i'm still breaking in mine. i can't wait to wind it out. i am going to race my friend on his new eiger.

 

Mine also does it but only when I'm shifting into low and sometimes reverse. I've never noticed it in high.

 

I raced my buddies 2003 Kodiak 450 auto (both dead stop and rolling from 15mph). I weight about 20-lbs more than he does and we were side by side except for top speed (he topped at 55, I topped at 50). He was impressed by the powerband of the Eiger being a smaller engine. We trade rides occasionally to compare. Both are great machines, you just get comfortable riding your own (plus I'd rather wreck mine instead of wrecking his). Happy trails.

joe.

 

I recently bought a 2003 Kodiak450 and it does the same thing. I also give it just enough throttle to "engage" before I rev it up. Seems like its a common condition. Like you said, I wouldn't rev it up and let it engage at high RPM's consistently or it may have bad consequences down the road.

 

my 2003 sometimes does this. Being used to the foot shift quads and trying to find neutral, I just give my quad a forward shake and it goes in. When this does happen it is not common.

 

Your Kodiak is fine. I had the same question when I bought mine.

 

The clunk you hear and feel is normal. Just clutches engaging when you first start moving. If you turn the idle up to high it will actually be hard to get it in and out of gear. Also sometimes when you put it in park and the light does not come on...same thing....just hold down on the lever and rock the bike with your body weight.

 

yeah its normal, clutches engaging, my dads does the same thing too....