Hello,
I'm getting ready to buy my first ATV, and have been an avid dirt bike rider here in the mountains of Colorado. I want an atv that is sporty, but can climb hills and trails in the mountains at 8000 to 13000 feet, and also do fairly well in the snow. I have been thinking of buying a Wolverine, but am worried about the lack of low range for the slow climbing stuff. The local dealer is telling me that the new Kodiak is now almost a sporty as the Wolverine. If this is true, I would definitely like to have a low range and the ability to go in and out of 2wd/4wd. How do you guys rate the sportiness of the new Kodiak? Are the 2000 Kodiaks (on sale right now) much different than the 2001 models?

Thanks

 

Leel, my brother Mike has the 2000 Kodiak and highly recommends it to anyone. For 2001 they added a speedometer and tripmeter. For 2000 the Kodiak made ATV magazines "ATV of the year" I will be buying my first Quad maybe next spring and it will be either the 2001 Kodiak, or The Arctic Cat 500 Automatic. Thought about the Rubicon, but it is pricey, and I am leery of first year new products that aren't proven yet. Good Luck to you. Hammer4

 

Go with a 2001 if you get a Kodiak. I'm pretty sure it's got 2" more clearance then the 2000.


Blue 2000 Kodiak 4X4, fully loaded

 

I have a 2001 kodiak and I love it. The ability to move in and out of 4wd is great. It is probably sporty enough for you, as it is for me. I would go with the kodiak for the power.

 

I have been riding quads at Rampart Range in Colorado (among other places) for about 15 years. So I have a little experience in the mountains of Colorado with these things. These are both great bikes and you can't go wrong either way. The Kodiak is certainly more powerful but also much heavier......about 60 pounds. I have ridden both and owned a 97 Wolverine for a while. In my opinion the Kodiak is more comfortable but the Wolverine is a better trail machine and certainly more sporty. The Wolverine is full time 4wd but it is not designed to be a utility machine at all. It is basically a Warrior without a clutch and 4wd. It has plenty of power for anything I have encountered and is easier to toss around because of the lighter weight. But again both machines are great and both will do well in Colorado!

Frank
2001 Blue Yamaha Raptor

 

The 2000 kodiak and 2001 are the same bike except some cosmetics and a speedo.

 

JHAM,

I'm not sure about that. The 2000 has 7.1" of clearance and the 2001 has 9.6" according to the yamaha site and pamphlets. That makes me wonder if the 2001 has a different rear dif. Maybe I've been reading misprints but that's the way it looks to me.

 

Kerplunk, the ground clearance on the 2000 and 2001 Kodiak are both 9.6