Greetings! I have been lurking the site for a while and have recently purchased a 450 Wolverine, so I thought I would pitch in and write a full review on it. As for a quick background, I am a 31 y/o male from Southern Illinois. I have been riding motorcycles/atv's since I was about 8. I have done everything from street riding, to racing motocross, jet ski's, and of course atv riding. I was also a salesman at a local cycle shop for 4 years. I think I have ridden almost everything out there. Last year I purchased a 2005 Kodiak 450, owned it for about 8 months and was very happy with it. I found out about the new Wolverine and traded for it. So here is my review. Hopefully it will help someone that is thinking of buying one. I will categorize and rate each aspect and be as thorough as possible. I will also occasionally reference comparisons to other machines.

General layout (Chassis, suspension, ergonomics): 5 out of 5
The machine 'feels' slightly smaller than the Kodiak, when actually its not. Probably because the Kodiak is boxier in design. The suspension seems perfect for the quad, could possibly use a couple more inches of travel in the front, but I like to jump pretty hard. I rode it for an hour or so, then made my suspension adjustments. I went full spring compression on the front, (last notch, 'hardest' setting) and 2nd from full on the rear. After the adjustment, its perfect for me. The seat is very comfortable. The radiator is located high up in the machine for protection, smart move. Its in the perfect spot. Also, the airbox and battery are easily accessable and the fuse box is "right there" when you pop the seat off. Nice. The machine has a great sporty feel. Feels much lighter and turns much quicker than the Kodiak, feels a little heavier and slower than the full sport quads. Looking closer, overall quality looks outstanding. There are 2 quality complaints that I have, and both are small. First, the plastic piece that is in the center of the handlebars that houses the ignition. It just snaps onto the handlebars without any other fastners of any kind, and snaps off very easily. You can just grab it and pull lightly and it will pop right off, only to be hanging on by the ignition wires. Poor design. I remedied this by 2 zip ties and about 2 minutes of time. Easy fix. Also, I noticed the taillight flickering while the lights were on. The receptacle that the taillight bulb plugs into is junk. Cheap design. I had to shim the bulb to keep it snug in the socket. Those were my only quality complaints.

Performance (Engine, tires, brakes): 5 out of 5
If you forget everything I write in this review, then just remember this: This machine comes alive at about 2 hrs, and is still getting better for me (I have about 10 hours on my machine now). When I test rode it (as im sure most of you will before you buy), it seemed a little more sluggish than I had expected from this type of quad. But the salesman (who is a close friend) told me that it really comes alive after a few hours. Man was he right! This thing will flat get up and go! Much quicker than the Kodiak 450. This quad is built for one purpose... to be a trail machine. Not a racer, not a utility quad. Without a doubt it is absolutely cutting edge on the trails. The tires are incredible to say the least. The rear tires were designed specifically for the Wolverine, low profile, stiff sidewall, and incredible traction. This thing powerslides like a dream, and the traction makes for an awesome holeshot. Yamaha outdid themselves on the tire/wheel selection. As for the brakes, I have never been impressed with the brakes on any quad because of my experience on motocross bikes. But nevertheless, they do their job. They stop the quad fine, and couple them with the engine braking, I really have no complaints. Not unlike every atv I have ever ridden, the brakes are noisy when they are muddy and/or hot. Its normal.

Appearance/Quality: 5 out of 5
Yamaha again came through, and designed one of the sharpest looking quads out there in my opinion. The plastic is sharp. Aerodynamic, and functional. The floorboards are nice, and actuall sporty. They keep you clean and dry (until you purposely start hitting the bad stuff) and have a good sturdy feel. From the front, it resembles a raptor. I love the headlight design. It just looks mean!

Overall: 5 out of 5!!
I can't say enough about this machine! Again, I have ridden them all, and each quad is designed for a specific purpose. This one is designed as an extreme trail machine. And as far as I am concerned, on the trails it cannot be beat. (That is with the right rider). It is super sporty and quick in 2WD, and in 4WD you will be hard pressed to get it stuck. I have done some hill climbing on it as well, and as you know, several factors come into play when you are taking on a big hill. But physics are physics, and a 4WD machine is going to have an advantage over a 2WD machine at some point on any hill. Also, in the snow and mud, 4WD quads dominate. (Obviously all of this also depends on the rider) In closing, if you are remotely thinking about buying this machine, DO IT... you will not regret it. Yamaha has done it again! I am very impressed.

-Brad

 

Great right-up.

What part of Illinois are you from....

 

OK, I like the Wolvy and at one time was ready to buy one. But no rack at all and a few other things got me looking at other machines in that size, sort of. One that has caught my eye is the, don't laugh here, Outty 400. I hear the suspension is great for trails and the rotax engine puts out lots of power. Top speed is about the same, mid 50's. Same type trans. Wolvy looks more sporty and is lighter. Outty has a low range and taller tires. I suppose the Wolvy would win in a flat out drag but not sure. Now flame me out, just be honest. I enjoy reading first hand comparison reports.

 

I agree with you 100%. I have about 200 miles on my 450 and love it more and more each ride. Great review. I'm looking forward to some aftermarket stuff being released. The only complaint I have with mine is the plastic floorboards. I have cracked both sides of them and now it is spreading up to the fender. Does anybody have any suggestions for this problem?

 

take a small drill bit (1/8 inch) and drill the end of the crack out.....then get a bunch of black zip ties and drill holes across from each other on both side of the crack and use the zip ties like stiches

 

Drilling and zip- ty a new quad with 200 miles? What does the future look like?

 

I buy my quads for riding and enjoying.....not for polishing and looking at. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

braddsn, congrats on the new purchase and thanks for the write up!! I know a lot of people were hoping for the Wolverine to be aimed even more towards the sport/performance side of the spectrum, but it sounds like a great quad all the same.


I concur. While I like my quad to be clean and neatbefore a ride, I didn't buy it to be a trailer queen. A little battle damage is fine with me!

 

Yeah I like floorboards, but it seems that they are all notorious for getting cracked on logs and trees. It would be nice if they made them out of aluminum or something.

 

Just to let you guys know the 6-pack rack is available for the Wolvy450, they are pretty sweet. I asked my dealer about a couple weeks ago, and he just got it in yesterday.