I'v been looking around for four wheelers and saw the wolverine. is more of a crossover like the renagade or is it pure sport.

 

The older 350 Wolverines used to be sport utilities with long suspension a the lightest 4x4 you could buy.

Now if you look at the specs against a 350 Grizzly its the same ATV with sleeker plastics,no racks and smaller tires. 350 Wolverine vs 350 Grizzly spec.[/L]

The 350 wolverine looks like it does not even come in 4wd any longer.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

Here is the older 350 Wolverine vs the new SPECS the old 350 wolverine had all disk brakes longer front suspension and only weight 7 lbs more and it has 4wd!

Yamaha really changed the 350 wolverine for the worst by the looks of things.

Basically the 2009 350 Wolverine is a 2wd 350 Grizzly with no racks,and 23" tires rather than 25".

 

TLC's right, Yamaha does have the 450 Wolverine which has 4wd, but both are still based on the Bruin 350 SRA chassis, with the lowtech(reliable) motors. The 450 Wolvie is closer to a crossover like the 'Gade, but nowhere near as fast, powerful, or as full featured as the 'Gade...500. The 800 is another league above them.

Nothing sport about them other than the plastic and sra...even then its a stretch...compared to a real sport like a yfz or even raptor anyways. Not that they are a bad machine, but calling them a sport is a bit far fetched...entry level is more like it.

Yamaha could of done soooo much more with the Wolverine. If you are looking at the Wolvie, I would probably look at the 450 unless finances dictate otherwise or you just don't want the 4wd.

-Krait

 

I have the new wolverine 450 and am very happy with it. It just I was looking for in for. It's seems to be a very love it / hate it reviewed quad depending on what you want. It's not a speed machine by any strech when compared to a Can Am Renegade or a sport quad. However it does have enought power to get you where you need to go / get through. My thoughts are that it's a great machine for ther money you can get them for about 5K out the door now if you do some looking.

As far the 350 goes, I am about to pick one up for my GF. We test drove one this past week and it's a perfect quad for her: it's a little slower that the 450 but does everything else the same just only as a 450 would in 2wd. Final price will run about 3K out the door for it!

What swayed me to both the Wolverine 350 and 450 would be these factors:

-Much better handling and lighter weight when compared to a full on UTE.
-At different times I will ride with utility and sport quads, and for the most part can keep up with them both.
-Price right for what you get.
-They are pretty simple machines that will run forever that are cheap to maintain and fix.
- I can still use them to pull a deer out of the woods and to plow my driveway.

 

I guess some ppl(myself included) are just a bit disapointed, Yamaha could of done so much with this concept. I won't argue one bit that the current Wolvies are great machines, but sport 4wd they are not. Ah well. They seem to be very durable, tough, fun bikes. I wouldn't even say that I would overlook one. I just wish they followed the original 'sport 4wd' concept more closely. In this day & age of quads, Yamaha can do MUCH better. If they want to stick with utility origins, the 686 & 558 EFI engines would be much better for this application. A Wolverine derived from the Grizz 550/700, similar to the Renegade/Outlander relationship, could yield a superior machine.

Of course, I would love to see a real competitive level sport 4wd, alum/chromo frame, 8"+ suspension, etc.

Sorry, have kind of went of course here.

-Krait

 

The funny thing about the new 350 Wolverine is it is priced higher the 2wd 350 Grizzly/Bruin and they are the exsact same ATV but the less exspensive Grizzly has racks and larger 25" tires![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

The 450 Wolverine is different story its a faily new ATV, but its a shame to take off the racks and put on smaller 23" tires on a 2wd 350 grizzly/Bruin and than call it a 350 Wolverine, is just lazy on Yamaha part especially since the old 350 made for years is still a much more interesting ATV.

 

The Wolverine 450 is the same chassis as the Wolverine 350/Bruin 350(pre-2005 Kodiak 400/450 SRA chassis), only difference is the 4wd and the Kodiak/Grizzly 450 engine instead, not hard to achieve since Yamaha did the same to the old Kodiak 450 to achieve the Wolverine 450 as they did for the 350. Actually, they even removed the difflock & low range/park from the tranny as well, so it has the same tranny as the 350. So I would say its not really a different/new machine either.

I agree on the lazy part, the Wolverine used to be an icon for Yamaha.

-Krait

 

TLC / Krait,

Except for the power difference, (lack there of) I think it's acceptable given the lower price the new Wolverines. There really is not that much different capability wise than the Renegade and Scram-dam-bler. I agree that they need to offer more engine for the top end model. While at the same time I think they should keep the 350 / 450 models going. I really a 110% in favor of keeping it simple and bullet proof reliable with reasonable power sacrifice. I have the been exorcised of the speed demon so to me single cylinder, two valve motors are great. I will agree Yamaha missed the ball by not including bigger racks. I just end up pulling my little off-road trailer when I am hauling camping gear.

Good point though about the 350 having a higher MSRP that the grizzly 350 2wd. That doesn't make any sense what so ever. I will tell you though, My GF and I looked at the grizzly 350 before deciding to go with the Wolverine 350. The best the stealer would do is about 3400 + tax on the Grizzly vs. 2800 + Tax on the Wolverine. So I guess all in what it costs you in the end.

 

Beerseason, I couldn't agree more, I think they should definately keep the current models. However since the concept of the Wolverine was for a sport 4wd, I think they have fallen way off track with that. The current models are great for ppl who want a lighter, sportier-looking ride than the 'utes. And the simplicity of them makes them pretty tough and durable. The 350 is great as an entry level quad, the 450 is great for mid level riders or riders who don't need/want the power...and want the simplicity.

I just wish they would make a true Wolverine to cater to the more power/speed hungry sport type guys who want 4wd as well.

-Krait

 

i looked on the web and it said i could tow 1100 lbs w/optional tow hitch. stock what would it come with? and any difference between 2008 and 2009