I didn't want to ask this question on the Yamaha board, figured I'd get biased answers. Since I'm leaning toward the Kodiak I thought I'd give Honda folks an opportunity to tell me why the Rancher would be the better choice.

I need 4wd. I am going to attach a snow plow. I will do mainly light trail riding, no serious mudding. I want a comfortable ride. Reliabilty. Also want a relatively quiet machine.

While the Kodiak has the advantages of switching from 2wd to 4wd and the auto tranny, the Hondas are proven extremely reliable and I understand the front suspension is better on Hondas and it also has the digital speedo.

Any input is appreciated

 

Why are you leaning toward the kodiak?
There are many reasons the rancher should be looked at. My number one reason is it is a Honda and has good realiability. Hondas can run forever and are just all around great machines. Pardon my spelling

 

I have a Rancher 4X4 ES. I have not ridden the Kodiak and it may be a great quad. I have ridden the Wolverine, Big Bear and several Polaris'. They are all fun to ride and it is all personal preference. I like the way the Rancher handles, and its center of gravity provides a more stable feel to me than most of the others that I have ridden. The digital speedo and gear display is nice. The new design of the limited slip (the wheel that has traction gets the power) works great on mine. I also bought a Cycle country plow and a Warn 2000 lb winch. I really like the way the winch is mounted on the Rancher. You don't even know its there until you need it. Haven't had to plow snow with it yet, but mounting the plow was easy.
I'm sure that you will like whatever you buy. Ride them both and read all that you can. If it turns out to be even, the Honda reliability is tough to beat.

 

you said that you wanted a quiet reliable machine, then you do not want a kodiak!! not because they aren't reliable (anything is reliable if properly maintained!!!) but because it is far from quiet. the Ultramatic transmission is downright LOUD!!!!!! it sounds like a jet engine and vibrates baddly!!!!! i took my rancher es 4x4 out today for the first time. i was riding with a grizzly and a scrambler 500. needless to say i was not the fastest quad. but when all three bikes were riding side by side you could hear the transmission on the grizz overtop of the engine noise of the three bikes!!!!! the transmission on the kodiak is the same setup so the noise will be just as loud. i recommend the rancher for your needs. it'd not fast (prob 52 tops) but fast enough! it's a Honda so reliable is not the word!!! handling is great, as great as the wolverine until you get to high speeds. and if you get to do some serious mudding you will not get hung up thanks to the new APSure-Trac differential!!! my buddies put me through several holes today that hung their grizz and scrambler up!! i went through them no problem!!! plus this was my first time on the trail on ANY atv.
the decision is ulitmatly yours. ride them both and decide for yourself. I garuntee it will be the rancher!!!!

 

Hello & welcome. I looked at both the Kodiak and the Rancher. Both machines are qood for different reasons. The Yamaha has features that the Honda doesn't (Switchable 2/4WD, more CC's) and the Honda visa versa (Smoother, quieter, better ergonomics).
I went with the Rancher. I just "felt" better on it. Ran well and for my uses, it will do very well.
I recommend that you test drive both. Then decide. I love Honda quality. Best of luck to you.

 

I had the same dilema about two months ago. I'm glad I bought the RancherES. My buddy has the Kodiak and he's sorry he didn't buy a Rancher. The Kodiak just doesn't handle as well as the rancher in my opinion. It makes a hell of alot more noise then the rancher,thats for sure! I think the Kodiak is just as reliable as the rancher,but I have to give the nod to the Rancher!!

 

I too looked at the Kodiak, the Rancher, the King Quad and the Sportsman 335. I too wanted it mostly for plowing snow, light trail riding and general yard utility. I decided on the Polaris. Here's why. Comfort ... the independent rear suspension on the Sportsman is awesome. Automatic transmission .... do you really want to shift gears? Even as slick as the Electronic Shift is on the Rancher ES, have you thought about how you will be putting it in reverse when plowing? When I plow my driveway, I'm between reverse and forward a lot .... I'd give that some thought. Weight ... while sport riders think that the extra 100lbs of the Sportsman is a disadvantage because it limits speed, it is a real advantage when it comes to plowing. My Sportsman 335 plows snow like I can't believe and goes 50mph stock. That's plenty for me.

I'm trying to give you an objective opinion since my needs were the same as your's and I evaluated the same machines as you. The Honda owners will rightly tout proven reliability ... and I agree. Polaris makes an excellent machine in the Sportsman ... I don't think anyone would debate that, but their track record on reliability has been spotty. However, I believe if a machine is properly maintained and cared for, it will last and if abused and neglected, it won't ... bottom line. Additionally, Polaris reliability has improved dramatically over the last couple of years.

Again, not trying to sell you on a Polaris, just sharing my thought process.

And for the Yamaha ... too harsh a ride and manual transmission ... the King Quad .. not sporty enough.

Good luck either way.

 

You Can't Hide From the Yamaha Board.
I like Hondas too But I have a Y2Kodiak. Here is my 2 cents.
I was sold on the Rancher untill I rode the Kodiak. My Kodiak does not Vibrate. The tranny is not loud. The Kodiak's auto is greatly improved over the 99 Grizzly's. I just don't like being in 4X4 all the time. As for the eletric shift everyone is crazy about. I don't like having to loosen my thumb grip durring hard riding to shift. I HAVE hit the wrong button before and it was not pretty. I LOVE not having to shift at all. I don't care about the Big Speedo. I don't look there when riding anyway. I put a Hella 550 Driving 55Watt light on my bars. I have an hour meter in the trunk and a Cateye.com "Enduro2" Mountain bike Speedo on the bars for speed, trip distance, trip time (hour meter), average speed & fastest speed if I want.
The 350 (326cc) is and runs like a smaller bore machine. The Kodiak (401cc)is under jetted on the main. I went from a 132.5 to a 137.5 main and WOW!
I love all disc brakes and adjustable shocks.
Both quads provide us all with what we want. FUN
Let me go on record as saying that THE RANCHER DOES NOT SUCK. It is lower priced and a NICE ride.
I had a 94 Kawasaki 300 4X4 Bayou. Being in 4X4 all the time and cleaning out the Drum brakes got old. But it never needed any repairs in 6 YEARS!
I can't stiffen the shocks and go play riding on the Rancher. As for a good center of gravity - the Yamaha motor was leaned forward at a 45 degree angle just for that purpose. It is really great on off cambers.
One is better than the other to any individual. I love my Kodiak.

 

I just bought a 2000 Kodiak and have no regrets whatsoever. I was not a Yamaha fan myself and always had great luck with Hondas. The Kodiak won me over with it smooth power, suspension, and great handling. It is not loud and doesn't vibrate. Being able to switch from 2 to 4wd is the greatest. The handling in 2wd feels as light as a Recon. The best thing for you to do is to ride both and make your own decision. The Rancher is a great quad as well.

Good Luck on you decision.

 

I have test driven the new kodiak and its tranny isn't nearly as loud as the auto on the Grizzly. I cannot offer any more opinion than that as I haven't ridden both enough to make a judgement.

By the way ....... Great topic with lots of good advice and posting. Nice to see no bashing!

Glenn.
Y2K Sportsman 500