I am all for Honda , but some people have been saying how a Kodiak is all that. I have a Foreman Es and a sport Honda . Whenever I go to a trails I pull of kinds of Atv's out of different situations, and it is a pure muscle machine. Has any rode a Kodiak 450? I would like to know what are so special about them.Thanks , Ryan.

 

I have a Kodiak and as far as I am concerned the Kodiak has WAAAAAAAAAY more features that the 450ES

Kodiak-4x4 limited slip OR diff lock 450ES- traxlock selectible 3 wheel drive
Kodiak Liquid cooled 450ES air cooled
Kodiak- Disc brakes all around 450ES drums all around
Kodiak- rated to pull over 1000 lbs 450ES 850LBS

I am not trying to start a brand fight here but considering I have seen 450ES's with huge tires on them and if you were to bottom out the tires would scrape your plastic. I do like Honda's well built and reliable engines but over the past few years they have fallen behind with the Utility market in my opinion. I'm sure your 450ES has been a great quad. My kodiak has been flawless since we bought it it September.

 

It depends what you are looking for, the Honda is definatly more reliable, and a better utility quad, the Kodiak has better brakes, more power, and it is faster. The kodiak has alot of body lean compaired to the Foreman, very uncomfortable in off camber turns.

Personlly I would compair the Kodiak to the Vinson, and the Vinson SMOKES the Kodiak in every area.

As far as price goes all the Kawi dealers are getting list for the Kodiak $6,199 I got my Foreman for $5400 OTD, you could get a Vinson for $6000.00.

So if you aree looking for a utility quad get the Foreman, if you are looking for a Sport utility quad get the Vinson. The Vinson can also be purchased with belt or 5 speed transmision, Personally I don't trust belts.

Hope this helps

 

I have a '98 Forman 450s.

Yes the limited slip differential in the Honda works great when new, now mine needs to be rebuilt or replaced with the Detroit Locker.

Liquid cooled - works great as long as you don't tear a rad hose or puncture rad. Since I plan on keeping my bike for 10 years or more, one less fluid to change/one less system to fail is a plus in my book. Plus the forman's oil cooler and fan do a fine job of keeping the engine nice and cool year round.

My drum brakes work perfectly fine. The seals are still perfectly intact, no squeeks from mud/debris and they never get wet. Besides with the manual tranny I rarely have to use them and when I do I always have plenty of stopping power. So I still don't see what the big deal with disk brakes is all about. (Yes I've ridden both and still don't see the big deal)

The '03 formans have selectable 2wd/4wd. The older models can have the same feature from a Warn 424 kit. This, IMO is a better option because it is not electric but is fully manual/cable operated. If the unit fails, it will lock in 4wd and you aren't stuck back in the woods in 2wd.

Towing capacity IMO is underrated, forman has plenty of torque and I've often pulled loads in excess of 1000lbs with no troubles to date.

I've been running 27' Blackwaters for 2.5 years now on a completly stock suspension and haven't scraped any plastic in any way shape or form. I dunno where you got that too.

Auto trannies aren't my thing, although the Kodiak has the best belt drive on the market IMO, if this is what I needed this is what I'd get.

All in all both bikes will get the job done quite well, the Kodiak 450 is faster but is still new so long term reliability/maintenance issues can't be compared to the Forman 450 which has been out since '98. Honda may lack in technology, but for all that the thing still work and well too. I think that for a machine that is up to the racks in mud and bog all the time should be simple in design, making it reliable and easy to fix should the need arise. If the electrics fail on my bike I won't know how fast I'm going but I can still shift, 4wd still works and recoil starter will get it going, and I'll make it home.

 

well let me tell you buddy, i bought 2 2003 atv's this fall a foreman 450 es and a kodiak 400 for my girlfriend.
i've driven the kodiak 450 and it does have a little more oomph to it but i couldn't warrant the extra cash for that and the locking diff, low gear/park, digital guage, and the disc in the rear.
if i could do it all again i never would have touched the yamaha- i would have bought 2 hondas.

i have had nothing but problems with the yamaha- especially in the front discs which are same as the 450 kodiak.
check some of the posts about kodiaks with squeaking front brakes.

i can give an honest opinion,not because i am pro honda but because i own both machines you are interested in.

p.s. all my work is warranty work, i live 1 km from the dealer and they refuse to pick up the bike for free. they want 30$ canadian. so i tow it in with my honda. i will take a picture outside the dealer next time ... hehehe

 

forget about the 450 kodiak, my 400 kodiak is a far better ride than the rough riding foreman. that thing rides like someone put handle bars on a BRICK! as for power, not even close. rope a 400 with 2500 miles on it to a foreman with 700 and my kodiak pulled it every time. factor in liquid cooling auto trans and its lighter just to mention a few, why would you even buy a foreman? my kodiak has over 3000 on it now and only oil changes have i done. sorry, the tonka foreman is only half the quad the mighty bear is.

 

go with the 450. i have a 2003 450s and i had a 2001 450s before that. They just keep going and going, you can even play around on them alot if you want to (it's not just a work horse).

 

I own a '99 450S, and I stand tall with Action 450s in saying the towing is way under scored.... I have too pulled in excess of 1000 pounds (due to farm chores). Simply put, reliabilty and power, and if you want a fun quad to ride the 450 exceeds the kodiak BIG time....

 

I have the Kodiak 400, my one of my buddy's has the foreman 400 and the other the Kodiak 450. Our opinions are the following. Kodiak a more sporty utility (tight turning radius, lightweight) where the foreman seems to be more worked oriented. Kodiak faster, foreman independent rear suspension, Kodiak selectable 2wd/4wd drive. I think both are great rides, I would pick the Kodiak if you were looking for an atv with a more sporty ride to it, and the foreman more for work. The 400/450 kodiak's are pretty much the same speed wise.