I have been looking for my 1st atv and trying to just get what I need. I would use it for hunting, trails and light work (plow driveway). I am 6'2" at 275#. Pros and cons to these machines would be greatly appreciated. OR if you think, I should look into 500 class due to my size, let me know.

 

Go with the kodiak definetly. i have one and i love it. they are the best all around machine. they are good for work and really good for play. they are really torquey and fun to fishtail with. i also use mine for hunting and it works great for animals such as deer or bear. it is a hard worker as well. i might be selling mine in the near future. so if you are interested just reply back to me.

 

Both are good machines.

I would pick the Kodiak because it has proven to be very reliable versus the previous Kawasaki Prairie models regarding the auto trannys.

The one thing the new Kawasaki 360 has over the Kodiak is it's size. It is much larger , physically, than the Kodiak which may fit some larger riders better than the Kodiak. Larger size is not neccessarily a good thing to everyone, but is for others.

Go take a look at both and judge for yourself, but my opinion leans towards the Kodiak.

 

I have a 360 myself and it's Awesome!!! Tons of power great for hunting and towing and just about anything else you want to do with it! Prairie all the way!

 

Not trying to muddy the waters with more decisions but you might also look at the Arctic Cat 400. For '03 they offer more choices in drivetrain and suspension than any other model. Very reliable machines. I fyou want more info try the AC forum lots of good info there. Good Luck and God Bless.

 

Whatever you don't get an Arctic CANT. Rob Alford works there and is trying to mislead you. He tries to help sales by putting this post in every single thread with no concern for your needs. Check all the other threads in this section. It's really annoying. They are really heavy, slow and unreliable. Ask any rider who doesn't own one. Sorry Rob.

 

I bought a 2003 450 kodiak about a month ago for the same purposes you mentioned. I have 70 miles and about 12 hours on it. Its a great quad for what I need. I got the 450 because I really wanted the low range. I looked at the Kawasaki but chose the Yamaha because I felt the reliability would be better and we have a good Yamaha dealer here.

Good Luck tell us what you get

 

I don't know what 450honda has against me. I don't go looking for his posts to comment on. I did not say go buy an AC because its is the best out there, although it is quite good. I do believe anyone in the market for any atv should look at all options to make a well informed decision. Do not buy anything without riding it and by all means check out the dealer before you buy, a good dealer makes all the difference in the world. Anyone looking at the 400 class machines should check out AC just for the variety. The AC 400 uses the same motor as the Eiger and you can get it in auto or man. with 12" of ground clearance. I think 450 just gets jealous. Oh and you should never take advice from someone who has first hand experience, like an owner of a machine, that would be ridiculous.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] I did leave out in my previous post test ride 'em all and buy what you like. I don't know how many times I'll have to put up with 450honda, I guess his opinion is the only one worth hearing. It's funny I don't remember bashing honda, although there are lots of things I don't like about them. I really hate the fact that some people won't considr anything but honda and honda corp. seems to ignore what people. They do seem to be waking up though. Sorry so Long. Happy trails and God Bless.
OH YEA, I DO NOT WORK FOR AC. MY AC 500 WORKS FOR ME!

 

Hi,I dont work for AC but it seems that 450 honda foremans has something against AC or maybe against RobAlford.I agree with Rob just go and look at AC.I have a 2002 AC 400i and it pulls me around with no problem at all(I am 6'1" and wiegh 250).Just go and check them out it can't hurt.

 

It's jsut Rob Alford using the forum as a free sales and advertising platform without any regard for the average Joe who wants UNBIASED information, not Robs canned sales pitch. Check this out copied from Robs post in the AC forum. No, he doesn't work for AC and his only interest is in helping you the average forum user. Right.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Rob writes:

More of the AC guys need to hang around the "Buying an ATV" forum to keep some folks from making a mistake. Come on guys chime in and tell how great your AC is.

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Kawi 300 4X4 swamped*winched*snorked

Gotta Cat 500A Snorked