Deciding between these two. Which is overall a better quad? Riding mainly mud and mid speed cruising.Any advice much appreciated, thx

 

Tough choice. Both are excellent machines and nearly identical on features and price. I find that the Polaris is more comfortable to ride, but that's my opinion. No matter what you choose I think you'll be happy.

 

I chose the Sportsman 400 over the Kodiak 450. It is a bigger full sized machine with a suspension that is more comparable to a Grizzly than a Kodiak. In my riding group we have Grizzlys, a Kodiak 450 (solid rear axle), and Sportsmans. Although I have not ridden the Kodiak 450, the Grizzly guys who have rode it say it has a shorter travel, narrower/tippy feel as compared to the Grizzly. They say it feels like a toy compared to the Grizzly. I HAVE ridden a Grizzly and I must say that I think the Sportsman suspension is better. It seemed plusher AND more stable/less tippy.

As far as the engines go the Sportsman "400" is actually a 425cc unit which is basically a de-stroked/smaller bore version of the SP500HO motor. It is a very well proven, reliable unit. The Kodiak "450" is actually 421cc. Even though the engines are essentially the same size, I would guess the Kodiak will accelarate quicker because it weighs at least 100lbs less. To me this is less important than the suspension.

I also think the Sportsman 400 is just plain a lot more bang for the buck. It's built much more heavy duty.....yet still has a great trail riding suspension. Additionally, with the 2005 Sportsman you get TONS of built in storage.

I have approximately 600 miles of hard trail riding on my Sportsman 400. Although that's not a lot yet.......most of those miles I did this winter riding through deep snow/icy water/sub-freezing temps etc....
I have yet to experience a single problem. The Grizzly's seem to go through rear axles and/or components quite a bit. The Kodiak doesn't ride with us much.

I can highly recommend the Sportsman 400 and I'm very glad I made the choice I did at the time and chose it over the Kodiak 450.

Good Luck, Bob

 

My only thing with the sp 400 is this, the body is so heavy and the motor is IMO too small for it..plus ive heard aot of bad stories about polaris's. It would be my luck that it would be nothing but problems

 

I also have the 400 Sportsman. It is a 2004,I don't think you can go wrong with this bike. It is as a reliable bike as you can buy. A guy I know up here works at a dealership where they sell both Honda and Polaris and he said the 400 is as reliable as the Honda's are, and I don't think anyone can argue the Honda's are a reliable unit. I don't know much about the Kodiak,but I do know the Grizzly's I run with up here are a good bike . I don't regret buying my 400.I have 1200 miles on it and it has been an awsome bike. I can't say enough about the ride and the true 4x4 is the only way to go.As far as power,when in low gear I have as much torgue as the 500,600 &700 I run with. I may lose a little on top but I'll live with that. I can still get 50 miles an hour out of it with out holding it to the bar.

 

Kodiak is yamaha, not honda, and honda is as reliable as they get, but they are too underpowered IMO,
Sportsmans look cool, but they feel too big and bulky, and the engines are just as bad

 

Go for the Sportsman 500. The 400 will feel underpowered once you ride the 500. The Sportsman 500 is the best bang for the buck. I would go for the Kodiac over the Sortsman 400 but not much out there beats the 500 for the price!

 

in the tight woods, as of now, no machine can match the kodiak. in 2004, it was called "best extreme all terrain vehicle" due to its compact size with a locker and all the options. and now it has IRS, which only helps in nasty terrain. personally i loved my old kodiak, and regret not getting another. that thing could go anywhere you wanted it to, just point and hold on and itll make it easy. the one MAJOR advantage the kodiak has over the sportsman is the maneuverability... no sportsman owner can legitimately argue that his sportsman out maneuvers a kodiak in tight woods. in the open the sportsman will feel better, due to the narrowness of the kodiak. ill admit it feels top heavy, but it makes up for it in tight woods. as for weight, the kodiak is obviously lighter, and you feel it. both have decent 4wd systems, and both will have fair power, although the kodiak will feel like more due to the snappier transmission. what i mean by this is it kicks in much harder and not so smooth compared to the sportsman, but it helps on the sporty side. both are decent, but being yamaha baised id say go with the kodiak. as for the sp500... that would be a toss up, i have to admit its a real good machine

 

NO Question...It's the kodiak. If you were comparing the Sportmans 500 it might have a chance. With the Kodiak you got 4-wheel engine braking plus the Locking front differantal. You get the IRS on both but as mention before the kodiak is about 100 pounds lighter. ATV television chose the Kodiak as the best for "The most Extreme Condition" due to it's locker and power to weight ratio. Not that I agree with much they say on their show. I was at the honda polaris dealer yesterday and they had a Sportman 500 Limited edition in black that was to pretty to even ride. I'd like to have it just to shine and haul around in my truck.

 

If your replying to me Muddy Mess I think you have miss understood what I said.As you have pointed out to me

"Kodiak is yamaha, not honda, and honda is as reliable as they get, but they are too underpowered IMO,
Sportsmans look cool, but they feel too big and bulky, and the engines are just as bad "

I'm aware that a Kodiak is a Yamaha. I said the guy at the dealership told me the 400 Sportman engine and bike are as reliable as a Honda( he sells both) and that was very impressive for me to hear from a guy that sells both.