i wouldnt even compare these two quads. the vinson is more at home in the open class 4x4, than the 500 class. Its closer to the grizz than the kodiac and for the price of the kodiac. the vinson is faster handels better, rides better and everything else. the only down fall is the limited slip front diff but if you know how to use it youll never miss the locker. Unlike every other limited slip front end you can get power to both front wheels even if one is right off the ground by grabing the front brake it puts resistance on the light front tire and locks them together.

 

yup i agree. vinson all the way. im not saying the kodiak is bad. just not as good.

 

I can agree with that. the 450 is more in the 400 class (421cc) and the Vinson is in the 500 class. I cant say much for the Vinson because I havent ridden one yet but they sure do look sharp. Maybe with some luck I will be able to ride one later.


I learned something else on here as well. Somene said its 90% rider and 10% machine. Its something I keep in mind everytime I ride

 

Thanks guys I think you're right. I belive I'm going with the Vinson even though the Kodiak is a solid machine. If all goes well I'll be riding in a few weeks. I want to make sure I have enough $$$ for the ATV, trailer, winch, and helmet. What do you guys think about upgrading tires? How much would it cost (on average) to upgrade to 26s?

 

It cost me $295.00 to upgrade to 28" Gators. Check Dennis Kirk for prices, they have free shipping if you spend $100.00. My buddy has 28" Mudlites and they are very good tires also.
Take them to Walmart. They only charge $3.00 a tire to mount them. The dealers wanted $36.00 a tire.

 

woops, forget what i just said..........doh!

 

Outrage,

Expect to pay around 500 for tires(for the lower 48 guys who balk at that price, welcome to Alaska and the high shipping costs) and you will have to have them mounted at the dealer because the tire shops in town do not like to mount them as they have a tendency to tear while mounting. At least that is what the 20 shops told me when I tried to get them to mount my Bear Claws a few years ago, of course if you bought the tires from them they were obligated to mount them. Good luck. AlaskaBoy.

 

I paid a visit to both the Yamaha & Suzuki dealership here in Anchorage Saturday and was not impressed with the Suzuki staff at all. I think I knew more than the guy telling me about the machine from just the reasearch I've done myself. On the other hand Yamaha was great. With that said is it enough to persuade me into buying the Kodiak instead of the Vinson? This I'm still not sure. This was the first time I've seen the Kodiak in person and I was impressed but the Vinson is nice too. I'm still deciding I guess. Why doesn't Suzuki hire better help? I'm hoping I just caught the wrong person on the wrong day.

I'm not sure if I'll get a trailer at a dealership but Yamaha wanted $500 less than Suzuki did for their 8x10 trailer. I'm not sure it was the same kind though.

 

i went to a suzuki dealership and they were nice.but i haven't gone to a yamaha dealership.i am thinking about getting a vinson.

 

if you buy a vinson then you probly wont have to deal with the dealer much after the purchace