Hello all. I signed up for these forums a few weeks ago to help me decide on which atv to buy. I thought it was very useful, and also thought that if I shared my info, it may help someone else.

Based on information found on this site, I had my decision narrowed down to the Yamaha Kodiak 400 and the Honda Rancher AT. Each have their plusses and minuses, but in the end I went with the one that I liked the best which was the Honda Rancher AT. The IRS of the Kodiak was intriguing, plus the Kodiak was a bit cheaper. The Honda just looked and felt like the better built machine.

I took it out this weekend to the Pueblo Motorpark (Colorado) and could not have been more impressed. The tranny was super smooth and there was more than enough power for me. I was able to swing the rear-end around with ease (in 2wd) and was able to climb the steep terrain in 4wd, even without a low gear. Now that's not to say the Kodiak would not have given me the same good feeling, but I have absolutely no regrets with my decision.

If anyone out there is debating on the Honda Rancher AT (note that the AT has a bigger engine than the ES, plus it allows you to shift between 2wd/4wd, as well as switch between full auto and esp), I highly recommend it.

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback!

 

Awsome machine isn't it

 

The honda will last you for ever and I would recommend the foot shift, you will be mad at urself is you don't get the foot shift trust me.

 

Mudder-Just for the record, the Rancher 400AT is a hydromechanical automatic, and does not come in a foot shifter configuration. The Rancher 350 has a manual transmission that comes in foot shift or ES (push button manual shifting). I would personally like to see a Rancher 400 with a manual trans!

fillae-In many posts, AT owners have complained about a lack of power right off the bottom. What is your opinion??? The general feeling is that the automatic transmission is less efficient than a manual, and it eats up the extra power that the 400 should theoretically have over the 350. Any opinions on that??? I am in the market for another Rancher, and would only consider an AT if it is a real powerhouse compared to the 350. Another issue is that I am wary of the long term reliability of a complex automatic, compared to a simple basic manual. Again, a 400 manual would be the ideal bike for me (anybody from Honda R&D out there???).

 

2003 honda rancher foot shift I have which is sweet as hell, but after 2 years I am ready to upgrade so for my 16 th I am getting a brute force 750 I wish those came in manual transmission [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

I honestly dont know where every one is getting this lack of power impression. I dont think that it is any different than the 350 rancher especially when it is in esp mode. I think the reason it is a 400 is to make up for the power loss while in auto, which is not all that noticeable. If you are not a fan of auto then you should not be looking at this machine anyway, the 350 would suit you just fine if that is what you like. But for what I do I LOVE my 400AT.

 

reconranger - I have not ridden the 350, so I cannot compare the low power range difference. It has plenty of power for me. I'm not a power monger (If I was, I would have bought a big bore). I originally looked at the AT because I was not convinced I would like an auto, and wanted to have the es just in case. As it turns out, I'm rarely out of auto. I absolutely love it. I am not a big fan of the es. I suppose I would get used to it after more use, but so far the auto has worked flawlessly. BTW, my previous experience on an atv was with a mid-80's Yamaha Moto-4, so the AT to me is a powerhouse!

 

sorry to break it to ya, the es mode on the bike is a joke, it is in no way like a manual tranny, you can shift WOT and not a single noise is made, this tells me its some type fluid restriction instead of true gear changing, also in mud there was 3 distinct times his bike would not turn the wheels, in both auto and esp, esp made absouletly no difference. and im not being bias i was looking foward to buying one. the guy who owns one even admits mine has tons more low end torque. his is smooth though i love the auto on it, just not a work horse like the 350

i even have pictures of where he couldn't turn his wheels, places where i could get in 3rd and spin them.