My brother-in-law's kodiak 400 is faster than our Rancher--Rancher will go 49mph, his Kodiak will go ~53mph. (Many, many races down the road together [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img])

As for starting in the winter...I have no idea if the 450S has the same thing, but we didn't find out on the Rancher until reading the manual that it has a button to pump before starting in cold weather. Then it starts right up!

Our Honda has been super reliable for 1600+ miles in 14 months. That Kodiak has been pretty good--was having a lot of coolant problems after a rip in a hose let all his antifreeze leak out in bfe in the woods. As far as performance, I know the 450S and Kodiak are great for what you are doing. Kodiak suspension is probably a little softer!

His Kodaik and our Rancher both have plows on them: it is quicker to put the kodiak in reverse, but quicker to shift the honda back to 1st. That Honda reverse isn't hard for big hands, just takes getting used to. Your wife, if she has small hands, may not like the honda reverse. It takes both hands for me [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Good luck in your purchase, they are all good machines. It's fun to shop around, though.

 

Hey, just an afterthought, have you considered the new Rancher AT at all? It isn't out yet, but is a 400cc, shaft drive, automatic (also electric shift if you choose to use it), and has floorboards. Just to give you another option.

Rancher AT

 

ATV GURL,
Thanks for the info. Is the radiator hose really that exposed to damage? Your Rancher 350 will do 49mph? I haven't considered the Rancher AT. Isn't the auto tranny New on it for 2004? I hate buying something new the first year out. I like waiting to see if any bugs show up. Anyway thanks.
Jack

 

Hey.... Don't worry about the automatic transmission if you are interested in the Rancher AT. It is the exact same transmission from the Honda Rubicon that has been out for several years. It works flawlessly. My buddy has one and it is great. You can shift, in the ES mode, if you want to, but full automatic option as well. AND, no belts to wear out. If you can wait for them to come out, it would probably be a great option for what you want in an ATV. I can tell you that the Honda engine is bulletproof and the aircooling is not a problem. The Honda comes w/ an oil cooler and fan. My Honda Rancher runs cooler than my liquid cooled Kawi P650. If radiator hoses are exposed, it is possible to buy aftermarket skid plates that provide more coverage. That is what I ended up doing on my Kawi. The Honda has no radiator hoses to break. I think that can be a real advantage. Good luck w/ whatever ATV you get. They all have plus' and minus'.

 

Adirondack,
Thanks for all the info. I will have to purchase within two months so we can keep up with the snow plowing. I had a Honda 300 4x4 and never over heated it. Like I stated in previous forums I worried about the belt with Kodiak and the ES with Honda. I'm not as concerned now with the belt after hearing all the positives. The ES problems seem to be in the cold climates, which is where I come from,but where you live is very cold and your not experiencing any shifting problems right? Probably I will let the wife decide which one is more comfy and with her, color will be the deciding factor. LOL. We looked at motorcycles one time and she hated this one model, but when she saw this other color she said I really like that bike. I didn't have the heart to tell her, it was the same machine just a different color.Probably within the next week we will make a decision. If you can think of anything else, please send it in.
Jack

 

You are right. It is cold where I am. I live not too far from Plattsburgh, NY (largest close city). I have never had a problem w/ the ES system. Also, they give you a shift lever that fits over a knurled rod coming out of the transmission. IF the ES doesn't work for some reason, you can put the lever on, shift manually and get out of the woods. As for the wife picking by color... My wife bought me my Kawi P650. The reason she got me a Kawasaki, and not a Yamaha Grizzly was because the local dealer had red in stock and she liked the red color the best! Also, my name is Jack, too. Let us know what you end up getting.

 

Jack51 the Big Bear will run around 50mph or so. My brother has a pipe and K&N Filter and his runs right at 52 on my GPS. Going into reverse on the Bear is very easy. I think it is just as easy to do as the Kodiak. I rode several Kodiaks and that shift **** is nice but is sometimes a pain to get into gear. I can actually go into reverse alot faster on the Bear than I could the Kodiak.

5200 for the 450 S is a nice deal. Hard to beat that deal as well. I think for work and pulling heavier type loads the BigBear or 450S Foreman would be a little better than the Kodiak. Now if you are looking at the 450 Kodiak with hi/low range then it would be ok. If you don't have hi/low range on a belt machine I wouldn't want it as much for heavier work. Seems like it would wear the belt a little more during heavy pulling with the low range.

Buying a new machine is fun but now more than ever before you have so many good ones to pick from. I always enjoy buying a new machine and doing some research before I buy. I can't wait to see what you go with and how you like it.

 

To put the KOD in reverse you (or Park-which is a nice feature) you have to apply the rear brake (either the foot one or the handle bar one) from neutral to high, low you just shift.

Once again i've been riding atv's for a lot of years (considering i'm only 18) and since the big wave of belt driven quads has come out, only ONE that i've seen has broken down on the trail (it was a '97 p400) and he had a spare. But the kodiak belt has a lot of advanced features on it. Like constant belt tension, and the clutch expands inwards, keeping the tranny narrower (better egronomics)

The locking Diff on the KOD is a big plus, where as the limited slip Honda quickly becomes a 2WD. But i'm not saying get the KOD, ride both and see wich one feels the most comfortable to you.

BTW the reverse procedure on the honda is soooo simple, you'll never have any problems getting into reverse. (the ES modle is a bit harder though)

 

I bought a 91 Big Bear with a 96 engine in it, back in '98. (enough numbers for you?) Still have it, and it has been solid. Only trouble in five years has been the carb boot cracking, and one front wheel coming off due to the nut coming loose (my fault, should have paid attention to that missing cotter pin). Otherwise, it has always run when I wanted it to. Can't speak for belt life as the bear is a manual shift.

I upgraded to a water cooled Cat 500i last spring, but only because I needed a better workhorse, the Bear still runs good. Theoretically, water cooled engines will live longer than air cooled, realistically you'd have to run the quad every day for a few years to notice the difference. I have noticed that the Cat doesn't roast the rider on a hot day, whereas the bear will get the rider's legs a bit toasty on occasion.

 

I have a 99 450S, and the only trouble I have had with it was one time after some really serious mudding ( I shound'tve gone in there), it wouldnt downshift correctly to 1st, but it was something that was easy to fix once I washed it. It fires right up when I start it, and I would buy one again, no matter the price, because I know and I trust Honda that much. I would consider the 450 S and ES to be the best overall ATV on teh market today. There is no other 4 wheeler, in my opinion, that can touch it in every category. I live in TN, so I dont get the cold you do, but I would be willing to bet that after priming the engine, that it would start up on the first or second turn of the starter motor. I am bout to upgrade to 27" Vampires, and they will be the equivilent of pushing snow all of the time, since they add weight and restrict me a little bit. The Honda has plenty of power, and I wouldnt trust any belt, no matter what. With the way I drive, I would either have the belt off or wet withing 30 minutes of starting it up.