Hi, I'm a Polaris guy, but my in-laws just got a new Kodiak 450. I thought I'd do a little snooping around to see if I can help their case. It's already been back to the dealer for a clutch full of mud and a broken brake line. Dealer said they must have let their kids ride it and beat on it, so they didn't want to warranty the repair ($389?!), even though they paid for the extended warranty a week ago. Kids are all grown and don't live there, machine is only a week old and they are middle aged, not likely they beat it up like that. Delaer actually started yelling at them and threw them out of the place!!!
My question is, has anyone else had the brake line snap off ( I think its the rear one), or the clutch housing fill up with mud? They haven't done any serious mudding, but the machine did have 7 miles on it when they got it. I think someone at the dealership took it out and buried it. Are there any other common problems that they should be aware of? Thanks for the input

 

Age has nothing to do with it. I'm over 40, and nobody beats equipment worse than me. Well maybe one of my friends. Some people never will grow out of it, me included. Mud in the belt cover is from high water (mud), nothing else. Who was driving it when it happend is another case. It's their word against the dealer, same for the broken line, except that had to have happened after delivery, because they would have noticed it. I'd say pay the bill, and lesson learned. If your going to pound on it, your going to pay. I fix my own, so it never bothers me when my toys break. Have FUN!

 

I certainly pound the daylights out of mine, and I pay to play, but the inlaws ride double and poke around going slow. I know the Yamahas arent known for their water fording ability, but I still don't think theyve been in water deep enough to get in anywhere. I've looked around the forum a little and have so far found complaints mostly about the 4x4 servo. Mom-in-law said they ran into a guy on the trail with a new Kod 450, and he said he also had the brake line mysteriously break. I was just wondering if it was a common problem. I suppose your right, that must have happened after they picked it up, they probably caught it on a stick or something. Maybe the brake line isn't well protected?

 

I agree, it sure makes you wonder, about the brake line routing. Maybe this is a case of two different incidents. The drive could have been full of mud, from a previous dealer test drive, and the brake line accidently hit something. Unrelated. Run it past the dealer, can't do any harm, right? Good Luck!