Still debating between Honda Rancher and Kokiak 450. Most riders where I live are Honda loyalists......they have bought quads for years and have settled on Hondas. There's a rancher or foreman at almost every house...... literally. Are yamaha's that bad??? All these guys respect my V very much, but they really trash talk yamaha. A few youngsters around have raptors, but they treat them so badly, it's hard to judge their reliability. Anyway, I really like all that the kodiak has to offer. My last quad was a foreman, and I could find good and bad with it. These guys are really hung up on the life of the honda engine. Won't the yamaha last just as long if serviced reasonably? Any info appreciated[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Big creek,
I just went through the same decision. Here is what i found. Hondas are legendary for reliability and seem to have a good resale (given). Now, I chose the kodiak 400 ( pre 2003) for these reasons: First, selectable 2wd/4wd. (you can buy a warn 424 disconnect for the rancher) Second, The fully automatic trans with outstanding Engine Braking System ( EBS). Also, you can easily snorkel the trans if you wish to get crazy in deep water. I personally am going to be allowing people who have little to no expierence on quads to drive this one and I dont want to be worrying about whether they are over revving or lugging it. Third, as i spent a month researching these quads, i found virtually no problems reported with the kodiak. Here are the common ones. The rear breaks wear out very fast ( esspecially if you mud alot). The water pumps have a weep hole design flaw that causes the seals in the pump to fail and start leaking. The kodiak seems to have a slightly narrow wheelbase causing it to feel a bit unstable in off camber situations. The fixes: aftermarket brake shoes; Yamaha has redesigned the water pump so you can buy the new one; wider wheels or wheel spacers.

Now the 2003/2004 400 cc kodiaks do have some differences from the 2000/2002. First, the good: the rear brake prob was fixed by going from disc to drum. The water pump issue was fixed. Now the bad: They took away the low range option on the 400 in 2003. They did not take it off the 450. So to save money and keep low range I personally bought a 2000 kodiak 400 with immediate plans to change the water pump and rear disks. I will have to ride it before i decide it needs different wheels or spacers.

I have two friends who have 2001 and 2002 ranchers, both with electric shift. they have had no problems and are very happy with them. Also, some people complain that the Yamahas only have one wheel pulling up front. If that ever gets me stuck here is the fix. There is a detroit gearless locker available for the kodiak.

In the end, for me, the real difference that led me to choose the kodiak, after realizing that reliability is there, is the fully automatic trans. Since you are considering the 450 kodiak you wont lose low range and the only potential dislike i can see that you would face is the stability issue. But, 100 cc advantage speaks for itself. (Ranchers are still 350s right.....) I hope this helps.

 

oh yea, if you get a new one (kodiak) check everything to make sure everything torqued right. most noticeably it seems the clamps for the trans vent tubes are notoriously loose. Check everything you can think of for safety i quess..even though mine is used i plan to.

and ooops! seems the 450 has a diff lock built in... you can now tell that i did not look at the 450 much.

 

Thanks vamp[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I feel that reliability is based largely on how these machines are treated. There are so many variables between riders and riding conditions. I do not discount Honda quality, but I feel that Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki all make good products too. Thanks for the info. Yamaha really put one on Honda as far as features go, and the blue plastic for 2004 is another bonus[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] If I do go against all my neighbors I hope like heck I don't get a lemon, or I'll never hear the end of it. Back a few months ago, I was telling them that I was getting a V-force and they didn't even know that it existed. Most of them really like it, and a couple are interested in getting one for themselves. I just can't seem to get a good word around here about Yamaha quality. It could be that most of the reports they have are youngsters really beating their warriors and raptors to death. I have never owned a Yamaha of any kind. I first had Suzuki......then Honda.....now Kawasaki. As you can see, I'm not afraid to buy something different, it's just that a whole lot of people have strongly warned against build quality on Yamaha.

 

Big creek, I dont see that Yamaha has much anymore trouble than anyone else in general. Some models are more prone than others as with any brand. ( I know im preaching to the choir so to speak) But within Yamaha I think the Kodiak 450 is an exellent choice. I would have bought one over the 400 but i wanted one NOW and a 400 was available cheap and i didnt find any 450s for sale close enough. I havent found many of either for sale. I take it thats a good sign. If you dont get a lemon i bet you would be just as pleased with the kodiak as a rancher.....good luck and be sure to let us know .

I just did a search on atvtraderonline and found almost no used 450 kodiaks available.

 

Bigcreek, I have owned both honda and yamaha atvs, and both are great bikes! The problem with some people, is they just think the atv their riding is the best. The truth is, all manufactures are trying hard to produce quality atvs! Why not take your wife and let her test ride both? After all she's the one who'll be riding it. I bet she picks the kodiak! By the way, although I have owned both honda and yamaha, I now own just yamaha. I hope I've been some help. Ride safe and happy trails!

 

Thanks babycakes(It's a little hard to say that to a perfect stranger[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Any other Yamaha/honda owners want to voice an opinion? I went on a 35 mile ride today with two rubicons and a recon. They all complained that their foot brakes were frozen up, and one complained that his fourth gear hung up sometimes, so I guess they do have some problems! I did ride one of the rubicons for a couple miles, and it was like a cadillac.

 

i have owned hondas and yamahas and curently have both in my fleet right now. my personal preference is a honda. I think they are just 1 step ahead in quality and fit and finish. No yamaha i ever had left me though, neither honda. I dont think you could go wrong with either quad, but is there some reason why you need to get her a utility bike? i see you have a v force. why not get her something a little more sporty? I dont know how old you are but a mild sport bike will be lighter than a heavy utility bike and may be easier for her to handle. The new kodiak 450 is a great bike (looks like a grizzly so you will look different that the others on your block) and I have reccomended it to some people. I dont think you will go wrong with either bike, though.

 

Hi twentycharacters. I'm thirty-two. We have ridden double on the V on a couple of trails lately, and have come to the conclusion that we would enjoy it much more if we had another ride. I'm just looking for the most bang for my buck. The 450 kodiak 4x4 has just about every feature available at a good price. I just posted this to get some reassurance of build quality. I don't want to have any regrets. The rancher is a lesser machine in just about every category, but reliabilty does weigh heavily with me. This is a tough one. If yamaha comes up with a very good rate for 36 mths and some kind of incentive I may just do it. Would be nice to have a good 4x4 to go with the V, especially when the snow arrives.

 

Uh oh! I was just on the Honda site and noticed that an all new rancher is out for 04 with selectable 4wd, fully automatic, and the cc's get bumped to 400. I will have to do a real world side by side comparison at the dealership. We have a local shop that carries both.