A buddy of mine got a 2000 yellow sportsman. It is a nice bike with the IRS and good clearance. It has good engine brake compared to some older Polaris's I've ridden. HOWEVER....The bottom line is my Kodiak is FASTER with much more pickup. He may have me on top end but we couldn't go that fast and he couldn't pass me on a dirt road. Don't get me wrong it's a nice machine. It muds really well with all that clearance and has a really plush ride. I also outran a 2000 foreman S this weekend. It's no big deal though... who's faster and all. But it's nice to have a comeback when my friends start talkin trash

2000 KODIAK/BEIGE, STOCK AND SWEARIN BY IT.

 

hey jham, its great to hear a story about a yamaha hanging with the polaris!!
i have a 2000 kodiak and i love it!!
i rode with a forman this weekend and he just could not stay with me on the trails.
the kodiak is heaven on the trails for a utility quad


2000 kodiak
2000 lb warn winch
hunter green

 

my friend has a magnum 500 , just a touch faster than my 2000 kodiak at top end but i too smoke him on the trails i love my kodiak wouldn't trade it for any other quad!!!!!!! It's one of the few if not the only utility quad that you can actually ride like a sport quad on the trails . the polaris are ok but when we rode each others machines my friend didn't wanna switch back!! (ha)

 

On another note, me and my friend were out riding Saturday. We came upon a huge mud bog. My 2000 Kodiak got stuck, then my friends Grizz got stuck. The to make matters worse, two guys came along with Sportsmen and proceeded to go through the mud bog, in 2 wheel drive no less. To make matters worse, I had to be towed home. It seems my clutch/belt system got mud in it. I had to disassemble it, and I'm talking a coffee can full of mud. I didn't go above the snorkle, so I have no idea how it got there. I love Yamaha, but starting to wonder.

 

Now my brother has a new Kodiak and its an outstanding bike but he cant touch my Sportsman on top end or most trail riding. That is if Im willing to push the SP500. I do think that the Kodiak is geared better in High range for our type of riding as he doesnt have to change ranges as frequently as I do.
And I would have bought a Kodiak myself if I hadnt found a good deal on a nice used SP500. And now a New Kodiak goes for just under 6900.00 around because there so popular. Happy Trails guys.

 

Yea, those sportsmans do have the clearance and are good mudders. Although with clearance there is a direct tradeoff with body roll or top heavy. My buddy who is a new manager of a Polaris dealership keeps trying to talk me into a sportsman. He said I need to look at the parts and service he can give me. That's what I like about mine so far, I don't need parts or service..(knock on wood). I would be stepping down in power and speed if I got a sportsman compared to the Kodiak. If I were in the market for a Polaris, I would probably lean towards the magnum as it has less grease zerks and is faster. But I'm stick'in with Kodiak and have no desire to trade.

 

I recently sold my 2000 Kodiak 4X4 because it couldn't hold a candle to an SP500. I've hunted for 2 years at 8,000 to 10,000 feet in the Colorado rockies, often in 1-2 feet deep snow. My buddy's SP500 could go anywhere I could go and didn't need chains to do it! My poor Kodiak couldn't even spin the wheels in reverse, forcing me to get off and horse the machine to point downhill every time it got stuck in the snow. I'm buying a new machine this week, and this time it will be an SP500 H.O.!

Mark

 

I've got a new Grizz, before that a H.O. before that a SP. IRS is what it's all about. But the Grizz has real horsepower. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

As the Previous Owner of a POlaris 300 xplorer... and Now a 2001 Kodiak.. My 2 cents.
My 300 xplorer would just simply embarass this Kodiak in the rough.. Many Of trails I used to go up on the 300 I either have to winch up, or literally attack now with the Kodiak.
Accelration was about the same with both, of course your comparing 2 verser 4 stroke.
HOWEVER, for 125.00 I can put a Locker in the front of the Kodiak and have the same abilities the 300 had.
And so far, I have been able to ride this machine for bout 340 HARD miles with it still remaining VERY tight, No play in the steering at all. My 300 couldnt get tight with all new parts, neither can my neighbors 99 400 xplorer. SO maybe Im not as fast, If I want Fast thats what the KTM is for. BUT I know I can go into my Garage, get on it, and ride it without mechanical worries and fear. At this point thats more important to me than being able to make it through a deeper mudhole, besides I have a winch!

Happy Trails!
Ron

 

Wha? This post is like a year old.