Please give me some advice...

I am looking at a 04' Sportsman 500 for $5599 and a 05' Kodiak 450 for $5599. Price is no different. Which has the best ride, comfort, reliablity, power, and mudding ability. Which is better at hillclimbs and back down? Which would I be more happy with? Help!?

 

i would take the polaris 500 if it is the high output one, those are pretty fast, and have alot more mudding potential IMO.

 

Go for the Sportsman unless the Yamaha dealer in your area is lots better to deal with. Warranty, repairs etc.

 

Does the Sportsman have a lot more power than the Kodiak? I have heard my friends say that the Kodiak rides good and has good power. The ground clearance on these two are about identical, what makes the Sportsman better in the mud?

 

everything i was in the same position you are in I think Im getting the 04 sportsman

 

My 500HO Sportsman out runs a friends Kodiak every time accross the fields. Power difference I don't know but the sportsman is heavier. I like the AWD on the Polaris, I don't want to get stuck, put it in 4wd, still stuck lock the diff, still stuck.

 

hey <FONT face=Verdana size=1>Vaquero, what is "sway bar disconect?</FONT>

 

At first I thought both would be very similar, and they are, but there are some big differences. I went though this decision a few months ago.
The polaris tranny is different than the yami. On the polaris, at idle, in gear, the pulley opens and the belt goes slack. This lets it idle in gear, but it also makes for a chance to burn the belt, if you dont use low for slow going. The constant slacking and tightening of the belt, is tough on belt life, especially if youre in high gear and going slow. The yami uses a centrifical clutch, so the belt is always tight on the pulleys. No need to use low on the yami unless you want to.
No front wheel engine braking on the polaris, Yami does. If you plan on coming down steep hills, theres nothing like 4 wheel engine braking.
No 3 wheel drive on the polaris...I know, go ahead and laugh, but next time youre climbing a slipery steep hill, the ability of the front to find its own traction and the stability is much better in 3wd. Polaris is 2wd or 4wd, the front is spooled together. The 4wd only works when the back tires loose traction, on the polaris. On the yami, you can control when you have 4wd, or 3wd, or 2wd,...around corners, downhills, and even on good traction surfaces, like on dry boulders. The polaris can only be activated, and then you have to spin the rear to get the fronts to pull.
The polaris has one brake lever for all 4 wheels, the yami has separate controls for front and rear. Personal preference here.
This may be a small issue, but its come in handy... the yami can be bump started, but the polaris cant. Gives you one more option, of starting when the battery craps out.
Then theres ride quality, but youll have to test drive them, to see which you like better. The yami is a bit tighter sprung, and the polaris is more softly sprung.
When the going is tough, and if you like to stand, the kodiak feels more natural, the belt housing, gets in the way on the polaris, and the handlebars dont feel right when standing on the floorboards.
Im not bashing either...just letting you know the differences.

 

Hey Daranello75 the sway bar disconnect is a really trick sway bar link that is detachable. Very cool, like it in the ruts and rocks. Check out this link from another post, he has some really gret pic's of modifications. He put a detachable link on his Sportsman too.
http://www.checca.net/atv.htm

 

Thanks all, I admit that I am kinda leaning toward the Kodiak....Hondabuster you just made me more so. The Sportsman has 78cc on the Kodiak but is 126 lbs heavier. I wonder, if you are riding a Sportsman and come up to a large log or rock. Do the back wheels have to spin before the fronts will put it over? If so, that seems like it would suck. Is it hard to steer the Sportsman since both front wheels are locked together? Seems to me if you are on the Kodiak you just lock the front diff before you get into that big mudhole, is that not possible?

I do like the fact that the Kodiak is lighter and smaller and probably easier to handle.

My other quad is a Raptor, one thing that worried me is - the Sportsman hand brake is only on the left side of the handlebars. The clutch is on the left on my Rap and brake on the right. The Sportsman has no lever on the right. I wonder if I might get goofed up when jumping on the Sportsman after riding the Raptor and vice versa. My wife will primarily be riding this new quad, but I want to make the correct choice.