Which is better; quality, features and dependability? Snow plowing, hunting and trail riding.

Thanks

 

well, i know a few things.... side by side i perfer the look over the Sportsman 500(i think the racks on the kodiak are WAY better), i have a kodiak 450 and my buddy has a sportsman 500 and so does his dad. On a day of trial riding, we all used the same amount of gas, they kept up to each other on straight aways, went through the same mud with no problems, seems that the suspension on the kodiak is a little more plush, as for features, the sportsman 500 has "On-demand" 4 wheel drive, where as the kodiak has 2 wheel, 4 wheel and diff lock options.... the on-demand kicks in when tires begin to slip... i like being able to control the status of the drive system, as for strength of them, i watched my buddies dad roll his down the hill sideways about 50 ft, in a sand pit, just stood it up, hopped back on and away he went, i would say thats pretty tough..... AS for plowing or pulling we will find that out in a little while, because we are DUE TO GET SNOW TODAY!! YIPPY!! but again i think the Polaris will beat it in plowing because that machine weighs over 100 pounds more than the kodiak.

 

The 500 is about better in every way........the ride is way better.........the 450 might have a little more of a power feeling, but doesn't actually have more power, the 500 is just more smooth at bringing on the power........

 

i beg to differ, that the sportsman 500 is ABOUT BETTER IN EVERY WAY... all my buddies either have kodiak 450s 2005s, or Sportsmans 500, and most of the guys that have the sportmans say that they would rather have the kodiak 450, so what does that say? everyone has there opinions.... and my ride on my bike, and i think if you ask everyone how there kodiak rides... they will say it is just as good if not better than a sportman 500's.

 

quit causing trouble........everyone on this forum knows if one thing that the sportsman's have it is the best ride, they are like a cadallic.........the seat is soo comfortable too.......now power, that can be talked about........features, the sportsman's(205) has a lot more.......dependability, they are both very dependable..........the sportsman should be good for trail riding, hunting too........if you got a bigger sportsman, I could understand it might be hard to maneuver, but a 500ho is a good quad and it moves well..........



PS........we used to have a 450 kodiak.......and traded for a 2004 sportsman 700.......and now we are getting a 2005 sportsman 800

 

The 2005 Kodiak 450 is about a hundred times better than even the 2004 Kodiak 450 was, so if you didn't "used to have" a 2005 Kodiak 450, you can't really compare. We had a 2004 Kodiak 450, and now have a 2005 Kodiak 450, and adding IRS <u>really</u> brought the whole package together nicely. I used to own a Sportsman 500 HO as well, although not a 2005 model.

In anwer to co's question, ... I suppose it depends on how you are going to use the ATV. As with all Polaris utility ATVs, the Sportsman 500 HO is designed for a newbie that does not do anything to technically challenging. If you are a more experienced rider, or ride in the very most difficult terrain out there, you will end up prefering the Kodiak 450.

In my opinion the biggest difference between the Kodiak 450 and the Sportman 500 HO is the difference is size and weight of the two ATVs. The Kodiak 450 is physically smaller and more managable. That will come into play if, and when, you get into the very technically difficult terrain, and the Kodiak will be easier to ride. There is more than the size of the ATV to consider here though, The Kodiak 450 has several other features that allow it to be the better ATV in really tough terrain. A few that come to mind are: a 4x4 system that you control, instead of relying on the rear tires spinning to engage the front tires; much better engine braking that is also an all four tires engine braking system, instead of just the rear tires engine braking; separate front and rear braking control, so you can apply braking where you need it instead of at a pre-determined f/r ratio; and finally, the much lighter overall weight that will be much easier to manhandle in the most extreme terrain.

Good luck, and have fun with whichever one you choose.

OL

 

i agree the sportsman is a caddy, ...........but the kodiak is more of a rolls royce. i think yamaha takes the cake, see how cumphy it is when the polaris is stuck in the mud and the kodiak crawls out in diff lock.

 

Lighter is better. I haven't riden the 05 but the 04 is plenty powerful and is extremely nimble. I am looking forward to buying a 05 for a third machine.

 

Tell ya what for a 01 I love my kodiak , my cosin use to have a 01 SP 500 and i lik the kodiak more

 

for engine breaking to all 4wheels...I would be rather nervous. with the engine breaking on the rear of the polaris, just tap the gas a little to regain traction to the rear wheels(the fronts will still be able to steer) if they start to slide...with 4wheel engine breaking, once you loose traction to those 4 wheels, your sliding and the front tires wont steer worth a crap.