I have been shopping for a bike for a long time and have finally settled on a Yamaha. For the longest time I was concerned with reliability and so I was looking at Honda due to its SRA, air cooled engine and lack of a locker or any sort of a locking front end. Does that make any sense? Now that I write it down it all seems a little stupid. I know the Honda's are reliable but I think any company that builds a bike with a mild engine and no options is going to be reliable. NOT HONDA BASHING, I HAVE OWNED A FEW, GREAT BIKES. I was also a little sceptical about belt drives but that was due to ignorance, I have since figured out they work great. I am looking for a bike for easy faster trail riding, 20-40 miles per, with the odd mud hole, I will also use it around the yard for some utility work and may buy a plow for it though I am not sure. I live in Northern Ontario so we get a sh*tload of snow. I should mention that I am about 6'2" and 250lbs. I went to the local Yammi dealer today and the 450's are on for $7999 Canadian, this is about $1300 off sug retail. I drove one around the back lot which consists of bumpy mud and grass, it is about 2 acres. Bike seemed to ride great, no problems there. I found the 450 a little small, the handlebars felt low which is weird because almost every bike over 350cc seems to fit me just fine. For example, the Honda 350 fits just perfect. Just wondering, any bigger guys like me riding 400's or 450's and how do you like the fit? Should I go to the Grizzly? Price is no object though I don't like paying for something I don't need.

 

I was in the same boat you are. I was thinking about the kodiak because I thought the Griz would just be too much weight. I ended up buying the Griz because they didn't have a camo version of the Kodiak. I love that quad. It's like riding in a cadalac. It has a lot of power but it's very manageable.
If you don't mind the extra cost, buy the Grizzly and have them put some 26" tires and aftermarket wheels. The stock tires are the worst part of the quad. The aftermarket tires and rims will give you stiffer side walls and a little more off-set.

Good luck on your decision.

 

I'm 6'2" also and I feel fine on the kodiak. I've had it a few months now and I think its great. One advantage I can see about the kodiak over the griz is that its smaller and can go places the griz can't (better on tight wooded trails) and has a lower center of gravity which makes it feel less tippy. It has great power and I plowed my driveway all winter using the stocks tires which arn't too bad. I had it up to 51MPH so its definatly in your range. I would go with the kodiak 450 and get some 25" ITP holeshot ATR Radial Tires for the best ride. Good luck with your choice.

 

Hey i was in the same situation as you, all my friends own honda fourtrax foreman 300's and they love em. But i noticed honda was a lil pricy (for the name) and i looked at yamaha and i took the 2005 kodiak 450 for a ride and i like it, it suits me fine for hunting/ recreational/work hauling and i did look at the 660 and it is just as nice as the kodiak but i didn't want an atv that big, just useless for what i do, i have a friend who owns a ranch and he has a kodiak for ranch work and he has already put 22,000 miles on his kodiak soooo......

 

I see the argument of size in this and all forums in regards to Kodiak vs Grizzly. There is little difference for same model years. I think 6 lbs and less that 2 inches in length and width. Seat height is taller but who cares. DO a model comparison on the yamaha website. Is shows specs side by side. I know because I have 05's in both. The grizzly will go anywhere the Kodiak will and both faster and much better ride. I made the mistake of letting my wife ride the grizzly on a rough ride recently. Now thats all she wants to ride. She is 5'4 120 lbs. The only drawback to the Grizzly is $$$$$. We had 2 Kodiaks but traded in one for thr Griz. Will probably trade the other as well.

 

people talk about size when comparing the 2. lets face it, the only time 2 inchs will matter, is to a woman, and we aint talking bout quads anymore, lol. the real arguement here is power. do you want to settle for a 450, or want all out power of a 660? in most catagory,s they compare quite eaqually. the nod going to the griz in power, ride. in a basic, it really does come down to dollars. spend a little more, get alot more. save a buck, go slower.

 

I own a 2005 kodiak and love it, I wouldnt ride anything else but I am not a big guy like you. If I was you I would go with the Grizz, I think it would suit you better for speed and power. Just my 2 cents

 

I am 6 foot and 250 pounds and I owned a 450 Kodiak. I put 1500 miles on the Kodiak and then traded up to the Grizz because of power. Power was the only reason I traded but when I got the Grizz I noticed other things that were a better fit for me. My friend has the 05 kodiak that I ride with alot and we trade back and forth once in a while and the fit is so much better on the Grizz then the Kodiak. Another issue I had with the Kodiak was the power in REVERSE, barely had enough power with 589's to back out of a deep mud hole or any thing that had any resistance at all. The Grizz does it easly. I know why the Kodiak has trouble with the reverse power is because it uses the high side of the tranny for reverse....( don't ask me why because I think it is stupid ) the Grizz uses high also but becase of the power its easy. I liked the Kodiak very much and it gave me no problems.......however, I LOVE my Grizzly!