haha thats what i thought about it too.... i hate the look of it
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

CHICK QUAD!! But the new 700 Raptor is sic....

 

you can only imagine how pissed I was to find out the new wolvy got a biiger engine, after buing an 05 only a month ago. Then I logged onto the website and found it was an automatic. The only reason I bought a wolvy was because it had a five speed. It increases the fun factor. I really think yamaha should have asked the consumer what changes they wanted to see for the wolvy because I would never buy one now. I do think it looks pretty good though. just my .02

 

I think the Wolverine 450 was designed to compete with the Polaris Scrambler500, not the Prairie650/Brute650. The Scambler has a big following by people that want an automatic 4x4 that LOOKS sporty...No racks, no hitches, small tires, aggresive bodywork, etc. Personally I like the new Wolverine and will test drive one because I am in the market for a Scrambler. P.S. I like Yamaha's 06 line-up and would love a new Raptor700, but don't tell anybody over on the Polaris forum.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I got one of the first 95 Wolverines in my area, it was a great quad then, it is still a great quad, but I was thinking of upgrading if Yamaha ever made some major changes,until now. Once again, Yamaha has taken a current model ( Kodiak),slapped some new plastic on it, and claimed a new model. Just like the "new" Raptor 80 (Badger), the Grizzly 125 ( Breeze). A true 450 liquid cooled motor, 2-4 wd select, and a semi auto 5 speed would have had me seriously thinking about a trade in, but this Kodiak Lite is just a poor substitute, in my opinion. Not to offend any one out there, but belt drive is great on a high revving snowmobile, but not my idea of great on a quad, the idea of a little mud or water in the housing bringing you to a halt, or a tough spot burning the belt and leaving you stuck is not my idea of a "peace of mind" set up. I like to be able to hold a gear depending on my situation, and shift for a sportier ride, or be able to drop a gear to quickly slow down in a corner or a tough spot. Not to mention the better fuel economy to be had with a shift tranny, the rpms to engage and keep it moving have to take a bit more fuel than a semi auto. Also, I am not a true fan of floor boards, I like the feel of a peg, easier to mover around when driving hard, and jumping. I'm sure it will have a lot of people happy for a "new" model, but once again, Yamaha failed to impress me.

 

Bet your happy you got the 05 [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I hope I dont get trashed by the yamaha loyalists for this (hey go easy on me I have owned two lol) but yamaha really didnt do anything with this model that suprized me at all, and it really just fits into their normal ways in the atv line. This is why I am still so suprized and impressed with the yfz450 as it wasnt a total marketing machine, and the company actually put lots of effort into the yfz, and it seems to have paid off very well. Now the new wolv is a total different story.

What really seems sad is that the Wolv really stood out in the 4x4 segment, and was very different than most everything else, and I looked at that as a good thing. Maybe because I owned a warrior in the past I may be biased, but it seems to me that a true sport 4x4 though very unique is still a good platform for a ATV.

I guess they just wanted to jump on the same bandwagon as all the other mfg's and have another "new" model to help increase sales, but I think yami really missed the boat on this one big time, and should have just improved the previous model with a new more powerfull engine, liquid cooling, updated plastics, improved air filter set up, reduced weight, and addressed some of the other little stuff.

That would have been a winner if you ask me since they would have had pretty much zero competition, and like was said above it would have been more intune with what the consumer wanted (at least those who were interested in a atv like the wolv), but again yami shows us that its more concerned with increases in market share than what we want or need.

So now we have another 400-500 class auto util, woo hoo big deal right

 

I agree,

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

I thought I read that the new Wolverine will have a rack. Kinda like when the 05's came out they posted pics of it without the rack at first, and then later added pics of them with a rack later.

Here is what I read.
Raptor-inspired styling includes swoopy bodywork with integrated floorboards, a comfortable sport seat and an integrated rear rack.

 

i like it i just wish it was n't so heavy

 

I sold my wolverine a long time ago because my daughters 250 polaris would so easily smoke it. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]
Glad to see the wolverine get a decent sized engine.