Hey, would like some opinions on the Kodiak 450 from the owners or anyone having first hand knowledge; the good, the bad and the ugly! Considering it as my next machine, salesman can tell you anything, but I want to hear from the owners!

 

It's an outstanding mid range utility quad. It has all the features of the Grizzly with a slightly smaller engine. It sits a bit lower than the Grizzly which gives it a little more stability. I think the only problem I have heard of is the location of some of the grease zerks. They're almost impossible to get to.
I don't think you would be disapointed, but check out some of the other 400 class 4-by's.

 

The kodiak is one awesome machine. The diff-lock is a must and the engine is very peppy for a 450 (421) cc. The low range is geared very low, I have 26 589's and I have never really had a problem turning them. One thing I changed about mine besides the impossible grease zerks was the reverse limiter. I hooked a inline toggle switch so when going in reverse in mud or snow I flick the switch and there is no problem spinning the tires in reverse then. The fit and finish is first class. The handling improved alot when I went with aftermarket tires. My buddies have 500, 600 and 700's but not once do I regret buying a 450. You won't win any high speed races but on the mud/ bush trail you'll be right with them, the kodaik is light enough to throw around and great on tight trails. Maintenance is pretty good. Access to the oil filter and air filter is simple, diff drain plugs and belt case drain are all easy to access also, just greasing it is a pain but doable with a grease needle.

Just my $.02

 

I've had my 05 kodiak 450 since March. It has 130mi on it. My confidence in this machine grows each time I ride it. On my last trip I got off on a wrong part of the trail, and was a bit worried how far one tank of gas would get me. I ended up back at my truck with about 4.5 hours of riding and only used half a tank, that was going slow though, because of such narrow trails. It's easy to maintain, and I haven't had any problems except the seat latch gets stuck from the dirt sometimes, but some wd40 solves that easy.