So you will spend $5999 and then put money in the motor/drivetrain for mods, and I would assume that you would want to upgrade the factory suspension, as OEM shocks are where money is saved.

What you will have is a bike that will be slower, and ride worse than your Grizz for almost the same money as the Grizz. Not to mention the fact that, as a self described large person, you will find the ergos way too small.

 

I have as much fun riding my bear tracker as I do my grizzly. Having a lighter, quieter machine that is still quick and well adapted to riding the trails I ride is what I want. My griz is a monster. I don't always want to ride a monster and I would end up modding any machine I buy. The stock grizzly wouldn't remain stock and the modding costs would be similar. I would get just a 2wd quad, but with the trails I ride, the mud is too much for it so I want something really light with a sporty feel and 4wd. The new wolverine fits my requirements.
I would pipe it ($300), lighter clutch weights ( free, I can mod them myself), Power kit with K&N and dyno jet kit($100), and intake mods with uni vents ($9) , possibly a stiffer secondary sheave spring if it needs it ($30).
My total mods would be about $439. Tell me you didn't already exceed that on all of your machines.
I have spent close to $1000 on extras for my griz.
One other thing, the new wolverine has 23" tires stock, so they will be easier to turn than the 25" tires on the Kodiak. I don't want big mud tires on it, that is what my griz is for. I want a light trail machine that also has 4wd.
The full time 4wd thing is for the birds.

 

New Castle is about 45 minutes from where I live. I am on the Ohio, Pa. boarder in southern Astabula, Ohio. Do you ever go to the Shenango OHV Park?

 

Shenango (Bayview) has a couple water holes and a couple small hills, other than that, nothing special. You can ride all of it in about 30 minutes.

 

Hi guys im new to the forum here,
I have a wolverine for about 8 years that i race in hare scrambles ,fast trail rides and plow with in the winter. This quad doesnt do anything awesome butt does well all around and that is what i like about it . Back in the day when i was shoping for a quad my final choices were between a polaris scambler and the yamaha wolverine . I liked the polaris as it had much more power butt i choose the wolf for its no maitence driveshafts ,proven motor from the warrior.longest travel susp, and lightest weight in class . To date my quad has thosands of hours on it and it never left me stuck in the woods.
When i saw the new 06 wolverine in the forums i was disapointed like most people are , auto,looks,heavier and kodiak motor. Having a month to think about the changes i decieded to look into it again with an open mind as no 1 has ridin it and reviewed .
Ok the looks of the machine ugly- update dont judge the looks till you see it in person, my dealer just got 1 in WOW, if its still ugly in person tell me how this affects performance.
Ok the auto , i dont like auto trannys im a racer_update did you know that this auto tranny is the most efficient tranny design in the world, and the lightest , this translates to more power . Its also adjustable . For all the modded wolf motors out there that lost some low end this tranny design would be bentafical to you.
Ok its heavier then the older wolf - its still the lightest quad in its class , and its not that much heavier .What does your older wolf way once you put new rims /tires/racks and ur 424warn on it ?
Ok the kodiak motor - i did a search on kodiaks in a couple of forums and have found that 98% love the kodiak motor as its realable and powerful . Theres companys that have nice stroker kicks for these motors as well as exhaust and filter kits. If you decieded to mod your older wolverine with cam ,head porting, high compression pistons the temps go up and theres not much you can do with it as its air cooled. The new wolf motor is water cooled and it will be better when doing future motor mods like a nice 500 stroker kit . Its going to run cooler in stock form when climbing mountains and plowing with its fan operated radiator. The water cooling is a plus guys.
My object here is to rereview the quad before making a negitive judgement . I think this quad might surprise some of you guys here . Ive had my wolverine it seems for ever and would love to get a new one ,butt would hate to take a backwards step.
I dont understand when people compare the grizz and prarie to the wolferine of course there faster on a straight flat road or in a mud bog with 27in tires . My friend bought the new grizz and guess what he beat me on the road by 5 to 10 mph with double the horsepower.We took the battle to the woods were there was no comparison, he got smoked.I put my wife on the back of my machine and he got smoked again . How many wolverine owners here have been passed in the trails by a 700+ pound quad with a high center of gravity?
Im going to try and be open minded about this new quad, the specs are in but not the facts .



96 wolverinne duncan mod motor,works shocks,maxxisalltracs,other mods[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Buy an older Wolvy, put a FST 446 kit and have one awsome 4by4 machine. Just my two cents.

 

I think I saw someone referencing the kodiak 450 being gutless and thinking the new wolverine is the same. wrong assumption, the wolverine has plenty of kick to it, nothing like the kodiak. i have the new wolverine and my buddy has a kodiak. he says the same, far more snap and spot-on throttle response than his kodiak. just wanted to report the facts.

DW

 

DW you're right. I got my Wolverine 450 last week and I'm very impressed with the throttle response. You hit the throttle and the power is there. I loike everything but the top speed and the suspension. Too bouncy. (the suspension, not the top speed)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Im not sure why others are bashing the 450 kodiak motor. Mine seems plenty strong, and up to 40mph, it pulls pretty hard. Its not gonna keep pace with the 400 sportys, but when you get to the slippery stuff, they wont keep up with it.
I kind of like the looks, and the lower profile shouldnt be as tippy as the kodiak.
Ive got some things im not real happy about with my kodiak, but power or the motor or the tranny isnt one of them.

 

Hondabuster, no offense to those guys but alot of them are bashing the Kodiak motor because they don't really know what they are talking about. There is ar reason that the Kodiak 450 is one of the highest rated utility quads on the planet. And its NOT because they are "dogs". I had both a Kodiak 400 and a 450. Both machines were outstanding! The Kodiak was not designed to go fast. Nor was my 4x4 truck. My Kodiak did everything it was designed to do, and did it well. When I raced motocross, my CR250 was amazing on the track, but it wouldnt pull a log through the woods worth a crap!!! Did what it was designed to do perfectly.