Yesterday I stopped by the local Yamaha shop, and there on the floor was a new white fendered 2006 Wolverine 450. The owner saw me looking it over and said, " Hey, you've owned a Wolverine for about 10 years now, how about I have the boys in the shop set this up and you give it a test run and let me know how it compares?" So today I went in and gave it a run around a bare field they had out back. Here's my view on this quad:
1. Startup, put it in Park, pull the brake, and it fires up quick, it has a huge Kodiak style muffler, but a bit deeper, more performance sound to it, pretty nice sounding, actually.Vents for belt drive are up to the handlebars in front, and behind the tail light in the back,so getting wet shouldn't be a real problem.
2. Fit and finish: No rattles, vibrations, no gaps in the fit of fenders, no extra panels to get in the way, engine is wide open to get to the carb,oil filter, etc. Neat and clean looking. Real good fender protection for the rider, a sore spot on the old Wolverine !!
3. Ride: pretty much the same as a stock Wolverine, same 5 step shocks, this unit had 0 miles, so it was a little stiff, but my old Wolverine was too, when new. Tires are a radial, flat sporty tread in back, reminds me of the ATR, front almost looks like a standard sport quad front tire,don't know how much traction it will provide when in 4wd.Handling was a bit "jouncy", bouncy and jolting on rough stuff at speed, but new shocks take time to break in.
4. Power: Not what I was expecting from a 421 cc motor,compared to my 350, takeoff was a bit soft, but sped up quickly, corners can easily be slid in 2wd, spinning in corners not a problem, definately will leave a lot of people wanting a lot more output from the motor, just too tame for me. The field was not real big, so the best I could do was get it up to 40 before slamming on the brakes, the owner took it out on a side road and wound it out, took a bit, but it got up to 52 on the speedometer, a real step backwards from the acceleration and top speed of the 350 Wolverine.
Overall opinion, it would be a decent trail quad for those who need a smaller,easy to steer quad that has 4wd capabilities for rough or muddy sections.Suitable for new or beginning riders, goes plenty fast for trail riding, but you will get left behind on the long stretches. Nice being able to push a button for 2-4wd, choke lever is mounted by the left handle,for easy starts, the small digital speedo/ odometer/ tripmeter is backlit for easy viewing. Bumpers are rough coated silver powder coat, look nice with the fenders, don't know how it would look with a rear rack, with the sporty,raked back fenders, it might look a little wierd. Bad things, sluggish take off for a 400 class motor, better shocks would be nice, and I'm still not a big fan of floor boards,maybe make a removeable plate for those who like footpegs. Bottom line, a solid, smooth running quad that looks a lot sportier than it is, Yamaha definately needs to look into beefing up the motor, modding the clutch, and offering some different shocks. Looks like my 10 year old Wolverine will be staying around for quite a while, it just fits my needs better than this "new" Wolverine. Sorry for the long post, but just had to fill you all in on my feelings on this replacement for a big favorite in the sport/utility class.

 

You know what; that is pretty much what I have been saying from day one. We have owned both a 350 Wolverine and a Kodiak 450, and as soon as I saw that Yamaha went to the 421cc / auto trans from the Kodiak I knew the performance of the new Wolverine would be worse than the old Wolverine. Thanks for the review.

DV

 

95wolv- Appreciate the review. If I can ever get my dealer to put theirs together I'm going to buy it for the wife and it sounds like it should be perfect for her.

 

awesome review- i wish more people would do em like that!!!!!!

 

moto, the power and handling should be perfect for your wife, it has a nice compact look to it, and the fenders are narrower than the old Wolverine, so it will look right at home parked next to your Raptor. Even with the softer hit off the bottom, it still will accelerate great for trail riding, and you won't have to worry about the front end coming up if she happens to hit the throttle too fast, it just ain't happening !! Like I said, the unit I drove had no miles on it, I was the first rider, so maybe when it breaks in it will be a little better, so I won't judge a tight motor for being a little slower. The footpegs on the boards could be a little higher, for people like me who are used to pegs, I found myself trying to pivot my foot in corners, and it felt like my outer foot wanted to slide off a bit, but I push the corners pretty hard. Like I said, a few issues could be addressed, and it would make a world of difference on this quad. Maybe next year, Yamaha !!!

 

Good review, I have been waiting to see what people thing.

 

This was my ride report from 2 weeks ago.

Yep I had a 98 Wolverine and loved it.

Okay here is my Ride Report, I spent about 1.5 hrs on it today and tried some different things. To start off i found a nice stretch of road to see what the top speed is, this machine does get up to speed fast and does not sound like it is going to blow when it gets to the top speed of 55 yep that's right, keep in mind I weigh 260 and my wife weighs 125, so I think it will more then likely go faster with her on it.

Well I found a nice trail to take and try some different things. First thing was a ditch crossing, hit it in 2WD and had no problems with the radial tires on it, so I went back across and put it in 4WD and crossed the ditch again and there was no power loss and the front tires hooked up pretty good and pulled the bank with no problem. This trail that some friends and I made was made with sport quads in mind. So I figured what the heck, I took it out of 4WD and hit the gas. Took some corners and it handled pretty good, the throttle response was good. We have some jumps on this trail so I chanced it and hit them, the first time I hit them I took it pretty easy so I could see how it was going to handle in the air, then I turned around and hit them a little faster (talk about a rush). The shocks are little stiff so the landings were iffy.

Well my last little test consist a nice hill climb. On my old Wolverine it didn't like hills to well and would dog out in the middle of the climb. All I can say is this didn't do it and I was pretty giggly, I could have done this all day. This Wolverine is very rider friendly, and has a nice light filling on the trail, not like your driving a tank.

I think I covered everything I did.

This past week-end....OCTOBER 1st....

Here is some more info from this week-end of riding. The wife rode it this time and she said she really liked it better then my old Wolverine. She liked how she didn't have to shift any and the push button 4WD. She took it for a spin down the road and got it up to 57 mph on the little digital dash board. She dropped into a couple mud holes and had no problems getting through them. She also climbed some hills and just coasted right up them. I think she had to much fun because she didn't want to leave....

 

well 95, looks like yamaha screwed this one up.i was hoping to here oh my god it is fast,or its like a scrambler,but you abut summed up this one.not impressed going to order the stroker kit for my 02. thanks for the review

 

I do have to agree with Roach, the midrange torque is quite a bit better than the old Wolverine, the Kodiak motor definately pumps out the low end, it just seems to run out of steam on top. To tell the truth, I liked it for the most part, but the handling seemed less sporty, and not being able to beat the speed of the old one left me wanting more,but as a trail quad for slow to mid range speed, I think a lot of people would like it, the acceleration is fine, and not having to shift will probably win a lot of people over, I just would still like to see a sport-ute with the semi auto tranny, for those of us who still like to shift and hold gears when we want to. Or a hopped up version of Kodiak motor, with clutching to match, and suspension to let you jump and corner more like a sporty quad. I just don't feel like buying a new quad, then having to mod the crud out of it to match my old one.

 

I read a review of the 06 Wolverine and the pretty much said what you said except they put a lot of sugar on it. They did say it had about an 1" less wheel travel up front. That is odd since Yamaha WebSite says it is the same as the old model. I think Yamaha is trying to get everyone to think the new one is better. The article sounded like a sales pitch or advertisement. Read it HERE. How is the new Wolverine any different thatn the 400 kodiak? If you put the same wheels and exhaust on the 400 Kodiak and raced them, would there be much difference? I am not trying to be negative about the new model, I am just trying to justify there actions and so far I can not.