Hey all.

I need some input on your thoughts, I'm looking at 2 used atvs and looking for pros and cons.
They are a 2003 Yamaha Kodiak 450 and a 2002 Honda Foreman 450. Both are 4x4 and in equal shape.

This would be my first 4x4 and would not be used for nothing extreme and would be used for work and play.

Any thoughts would be a BIG help.

Thanks Jeff

I know this is dumb to post in the Yamaha forum since Honda and Yamaha riders I believe are the most loyal....but thought any imput is good.

 

I think that honda makes great utility quads. I had a recon for 4 years, I loved it, and barely spent anything on maintainance. I rode a yamaha grizzly and didn't like the feel of it, it seemed a lot tippier than the honda foremans I rode before. Most yamahas feel like they're too tall from the factory, compared to hondas which feel more stable. After spending over $1000 in repairs on my yamaha I've already decided my next quad will be another honda.

 

Thanks for your reply. Ufortunately both the above wheelers were gone in a day, I should have known better than to not wait and just pick one. I did however find an older gentleman that had a 2000 Yamaha Grizzly 600 4x4 that is in fantastic shape, it nice to finally find a guy who buys a big 4x4 for pulling deer out of the woods and tooling around on and get a great deal when he decides to sell it.

I usually just hear about those deals and finally I'm the one who gets the deal.

Jeff

 

nice choice the grizzly. A couple things on that year
1.) the front wheels dont lock so it is more of a 3 or 3 and a half wheel drive. on of my buddies has same quad and we jacked it up and tried 4 wheel drive. we could stop it with our hands!
2.) Make sure you have it completly in gear dont just throw it in there if u just throw it in there it will not go in all the way and u grind them (the saying "if you cant find them grind them there coming out with rubber next year") is not true!!! lol
3.) and last but not least buy some 27 inch tires they are awesome on it!

 

Yeah the diff. lock was 1 feature I liked on the kodiak 450. I basically bought the grizz for my wife since she doesn't like the hand clutch on my other wheelers. We went out and played with the grizz last night and she like it. Its too bad the tires are still like new cuz I really want some tougher looking ones but I'll wait. Got out the dennis kirk catalog and did a little dreamin' for the future but I was only allowed to buy some cv boot guards and some maintance stuff. Thats ok though, atleast we have a machine for when the snow gets deep and one she can rip around on and not have to worry about kick starting and using a clutch.

Jeff

 

Nice find on the Grizzly. I like your 05 bow kill! What area do you hunt?

 

I hunt about 7 miles north of Ladysmith, I own 40 acres there with my dad owning another 120 acres and my sister and husband owning another 120 acres all ajoining. With only my brother-in-law and myself hunting all of it. My dad actually went gun hunting again this year but has arthritis so bad he couldn't get too far OUT in the woods, he had a pretty big smile when I brought home the Grizzly realizing now he will be able to some what hunt like a normal person again. He was pretty disappointed this year only seeing 2 does in 9 days because he really can't get too far out in the woods. At 73 I think he would just like to see a big buck whether he gets to shoot or not.

Thanks for the comment on my 2005 bow buck, it was in the 70s up here opening weekend and I just went out to take some pictures with no intent on shooting a deer, but while I was getting ready to take a picture of a bobcat that came ripping out of the swamp I noticed that buck about 50 feet behind him and decided to shoot the buck rather than having a nice picture of a bobcat(which I've never seen in the wild before). I think I made the right choice.

Jeff

 

I totally understand the father thing. My dad and I own 80 acres in Grant county(farthest SW county) WI. He is getting up there in age and I was glad to see him get a nice 10 pointer with his gun this year. He was really down after scaring the same one away bow hunting. It must be nice having 280 acres to do some QDM on. Good luck to you with the Grizz and keeping your dad enjoying the hunting. Maybe you need a 3rd guy to bow hunt that much land! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Thats a awesome buck you have in your pics as well, up here the wolves and vehicles do our deer management....lol.

Last year between my brother-in-law and myself we took 7 deer since we had to shoot does before we could shoot a buck. That worked out ok since none of his brothers and father got anything as well as my father not hunting last year. This year we didn't have the EARN-A-BUCK deal and I was the only one to get a deer. I saw 6 small bucks and 2 does each with 2 fawns. My dad saw 2 does and my brother-in-law and his 2 brothers and father saw only a couple does in the couple days they hunted here.

Between the 2004 earn-a-buck deal and gaining population of wolves in the area has really screwed up the population where I hunt.

I have been feeding the deer on a regular basis and just sat out for a day just to see what was left and the total was 2 does each with a fawn. My wife loves to go out with me when I feed them, the does are so tame from seeing me out in the woods all fall hunting and cutting firewood for dad that they will walk right up beside me waiting for me to dump the bucket of corn. The funny thing is if she gets off the wheeler they stop until she gets back on then they come in to eat....ticks her off!

 

Awsome! that would be really cool. I have been close to deer before but that was because I tricked them and was not moving. Speaking of wolves, a trapper I know found one dead along the Platte River in the south West close to me. Reported to the DNR and they have not gotten back to him or made a statement either? Be careful around them, it is only a matter of time before they think humans are game. Do you see any wild Boars up by you?