Looking to buy this machine for the wife. Any reviews would be helpful good or bad. I own a polaris sportsman and I am not familiar with long term maintaince issues or problems. The specs on this machine seem to be what she wants and would be comfortable on.. Thanks for any replies.

 

I bought one for the girl friend to ride and she likes it. She has had it in water up past the top fenders and she feels comfortable on it. In 4x4 it can be tiring to steer for her,But two wheel drive she can ride all day. Starts up and runs perfect everytime for her. I think this is a good all around ride for a woman under 5'10". If your wife is taller it may seem cramped as far as the seat and bar height goes. One thing I notice on the 450 is it does not feel tippy like the bigger machines can feel. The stock tire seem to have a lot of flex to them when on dry hard surfaces. As long as longevity goes our machine is only a year old, But it has never missed a beat. The rear grease fitting look like they can not be greased. I bought a grease tip for close quarters grease fitting and it work like a dream. (Napa sells it). Besides the grease fittings
the other service portions are easy access on the 450. I usually by Suzuki products, But I have owned Yamaha equipment before and the Yamaha quaility is great. I am not sorry one bit that I bought the 450. Let us know what you decide one.... It comes down to what your wife wants. All the big name manufatures make good products.

 

Just got my kodiak 450 about a month ago. My wife loves it alot. She doesn't have any problem getting up on it and going. The stock tires do suck a bit. If your wife will be running it hard watch quick turns because the tires seem to want to roll over a bit. All in all, I can't really complain. Great machine.....

 

Love my kodiak. No reliabilty issues. Changed my grease zerks to accomidate my grease gun. Great machine and the locker can save you sometimes! Yeah I think 2wheel mode it is very easy to stear. In 4X4 it is more difficult but you don't usually need that mode all the time.

 

Thanks for all your reviews. I have heard in the past about the issues with the greese fittings. I'll just tell the dealer if he wants the sale to get me set up so I can grease the machine with ease,

 

My wife has a blue, Color is important you know, Kodiak 450i and it is perfect for her. Even I was impressed when she got it stuck once and the locker eased it out without an issue. The steering is smooth as butter compared to the bikes I have owned, ofcourse they are bigger, but she is right at home on it. Her only complaint is that it needs ITP tires on it. That is why I married her. For Christmas I put Moose handwarmers on it for her, makes it even that more enjoyable for her.