A BF 650 or P 700 is better than a Wolverine anyway you look at it , except price , which will soon be offset by the power differences of the Kawis, the prairies and BF solid axles are in my opinion still the funnest and sportiest 4x4s on the market today. Dont throw it up to a coin toss or youll be sorry , go with the Kawi. Good luck.

 

Wolvyrida was saying a couple of posts ago that he wouldnt be caught dead on a new Wolverine450 because he thought that it was ugly.. but remember, that is completely opinion. I have had the new Wolverine 450 for about 4 months now, and I absolutely LOVE it. Not to mention that in my OPINION, it is a very sharp machine. Now, some people like the looks of the older 350 wolverine. Personally, I don't. But to each their own. Everyone so far that has seen my new wolverine (probably 20 or so guys) have said they love the way it looks. Has raptor-like styling. Anyways, that is the least important factor when choosing an atv in my opinion. The wolverine is simply this... a blast! It handles like a dream, great suspension, awesome wheel/tire combination, great low end torque, push-button 4wd. I used to be a salesman at a motorcycle shop, so I have ridden them all. Also have raced motocross since I was 10. It took me about 3 full weeks to finally pick out an atv to suit my needs. I am really into trail riding, as opposed to all out speed. I also like jumping, and I required a machine with 4wd... for heavy mud and snow, and steep hills in the rain. Personally, I have never been much of a fan of the bigger machines (like the brute force). Too heavy and bulky. Again, just an opinion. I have been doing long trail rides with 15 or so guys since I have owned this thing, and I have yet to have any machines leave me on the trails. And, on the last ride we went on, we were riding the river bottoms and got into a big area with pretty deep mud. I ended up pulling a couple of 2wd machines out.. (a raptor was one of them). So the 4wd really shines in those conditions. It all really depends on what kind of riding you do, but so far, the 450 Wolverine has done everything I have asked of it, and has done it well!! Not the fastest machine by any stretch (heck its a 4wd) but down low, its real torquey and I like that!
Good luck in your choice!

 

Oh and one more thing I have to add about the 450 wolverine... this thing comes alive at about 5 hours. I test rode one and I found the power to be just OK. But my buddy that sold it to me assured me that after about 5 hours on it, the engine would really come alive.. and MAN did it ever!! Was a different machine after a few hours. Now its a little torque monster... :-)

 

Well, I can't wait to get 5 hours on mine! Looking forward to it!

 

There is a Brute Force 650 4x4 that has the same chassis as the Prairie 700 has, but is 500.00 cheaper in list price and on average most of them are sold in the mid to upper 5k range less than the list price of the Woverin's 5999.00 msrp. There is easaly 500.00 more features and power value in comparison to the wolfy. I had a 98 wolverine and a 2000 kodiac that the new 06 wolverine is based on. Both were good quads and I look back on them with fond memories, but thats just it they are old machines and just because Yamaha slaps some new plastic on a 6 year old machine and call it all an all new redesigned model is kind of a joke. There is nothing that can be done to the 450 wolverine that would be in the 500 dollar price range that would make it comparabel to the Brute 650 solid axle or for the 1000 dollar price differnce in that of the Prairie 700.

 

I have a 2004 p700 and love it. It has 2000 hard miles on it without a problem, I also have a 2006 grizzly and this thing is also a blast to ride although it handled terrible before I put after market rims and tires on it. Its also quicker than the kawi in the mid to high range but the kawi get the hole shot every time. Both my bikes are stock other than rims and tires.

 

Braddsn you are right, that is only my opinion. If the 450 works well for you then you got the right quad. Let me give one more opinion on this. If you want a big 4wheeler with a big motor and lots and lots of power the wolverine is not for you. If your more into trail riding, hitting jumps, playing in the mud and going fast the wolverine is probably for you. I believe the wolverine is built to be modified. It does not have the big motor with big power, but it can if you want it to. The wolverine stock, is a good all aroud machine that does everything good. Im not sure what the top speed of the Kawasaki is but my stock wolverine did 60mph on pavement. The only way to really compare them is to ride both and deciede which one fits you best. Good Luck daduhdummy

 

If you have enough room to realy stretch one out the prairie is good for about 70 max.

 

Wolvyrida you said it! If you want a big quad with a big motor, the wolverine is not for you. I think some guys like big quads with big power, and others like smaller lighter quads that are more nimble. I am of the second group. Also, if you are going to do any work with one, (like pulling anything heavy or farm work,) then a wolverine is not for you. I am 190 lbs and in good shape so I wanted something a little lighter to throw around and jump more.

CC1999, you mentioned in your post that Yamaha just "threw on some new plastic and called it redesigned" referring to the new Wolverine....
Ok.. it has an all new bigger engine, it is water cooled, Ultramatic transmission, push-button on the fly 4wd, new wheels, new tires, redesigned suspension, redesigned seat, no racks, redesigned headlight and taillights, disc brakes front and rear, and redesigned floorboards and skid plates, and a new chassis! What is your definition of redesigned??? I was a salesman at a Yamaha shop for a few years and believe me, it is COMPLETELY redesigned.

 

I was not talking about the old wolverine, I said it was based off the 2000 Kodiac and I stand by that statement, the 2003-2004 Kodiac is a closer match but from a personal first hand ownership experince I had with the 2000 model Kodiac with the 401 cc engine. The 2003-2004 had a extra 20cc's in the 450 Kodiac's but if you chseck the specs and or put them side by side with a new wolverine you will see its a cosmetic package on a 5 year old bike with smaller tires. I would imagine they changed the gearing to match the tire change, and the lack of the racks and the lighter tires will explane the weight differnce. I also mentioned that it was based on a 6 year old design wich was the original now discontinued Kodiac, the IRS version replaced it in 2004 as an 05 model. I think the original wolverine was a design that dated back to the early mid 90's. The new wolverine is the discontenued 00-04 SRA kodiac less the racks and plus a nice new set of raptor looking plastic.