The kodiak was a really nice 4X4 and unless you are really in need for the extra power. There are pluses and minuses on making the switch. Since I came from the exact quad you have, I would say the pluses outweigh the minus. I'm just not sure you really need to make the switch. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't have a trade in barter deal going on with the yamaha dealer.
Pluses :
1. Power Steering - By far the nicest thing. The kodiak beat me up a little with the ITP tires. This makes riding almost effortless.
2. Power - I like the 700 Engine. I can now loft the front tires. I could never get those tires up on the kodiak.
3. Feel of the quad - Overall feel is great on this quad.
Cons :
1. It's a bit big. The kodiak felt a little more nimble going into those real tight trails.
2. Notchy shifter - I hate the shifter on this thing. It's definitely not smooth. I am not sure what I can do to remedy this.

I have not had an issue starting this, but it stays in the garage. The bottom line is, if you can get a real good deal, then do it, if it's going to break the bank, the resale value on the kodiak won't change much and you can wait for a new model.

 

extreme yamaha I got the new Grizz. Haven't got but a couple of miles on it, but it seems to be a really nice quad. I actually had been wanting a Grizzly since I bought the Kodiak back in 2004. I am a pretty big boy and the extra power will be nice to play with. Even with the performance things I had done to the Kodiak I thought it was a little underpowered for me, not in torque and power but pure speed on the trails. Still the Kodiak is a great atv, and will probably miss it sometimes, but am glad I got the Grizzly.

 

Oh, I must have missed that part. Well, congrats on the quad, I'm sure you will love it. Too bad though, you are in the same boat as me. Never put those over fenders on huh? LOL. I just hope someone has a fix for the shifter. Drives me crazy. And it's not a high idle that's the problem.

 

Well I did get them on for a couple of weeks. Man I wish I was lazy sometimes, oh well thats the way it goes. One of the chiefs on my department would have bought them from me too. Several of us are goin ridin tomorrow, so maybe I can get closer to that magic 20 hr. service, and hammer the throttle a little. Thanks again for the deal extreme yamaha.